March 11, 2019
Day 6: After waking up at 4:00 to the call for prayer all around us and roosters crowing outside our windows, we took our showers - honestly the best shower I've had in Israel - and met our fellow travelers upstairs for an authentic Arab breakfast. It was soooooo good! We then met downstairs to wait for our shuttle to Ceasarea. While we were waiting in the gallery, our guide Ayala translated the biographies of the women who were featured on paintings on the walls. I literally had tears in my eyes while I listened to these stories and the weight of their lost dreams still weighs on my heart.
When we first arrived in the village of Jisr Al-Zarqa I was frightened and saw the villagers as hostile and intimidating. The woman who welcomed us, Genevieve, asked us our initial impressions and we were honest in our answers. When we left this morning we realized how much our perspectives had changed and we now see the villagers for what they are: misplaced Muslim Arabs who are accepted by neither their Jewish neighbors nor the Palestinian Arabs. They are the lowest of the low and want no part of the hostility and tensions of the current political climate. It was an experience that I will cherish forever.
We had a short drive to Ceasarea and in that five minutes we went from the absolute poorest neighborhood to Israel's most elite. We were told that Netanyahu himself has a home in Ceasarea. The sudden change had our heads spinning but that didn't stop us from swarming to the nearest coffee shop for cappuccino and a chocolate croissant
We didn't have as long as we would have liked to have there, but we made the most of our time there. We explored the ancient ruins that were originally erected by King Herod the Great, then occupied by Roman and Byzantine Empires, as well as a Crusader fortress. These ruins display beautiful mosaics that are remnants from an ancient city and it's easy to imagine what life was like in those days when you walk old streets, visit marble bathhouses and run your hands over cold stone columns that are nearly two centuries old.
Of course, the call of gelato was strong and we weren't going to ignore it. The name of the shop was La Vita Bella and there were more flavors than we knew what to do with and they had beautiful names like Isabella, Claudia and Chiara.
After hitting the gift shop, we jumped back onto the shuttle and headed toward Nazareth, where we were to check into the Fauzi Azar Inn, a 200 year old mansion in the heart of the city.
Driving through the city of Nazareth was every bit as laughable as I remembered. Complete and utter mayhem! The stoplights didn't work and it wouldn't have mattered if they had. Narrow roads with high stone walls on both sides that barely fit one car are two way streets. Cars are parked anywhere and everywhere - sidewalks, staircases, you name it. I continue to feel grateful that we're NOT renting a car on this adventure of ours.
After checking into our room, we decided to check out the city of Nazareth. When we were here a few years ago I remember being disappointed in this city. We had arrived here after visiting Jerusalem and my expectations were that Nazareth would be very similar but with a Christian flavor to it. I was in complete shock that, while it resembled Jerusalem in it's ancient stone architecture and style, it was completely run down and void of any tourist-y draw. At that time the Fauzi Azar Inn where we had stayed before and are currently staying at again, had not been part of the Abraham Hostel association for very long and the city was in a period of reconstruction after decades of dereliction and a high crime rate. There were not many shops open in the market and the ones that were open lacked a lot of appealing merchandise and selection. But, even so, we felt like the people were trying so hard to rebuild and had so much hope in their struggling city and Chris and I found ourselves rooting for them. Today, as we walked through the Old City I felt an almost giddy pride that there are new shops open - beautiful jewelry and coffee shops. Tour groups walk the old stone streets where there were once barricaded doors where the market used to thrive decades ago. I'm so excited to be a part of this, as small of a piece that I am!
Tonight we had a Traditional Cooking Workshop and we prepared Frike with Chicken with a side of Arabic cabbage salad. Holy moly, good stuff! Not sure that my mom, with her not-so-adventurist food palette was so impressed but Joanie and I agreed that it hit the spot.
Winding down for the evening now, getting ready for our Galilee journey tomorrow bright and early.
Day 6: After waking up at 4:00 to the call for prayer all around us and roosters crowing outside our windows, we took our showers - honestly the best shower I've had in Israel - and met our fellow travelers upstairs for an authentic Arab breakfast. It was soooooo good! We then met downstairs to wait for our shuttle to Ceasarea. While we were waiting in the gallery, our guide Ayala translated the biographies of the women who were featured on paintings on the walls. I literally had tears in my eyes while I listened to these stories and the weight of their lost dreams still weighs on my heart.
When we first arrived in the village of Jisr Al-Zarqa I was frightened and saw the villagers as hostile and intimidating. The woman who welcomed us, Genevieve, asked us our initial impressions and we were honest in our answers. When we left this morning we realized how much our perspectives had changed and we now see the villagers for what they are: misplaced Muslim Arabs who are accepted by neither their Jewish neighbors nor the Palestinian Arabs. They are the lowest of the low and want no part of the hostility and tensions of the current political climate. It was an experience that I will cherish forever.
We had a short drive to Ceasarea and in that five minutes we went from the absolute poorest neighborhood to Israel's most elite. We were told that Netanyahu himself has a home in Ceasarea. The sudden change had our heads spinning but that didn't stop us from swarming to the nearest coffee shop for cappuccino and a chocolate croissant
We didn't have as long as we would have liked to have there, but we made the most of our time there. We explored the ancient ruins that were originally erected by King Herod the Great, then occupied by Roman and Byzantine Empires, as well as a Crusader fortress. These ruins display beautiful mosaics that are remnants from an ancient city and it's easy to imagine what life was like in those days when you walk old streets, visit marble bathhouses and run your hands over cold stone columns that are nearly two centuries old.
Of course, the call of gelato was strong and we weren't going to ignore it. The name of the shop was La Vita Bella and there were more flavors than we knew what to do with and they had beautiful names like Isabella, Claudia and Chiara.
After hitting the gift shop, we jumped back onto the shuttle and headed toward Nazareth, where we were to check into the Fauzi Azar Inn, a 200 year old mansion in the heart of the city.
Driving through the city of Nazareth was every bit as laughable as I remembered. Complete and utter mayhem! The stoplights didn't work and it wouldn't have mattered if they had. Narrow roads with high stone walls on both sides that barely fit one car are two way streets. Cars are parked anywhere and everywhere - sidewalks, staircases, you name it. I continue to feel grateful that we're NOT renting a car on this adventure of ours.
After checking into our room, we decided to check out the city of Nazareth. When we were here a few years ago I remember being disappointed in this city. We had arrived here after visiting Jerusalem and my expectations were that Nazareth would be very similar but with a Christian flavor to it. I was in complete shock that, while it resembled Jerusalem in it's ancient stone architecture and style, it was completely run down and void of any tourist-y draw. At that time the Fauzi Azar Inn where we had stayed before and are currently staying at again, had not been part of the Abraham Hostel association for very long and the city was in a period of reconstruction after decades of dereliction and a high crime rate. There were not many shops open in the market and the ones that were open lacked a lot of appealing merchandise and selection. But, even so, we felt like the people were trying so hard to rebuild and had so much hope in their struggling city and Chris and I found ourselves rooting for them. Today, as we walked through the Old City I felt an almost giddy pride that there are new shops open - beautiful jewelry and coffee shops. Tour groups walk the old stone streets where there were once barricaded doors where the market used to thrive decades ago. I'm so excited to be a part of this, as small of a piece that I am!
Tonight we had a Traditional Cooking Workshop and we prepared Frike with Chicken with a side of Arabic cabbage salad. Holy moly, good stuff! Not sure that my mom, with her not-so-adventurist food palette was so impressed but Joanie and I agreed that it hit the spot.
Winding down for the evening now, getting ready for our Galilee journey tomorrow bright and early.
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