Nazareth Rest Day: Day 41

The sound of a cock crowing woke me this morning, not what you expect in a big city. It was followed by the Muslim call to pray. Later I heard church bells, not something you hear much of in Israel, but then this is where Jesus grew up.

Lane in old Nazareth

The old city is full of narrow streets arranged higgledy-piggledy. I visited the Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation then its Greek Orthodox namesake. Both claim to be on the site where the Angel Gabriel told Mary she was soon to give birth to Jesus. The Roman Catholic church is quite new dating from 1969, but built over the foundations of earlier churches and possibly the remains of Mary's home. Its architecture is in what has been called Italian Brutalist style. It has bare and minimally adorned concrete pillars and supports. Large paintings of the Virgin Mary are hung around the walls by different artists representing countries from around the world. They are strikingly different visions of Mary. The Greek Orthodox church, although not large, is much more what you would expect of such a place.

Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation

Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation.

I tried a "freekah" salad for lunch. Freekah is wheat picked when it is greener and soft. Tasted fine although I was mainly tasting the lemon and spring onions they added. In the evening, after another salad (feta cheese, walnuts, apples and other fruits), for dessert I tried Knafeh. Creamy stuff topped with shredded wheat and pistachios, tasted good!