Nazareth

On our drive through the mountains to Nazareth, we saw a Druze village, enjoyed an Israeli Falaffel lunch as well as some nice views of snow capped mountains to the North.

We arrived at the Basilica of Annunciation in the early afternoon in time for a visit of the Cave which was Mary's home, the Basilica above it and Joseph's cave. Then we celebrated Holy Mass at the altar just in front of Mary's cave where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Afterwards, we enjoyed our first major shopping binge at a shop run by a local Catholic family who was very hospitable to us. Finally we headed to a very nice hotel on the outskirts of town to enjoy an large buffet and comfortable rooms. We also started our nightly prayer/reflection sessions with Evening prayer and giving thanks to God for the blessings of the day.

Mount Carmel

The drive along the Mediterranean Sea (Rosary) with all of the fruit trees (bananas, citrus, etc) was beautiful as was the serpentine route up the mountain. Here is a little info about Mt. Carmel:

Means Vineyard of God from the Hebrew Word (Kerem El). Some authors say it also means the beautiful garden land of God. Indeed it was the symbol of beauty for the Carmel is mountain range of 24 kms. the northwestern continuation of the hills of Samaria, rising to 500m (1,650 ft) above sea level. The Carmel forms the southwestern border of the Valley of Esdraelon. Falling steeply to the Mediterranean, it leaves only a narrow coastal plain and its canyon-like cliffs are dotted with numerous caves, of which served as dwellings in prehistoric times. Most of the Carmel is covered with a thick deposit of good soil and abundant vegetation. It was noted as a symbol of beauty and compared with Lebanon and the Bashan. The most outstanding biblical event that took place on Mt. Carmel was the triumphant victory of the prophet Elijah or Elias over the pagan prophets of Baal as found in 1 Kings 18. Elijah the Tishbite was a fiery, rugged, powerful Hebrew prophet who feared no man.

Caesarea on the Sea

Our first stop, Caesarea on the Sea, is the site of one of Herod the Great's architectual wonders. He built an amphitheater, race track and artificial bay so that vessels, large and small would have a harbor to safely dock. This site was later used by the crusaders as an encampment during one of their attempts to reclaim the Holy Land from the Arabs.