The Sea of Galilee

Early on the morning of my seventh day, I left Zippori and drove through Tiberias to the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is the area where Jesus did most of his ministry prior to heading to Jerusalem.

My first stop was at The Mount of the Beatitudes, the site where Jesus gave his famous Sermon on the Mount as recounted in Matthew 5-7. The site now contains the Church of the Beatitudes, the dome structure containing eight sides to commemorate the eight Beatitudes.

Before visiting the site I sat in the car and read the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes.

Uphill from the Mount of the Beatitudes is Korazim National Park, which contains the ruins of a town that Jesus rebuked for it's lack of faith. The centerpiece of these ruins is the 3rd Century Synagouge.

My third stop was The Church of the Multiplication of the Fishes and the Loaves. This beautiful church is located on the spot where Jesus fed the 5000, from only a few fish and a loaf of bread.

Right in front of the altar is a beautiful mosaic depicting the fish and the loaves.

The next spot down the road was The Church of the Primacy of St Peter, where Jesus called Peter to be his disciple. The spot is marked by a small church right on the shores of the lake. As with most of the spots along the "Jesus Trail", there were groups of Pilgrims holding services.

Peter's house

The Church built above it

Capernaum is the ancient city mentioned several times in the Bible as Jesus base of operations while conducting his Galilee ministry. The town was home to Peter, Mark and John. This was one of the most disappointing of all the sites. My complaint was that a large modern building had been built above the site of Peter's home. The building housed a rather pretty, airy church and a glass floor in the middle so visitors could look down and see the ruins of the home, but such a large building was out of place above an ancient site.

Moving on I came to Kursi, where Jesus performed the Miracle of the Swine, where he healed a demon possessed man by sending his demons into a herd of pigs which immediately raced to the lake and drowned themselves. Little remains of the town today except the ruins of it's synagogue.

I drove uphill looking for the Ofir Observation Point, located on the highest rise above the Sea of Galilee. I was disappointed. While the views were spectacular, the day was so hot that a thick haze made visibility a problem. I was just barley able to see Tiberias, a mere 7km away across the lake.

The Western Sally Port (Entrance)

The Laundry Room

My final stop of the day was not on the Jesus trail or even on the Sea of Galilee. About 10 miles south of the southern shores of the lake in the ruins of a Crusader-era castle names Belvior. This ruins site picturesquely on a hill overlooking the Jordan River and the country of Jordan in the distance.

The ruins themselves were impressive, but it was the views from the hill that captures my imagination. It was easy to see why the Crusaders picked such an imposing spot for their fortress. It was hard to imagine any army being able to conquer such a fortified position, but it did happen, by the Ottomans in the early 13th Century. I almost felt guilty for enjoying Belvior so much. Here I'd spent the first part of the day following Jesus' ministry sites and the site I enjoyed most that day was something unrelated to his life. I realized, however, that the reason the Crusaders took on their missions was to possess the Holy Land. One of the biggest reason I enjoyed Belvior so much more than the other sites was that I practically had the place to myself, whereas the Jesus' sites were overflowing with tour groups. I've been a part of tour groups before, and I've battled them as well, but I've never had so much of my enjoyment zapped by these people.

I left Belvior quite impressed, but I had no idea that a much more impressive castle awaited me the next day in the Golan Heights.