Pilgrimage 2.0-9 : Transfiguration

Breakfast at Gai Beach Resort was equally as satisfying as dinner. The salad bar boasted of various types of cheeses, cured fish, and healthy salads. Yummy bread aplenty to go with omelettes, baked eggs, and gratin.





The first church of the day was the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish over in Tabgha. It sits upon the site of two Byzantine churches, and features restored mosaics from the 5th century. The focal point of the church is the limestone block at the altar that is venerated as the place the miracle of the Multiplication took place. In front of it is also an old mosaic of five loaves of bread flanked by two fishes.







A short walk away was the Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter, where we celebrated open air mass under a tree. Inside the church was Mensa Christi, spot where Jesus is said to have laid out a breakfast for His apostles, and told St. Peter to "feed my sheep", installing Peter as the leader of the apostles. The church also has access to the shore, so we could splash a little in the Sea of Galilee.







Then we went to Capernaum to visit St. Peter's House. The Memorial was built on stilts right above the octagonal ruins. Within the vicinity is the ruins of the White Synagogue, the central point of the Jewish town from the Roman era. Synagogue Solomon was busy asking his twinky travel partner to snap photos of him among the white columns.













Also in the same area is the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus was said to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount, which outlined the Beatitudes. The Church of Beatitudes was built there in the shape of an octagon, with each side dedicated to one beatitude. Above is a golden rotunda, below beautiful mosaics. When it gets too noisy, a nun would make an announcement over a PA system. :D.









The Sea of Galilee is thriving with seafood unlike the Dead Sea. Among its famous inhabitants are the St. Peter's Fish or better known as Tilapia. We had the chance to taste this local fish at Tanureen Restaurant. The fish was delicious although just lightly grilled with salt. No earthy taste in its flesh at all.





Having eaten the fish from the Sea of Galilee, it was time to sail the Sea of Galilee. We boarded at the pier beside the Yigal Allon Centre which for some reason had heavy security presence. The journey started with a flag raising ceremony (in the real world, one would never see the Malaysian and Israeli flag on the same pole I think). Both the Malaysia and China national anthem were played. Unbelievably, the next activity was actually to dance the hora, a Jewish folk dance. We actually had lots of fun. Then there was a short karaoke session. Surprisingly, the Sea of Galilee was very windy.









Subsequently we went to the Church of Transfiguration on Mount Tabor with a few vans because the bus couldn't handle the switchback roads. Traditionally, the mountain is thought to be where the Transfiguration of Christ took place. Representing the three tents that St. Peter wanted to build, the church contains three chapels, one the Grotto of Christ, Chapel of Moses, and Chapel of Elijah. The top of the church is dominated by a golden mosaic depicting the Transfiguration.













Before calling it a day, we were brought to ND and J in case any of us wanted to purchase diamonds. Lol. Turns out that the diamond industry is the second largest contributor to Israel's economy. The Jews specialize in diamond post-processing and wholesale trading. Unfortunately, none of us intoned "mazal u'bracha", their traditional deal-sealing phrase.



An hour after dinner, we had our graduation ceremony at a private room. Each of us received a certificate from the Israel Ministry of Tourism, and Mayor of Jerusalem, appointing us as Tourism Goodwill Ambassadors for Israel. Kinda surprised by this gesture.



We made very little noise that evening because it was Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism. According to the management, observance of the memorial day starts with the sounding of a siren, and Israelis would just drop whatever they're doing and stay silent for two minutes. I didn't hear the siren. No entertainment outlets would be open, and memorial candles are lit for 24 hours (the special candles are designed to last that long).