Sunday, January 1, 2012

A VISIT TO NAZARETH


We had a nice Shabatt outing with my daughters family yesterday to the town of Nazareth in the Galilee. About a third of its citizens are Christians. We passed several shops selling Christmas decorations, which can quite compete in quantity and quality with those in Christian countries.

But first we drove up to the Mount of Precipice, the so called "Leaping Mountain". There is a sign explaining the significance of the place in English. Ignoring the spelling mistakes you will get the information.

The hill, about 400 m high, is a beautiful piece of nature with a stunning panorama all around on the Ysreel valley - provided a sunny and clear day. Yesterday is was foggy and wet and it was not possible to take pictures of the view. In a month or so the peak will be covered with cyclamen and we enjoyed their beginnings - the white ones are rare and raindrops made them look even more special. The mountain is a beloved target for family picnics, hiking and biking, but yesterday we had the paths almost for ourselves - it was a bit cold and windy, but we were dressed warm and enjoyed our walk.
The city was bustling with people, open shops, business, traffic and places to eat. We noticed busloads of Christian tourists who came from all over the world to visit the Basilica of Annunciation. This church is beautiful, designed by an Italian architect, the influence of style can be clearly seen.



The bazaar in the vicinity of the church is roofed which protected us from the slight trickle of the rain. It is a typical middle east shuk with all the usual trinkets and things you need and don't need. I NEEDED some little blue ceramic hands against the evil eye, of course! The part of the market near the church sells Christmas ornaments. There I found lovely hearts made from olive tree trunks, polished to a shine to bring out the pretty texture of the wood.
We finished our visit off with taboon bread sprinkled with kezach and za'atar and labane - a real treat!
HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! Foremost I wish health to all - and satisfaction and some pink clouds here and there! :-)

Photos by my husband Uri Eshkar.

13 comments:

zsazsazsu said...

Happy New Year to you and your beloved ones too ! Looking forward to 2012 to see nice things on your blog again.

TarracoStyle said...

feliz año nuevo!!!
que fotos tan preciosas.
besos

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

It looks cold, Yael, but the warm smiles of your family brighten the day!#

Happy New Years!!!

Unknown said...

A happy new year my dear!
And YES!!!! We are going to have our trip to the old city of Jerusalem THIS YEAR!!!!

A big hug to you!

wandamarie.blogspot.com said...

i KNEW that pink cloud was from yael...hovering over our bedroom window this very january 1st morning. i adore the color pink. thank you special ONE!
and thank you for taking us to such awe inspiring, captivating places on earth that i would never be able to see in person. grateful heart to you and your husband for the beautiful photos taken and shared. oh the great world of cyberspace has so enriched our lives. Peace AND love Yael and thank YOU! XO

Anonymous said...

How lovely to read this post. The wings of history flapping all over the place!
I totally loved those turquoise hands -- would have bought them too, had I been there!

Jill said...

A few pink clouds would be lovely! What a nice outing you had. I love how the family portrait at the end is both posed and candid at the same time. Beautiful!

Eva said...

What a great time you must have had. I love the flower picture again! Never saw these in pure white. Enchanting!

rachel awes said...

another gorgeous tour from yael!
big love to you in this new year!
xox

Hilde said...

Happy new year to you and yours, Yael :) Such a nice and happy family photo of you!
And thanks for the tour around Nazareth :)

Clare said...

Happy New Year to you - I hope that this year is filled with many more adventures for you. I have so enjoyed spending time at your blog looking at all your wonderful pictures of places that hold so much history and interest.

- Yvonaut -
Das sind Raphael und Yvonne
said...

Hallo Yael!
Es ist immer interessant deine Beiträge zu lesen! Die kleinen blauen Hände gegen das Böse sehen toll aus!
Wir wünschen dir und deiner Familie ein frohes und gesundes neues Jahr!
Liebe Grüsse
Yvonne & Raphael

mispapelicos said...

HAPPY NEW YEAR, wonderful friend!!!
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