The shrine has eight doors. A volunteer at the shrine let us know, in the nicest way, that there would be no photos, no gum chewing and no talking inside the shrine. Because of the gold dome and the lush gardens I expected it to be opulent inside. We took off our shoes and entered a small room. The floors were covered with Persian rugs and a few Baha'i worshippers were seated on the floor praying or reading. There were candles and two vases of flowers. A quote by the founder of the Baha'i faith was on the wall. That was it. It was beautiful in it's simplicity. We went back outside and collected our shoes.
Bob went and got the car so I didn't have to walk back up the hill. He is so gracious and really outdoes himself so I can make this trip. Actually everyone does. I couldn't do this without the overwhelming goodness of each person in the group.
Not far from the shrine is Ave Stella Maris Monastery (Our Lady, Star of the Sea). It is a Carmelite Monastery. Monks began living in caves here in the 12th century. This building was built in 1836 over a cave said to be where Elijah lived.
The doors on the Christan churches here are beautiful. I loved this one of Elijah.
When we came out of the church we were trying to figure out how to get to the top of the hill so we could see the Baha'i gardens from above. Everyone got involved in the process.
We made it to the viewpoint above the gardens and it was worth it.
The next stop is Nazareth. It is a bustling town of narrow streets. Nazareth is predominantly Muslim. It is the last days of Ramadan and therefore a three day holiday. We hiked up the steep street to the Church of the Annunciation. It is a Catholic Basilica believed to have been built on the site of Mary's childhood home. Tradition says that the Angel Gabriel would have visited her here to let her know she had been chosen to carry the Messiah. Mass was happening when we arrived but we were allowed to walk through the building anyway. It is a mix of first century ruins and modern architecture.
We climbed the spiral staircase to the upstairs sanctuary. It was lovely. The walls are covered with depictions of Mary from around the world.
Again, I was captured by the doors.
We lingered in it's beauty.
Then we walked over to Joseph's Church. Tradition says it is built on the site of Joseph's carpentry shop. We were not allowed into the sanctuary but we could go down into the basement and see the ruins. It was here that I learned of the apocryphal book, "The Story of Joseph the Carpenter."
By then we were hot and in need of nourishment. We stopped in Mahroum Sweet Shop. Everyone got ice cream but me. I have to be in the right mood for ice cream. I got Turkish delight but it tasted like paste. Should have gone with the ice cream.
Our last stop in Nazareth was Mary's Well. Under a Greek Orthodox Church is a spring and the ruins of a well. You walk through the church and down the steps. They believe the Annunciation took place at this well. There is a spigot you can use to get water from the spring. We cupped our hands and got water from the well.
We had reservations to go to Nazareth Village, a reenactment experience of the time of Jesus. But the heat won out. We cancelled our reservation and headed back to Tiberas. It is now the Jewish Sabbath as well as the last days of Ramadan. It is hard to find restaurants open. We ended up at the Promenade eating traditional Middle Eastern food next to the sea. We ended the day with gelato and this time I imbibed.
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