Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee

September 18

Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee (Yam Kinneret)

After checking out of the hotel, our first stop was Akko (Acre), the historic walled port city and a UNESCO site. We visited the Knights' Halls and the underground city built by the Crusaders and were all amazed at the construction and sheer size of the fortress. Eli gave us a Hebrew lesson en route on the bus, which was great fun for me as I'm recalling more and more of the language. I was reminded of the “enormous crush” I had on my first Hebrew teacher at the University of California-Berkeley; he was the first Israeli I had ever met and I was in awe. (He was also very handsome and I worked hard to get that A!) As it happens, Aharon Barnea is currently an important Israeli journalist in Washington, D.C. (Wonder if he remembers me...)

Stops at Nazareth and Cana and then we arrived in Tiberias and a three night stay at a hotel overlooking the sea. Herod Antipas, son of the great Herod, built the city on the ruins of the biblical town of Rakat. In the second century it became a center of Jewish life and Talmudic schools and synagogues were built. Later conquered by the Muslims and controlled by the Turks, it ultimately became one of the four sacred cities of Israel and is a popular vacation spot for Israelis and foreigners alike.