Lunch with friends at Harduf

Barbara Taylor suggested that we might like to visit the restaurant at Harduf after work on Friday. The residents of Harduf Kibbutz follow the philosphy of Rudolf Steiner.

The restaurant serves delicious vegetarian fare and all of the produce grown at the Kibbutz is cultivated biodynamically. The party included Barbara Taylor, Toshiko Watanabe, Jenny Hansen, Allan and Muna Waters, Suzanne and Douglas Henck as well as Noel and myself.

After the meal, we visited the herb garden where we enjoyed seeing some beautiful beds of roses in full bloom. The view of the Carmel range and Haifa was also quite clear and spectacular.

http://www.newfarm.org/international/israel/june05/harduf/index.shtml

Lunch at Nabila's

Siince it was to be my last chance to have lunch with Lucas and Mojan from the Conservation Office, they allowed me to make the choice of location. I chose Nabila's. Since Bob had left his car with Mojan and Eric while he and Melissa are on vacation in the US, Eric offered to drive us down the mountain to Nabila's. As usual, we enjoyed a delicious meal and another very happy time together.

Dinner with Colleen Dawes

Tonight we visited Colleen along with Jenny Hansen. It was an Aussie night. Colleen has quite recently moved into a new apartment so she has been enjoying decorating the spaces and she has created a very beautiful and welcoming environment. She has a very nice balcony area and her kitchen/ dining area is beautifully located facing onto the balcony with large windows and natural light. Colleen's pot plants are thriving so i took several photos of the balcony area where we dined.

Dinner with the Schoot family

Maarten and Menchie Schoot very kindly invited us to theor apartment for a meal. We spent a very happy time with them and their daughter Enna-Marie. Two other good friends were also invited so it gave us another opportunity to spend time with this happy couple who are expecting their first child in November. Consequently, there was quite a deal of talk about babies and raising young children. Enna- Marie was very excited about having visitors.

The Jordan at Yardenit

At the southern end of the Lake is the modern baptismal site at Yardenit. It is a pleasant spot by the river where many Christians from all over the planet come to be baptised in the special water of the Jordan. This is not the actual spot where John the Baptist performed the baptism of Jesus but it is still very significant for believers.

There are eucalypts lining the banks of the river and there are very nice facilities such as a restaurant, kiosk, coffee bar, and a huge shop with lots of souvenirs, books and postcards.

I always like to watch the large catfish and other smaller fish as they swim around in the river near the place where baptisms are conducted.

Bethsaida

After lunch we visited the ancient site of Bethsaida. It was the birth place of Simon-Petrus, the fisherman and his brother Andrew. Philip, another disciple, was also from Bethsaida and perhaps two more fishermen, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, the wealthy fisherman who hired others to fish for him, came from this city.

It took 17 centuries to definitively establish the exact location of this iron age city. Solving the mystery required coming to the realization that the Sea of Galilee's shoreline today is not where it was in the time of Jesus. There was a significant earthquake in 363 which changed the landscape and the on going silting of the valley by the water from the Jordan has contributed to the build up of land adjacent to the site.

A picnic lunch at Jordan River Park

We had a very enjoyable picnic lunch at Jordan River Park which is located at the northern end of Lake Kinerret. The park is well shaded by large eucalypt trees.

The well near the 7 springs

Across the road from 'the quiet place' and quite near the spot where water from the 7 springs pours into the lake, is this ancient well. This well is considered to be holy by the Druze. It is believed that Jesus performed a healing miracle with water at this well.

The quiet place ...

Just along the road from the entrance to St peter's Primacy chapel, accross the road is a steep pathway that leads to a small cave. This is part of the area known as 'the quiet place' where Jesus and His disciples would withdraw from the crowds. It is away from Bethsaida, Capernaum and Korazim where Jesus spent much of His time and where He performed miracles.

The view from the elevated site is very beautiful and very peaceful.

Chapel of the Primacy (St Peter's Church)

Justa short way along the road towards Capernaum from the Church of the Multiplication a footpath leads off on the right towards the lake and, passing a Byzantine structure enclosing a spring, runs down to the shore of the Lake and the Chapel of peter's Primacy.

A chapel built here in the 4th century was destroyed in 1263: the present chapel, in black basalt, was built by the Francisacns in 1933> This very simole aisless building commemorates the appearance of the risen Christ ti=o His disciples on the shore of the lake, when he gave Peter primacy over the church with the thrice repeated injunction: 'Feed My lambs ... Feed My sheep ... Feed My sheep' (John 21, 15-16).

The rock at the east end of the chapel is believed to have been used as the table at which Jesus dined with the disciples. The rock-cut steps leading down to the lake on the south side of the chapel were described by the pilgrim Aetheria about 400 as 'the steps on which the Lord stood'.

Capernaum

Capernaum is actually a composite of the Semitic name Kefar Nahum with the 'h' dropped. It means 'village of Nahum'. Nahum is listed as onr of the monor prophets and the Old Testament book of Nahum is maned after him. Nahum was a common Hebrew name at the time of Jesus. During the time of Jesus it was a small village of fishermen, farmers, merchants, artisans and Roman soldiers.

Jesus lived here for much of His three year ministry. He stayed in the house that belonged to the family of Peter. Peter was from Bethsaida but his wife was from Capernaum. " when Jesus came into peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her and she got up and began to wait on Him. (Matthew 8:14-15)

We spent time exploring the ancient synagogue and looking at the remains of the old village as well as Peter's house where Jesus stayed.

Greek Orthodox Church of the 7 Apostles

The small red-domed Greek Orthodox Church of the Seven Apostles marks the site to which the village of Capernaum was relocated following an earthquake in 746. The Church is dedicated to the seven apostles (Simon called Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana, the sons of Zebedee and 'two other disciples') mentioned in the Gospel of John when Jesus appeared again to His disciples by "the Sea of Tiberias".

The Church is decorated with elaborate paintings that were prepared on canvas by Greek artists and later adhered to the surface of the interior walls and ceiling.