Cana to the Sea of Galilee

We left Nazareth en route for Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Our drive took us past Cana, the site of Jesus' first miracle when turned water into wine.

As we drove through the hilly and rocky terrain, I couldn't help but think of Jesus spending 30 days in the wilderness.

Our drive wound us around the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee descending further and further. The lake is located 200 m below sea level. The drive, which took less than an hour, would have been a full day trip on foot or by donkey for Jesus.

We arrived in Tiberias just after sunset, and were immediately in awe of the Sea of Galilee. It's 12 km wide and 23 km long and provides 1/3 of Israel's fresh water.

With darkness setting in, we checked in for the first of two nights in the Holiday Inn. The hotel is very nice, comparable or better to most of the Holiday Inns in the United States. The rooms are fairly spacious, featuring a couch, desk and refrigerator - and best of all, a balcony with a view of the lake.

The dinner buffet featured three amply-supplied stations of salads, pastas, meats, desserts and more.

There is also a spa here, fed by the local hot springs, however it closed at 5:00 and we weren't able to take advantage.

Our final trip for the day was a five-minute walk down to the shore. It was a clear, starry night, and it was easy to think of it as the place where Jesus called his disciples to be fishers of men, walked on water and did much of his teaching.