A VISIT TO NAZARETH

We had a nice Shabatt outing with my daughters family yesterday to the town of Nazareth in the Galilee. About a third of its citizens are Christians. We passed several shops selling Christmas decorations, which can quite compete in quantity and quality with those in Christian countries.

But first we drove up to the Mount of Precipice, the so called "Leaping Mountain". There is a sign explaining the significance of the place in English. Ignoring the spelling mistakes you will get the information.

The hill, about 400 m high, is a beautiful piece of nature with a stunning panorama all around on the Ysreel valley - provided a sunny and clear day. Yesterday is was foggy and wet and it was not possible to take pictures of the view. In a month or so the peak will be covered with cyclamen and we enjoyed their beginnings - the white ones are rare and raindrops made them look even more special. The mountain is a beloved target for family picnics, hiking and biking, but yesterday we had the paths almost for ourselves - it was a bit cold and windy, but we were dressed warm and enjoyed our walk.

The city was bustling with people, open shops, business, traffic and places to eat. We noticed busloads of Christian tourists who came from all over the world to visit the Basilica of Annunciation. This church is beautiful, designed by an Italian architect, the influence of style can be clearly seen.

The bazaar in the vicinity of the church is roofed which protected us from the slight trickle of the rain. It is a typical middle east shuk with all the usual trinkets and things you need and don't need. I NEEDED some little blue ceramic hands against the evil eye, of course! The part of the market near the church sells Christmas ornaments. There I found lovely hearts made from olive tree trunks, polished to a shine to bring out the pretty texture of the wood.

We finished our visit off with taboon bread sprinkled with kezach and za'atar and labane - a real treat!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! Foremost I wish health to all - and satisfaction and some pink clouds here and there! :-)

Photos by my husband Uri Eshkar.