Today was on other big day of seeing the highlights of the Galilee region, culminating in a wonderful boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We are told again that this fresh water lake is 212 meters below the level of the sea. Today is very hazy, hot and humid, somewhat like Cairns but only hotter and more humid, and that was at 8am!!

We passed the village of Migdol, the home town of Mary Magdalene, on our way to the church of multiplication where Jesus took the loaves and fishes and fed the 5,000. If you look closely at the photo of the mosaic you will note there were only four loaves and two fish; the artist was trying to tell us a truth in his art, the fifth loaf is Jesus, the bread of life! Remembering that frescos and icons are for teaching truths of the Gospel, this one is very clever indeed. This little church was very plain, but the Spirit of God was there waiting to come to us again today.

It was a very short drive to the church if St Peter right on the shore of the lake, it is said that this was the place where Jesus, after His resurrection met Peter and the disciples while they fished catching nothing, so Jesus told them to cast out in the other side and they had a huge catch. Later on the shore Jesus asked Peter if he loved him three times.

What a wonderful place! We walked by the lake, picking up a few stones as a memento, and thought about Jesus asking us the same question; " do you love me?".

The inside of the church is plain with a huge rock under the altar being the proposed place where Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples. We also saw swallows flitting about the church feeding their young in the crevasses between the rocks and we thought of that song that says "even the swallow has found a nest, a place to lay her young (in your courts)"

We then drove to the ancient site of Capernaum. this is the place of Peter's house where Jesus healed his mother-in-law. Jesus also made his home in this place; it made me wonder if he had found Peter's mother-in-law to be like a mother to him in that place, being so far from home. This has been my experience over the years, the older saints taking a motherly interest in me. Thank God for these mothers!

Here the Catholic church is suspended over the site of the house with a large glass floored area for viewing this holy site.

We traveled a little further to Ein Gev, beside the lake for a fish lunch. I had St Peters fish with a salad and fresh dates for dessert. Yummmm!

From here we traveled to Mount Tabor the proposed site of the mount of the Transfiguration. Here on top this very high mountain is perched a Franciscan monestary where there is a wonderful church. We found it interesting that on the left of the entry is a small Chapel dedicated to Moses, and on the right hand side, you guessed it a chapel dedicated to Elijah, with the main church in the center. It occurred to us that Peter was being very prophetic when he said to Jesus in Matthew 17:4 “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” finally it was done and today I think this is a most beautiful and impressive church.

We then took the road back down the mountain, very steep with lots of narrow hairpin bends, and back to Tiberius for our boat ride and then to the ATM before arriving back at the motel for the night.

Tomorrow we leave this motel and head toward Jerusalem. We are very tired but very, very excited.