2009 Middle East Travel Seminar

HELLO from Connie
Yesterday we started in Zippori (Sepphoris) the most important city in Galilee in 37 B.C.E. Beautiful mosaics, 4500 seat Roman Theater. We visited the Church of the Enunciation then went to a Reinactment of a Nazareth Village, seeing a shepherd tending his goats, the place where they stomped the grapes for making wine, their olive press which they still use today. They waste nothing.....the first press of oil is blessed to be used in the church, the 2nd press is for the home, the 3rd press is to light the lamps & the seeds (hulls) are burned for heat. There was a woman weaving the lamb's wool & a carpenter as in the days of Jesus. We also had a biblical lunch outside with items grown in the village.
Today we started in Safed, city of the origin of Jewish Kabbalah, went to Capernaum to the house where Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law. Had lunch of "St Peter's" fish, caught in the Sea of Galilee in a Lebanese Restaurant.
It was a full day, but a very good day.
Later, Connie