HOLY LAND (Day 1 – Nazareth): “Kosher Breakfast, Mount Carmel, and Maria di Nazareth” @BoSanchez @IsraelTourism

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-179.jpgWe started our Holy Land Pilgrimage from Tel Aviv, to Mount Carmel in Haifa, to Nazareth, and finally to Tiberias in the Sea of Galilee, which was where Jesus started His early ministry with His disciples. 

Israel has a population of 9 Million, with 6 Million Jews, 1.5 Million Muslims, and about 150,000 Christians. It is bounded by Lebanon in the north, by Syria in the northeast, by Jordan in the east, by Egypt in the southwest, and by the Mediterranean Sea in the the west.

Here’s a photo essay of Day 1 of our Holy Land Pilgrimage with Bro. Bo Sanchez…

KOSHER BREAKFAST

Kosher foods are those that are allowed by Jewish Dietary Law and based on the Bible (Leviticus 11:1-47 Clean and Unclean Food, and Deuteronomy 14:3-20

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-29.jpg
Kfar Maccabiah Hotel’s buffet breakfast was the best we had in Israel. I was excited to get my first taste of kosher breakfast.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-4.jpg
They provide a wide variety of breads.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-55.jpg
My favorite is the croissant with their local chocolate.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-64.jpg
They also serve an assortment of cheeses.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-18.jpg
Pork is not allowed, so expect different kinds of preserved fish options.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-14.jpg
Milk and Yogurt.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-67.jpg
Make sure to try the freshly squeezed lemonade.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-23.jpg
Vegetables in Israel are very good — sweet, crunchy, and fresh. I love eating them with just hummus and olive oil.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-26.jpg
My favorites are the sweet cherry tomatoes! 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-27.jpg
They offer tuna and ricotta cheese, white cheese, onion cheese, cottage cheese, kashkeval cheese, and my personal favorite, emek cheese.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-28.jpg
There’s Greek salad already mixed together, but you can always assemble your own salad to your liking.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-31.jpg
They also offer a lot of canned fruits as part of the buffet. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-9.jpg
In the hot kitchen section, you can try the spaghetti in tomato sauce, the scrambled eggs, the potatoes in cream sauce, and the hard boiled egg.

NOTE: I was told Filipinos are notorious in Israel for sneaking out the hard boiled eggs and other food by putting it in napkins and in their bags. 🙁 This is not allowed. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-11.jpg
In the cooking station, you can have freshly prepared French Toast.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-40.jpg
The Belgian Waffles are good but if you’re looking for something different, try the Stuffed Grapevine with Cheese. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-22.jpg
My personal favorites are the hot cheese cakes, which tastes like corn muffins, and the mushrooms.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-39.jpg
Overall, the breakfast is light, healthy, and refreshingly energizing.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-16.jpg
My favorite part of the buffet is the granola, seeds, and honey section.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-61.jpgYou can assemble your mixed seeds bowl with Pishtan seeds, some bran…

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-46.jpg
…sunflower seeds…

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-54.jpg
…and granola.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-41.jpg
The crispy rice cakes are very crunchy but bland. Best to pair these with honey or thina.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-52.jpg
You can enjoy it with these cookies instead of the crispies.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-42.jpg
Thina tastes like peanut butter.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-60.jpg
Date Honey is sweet honey with a fruity date taste.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-44.jpg
My favorite dessert – HALVA, which is like the local chocnut and the taste grows on you.

 

TEL AVIV to MOUNT CARMEL

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-69.jpg
Usually the hotel service helps you with bringing your bag down from the room to the lobby, and you have to bring it with you and endorse it for loading on the bus. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-114.jpg
The Blue Bus was divided into 7 flocks and each flock serves as the co-hosts and servants for the day.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-72.jpg
Essentially, they lead the bus in the morning prayers and worship, in praying the Holy Rosary, and the closing prayers.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-71.jpg
Make sure to always bring your songbook with you, ready to sing and worship the Lord. 🙂

MAP of ISRAEL
From Tel Aviv, we travel to Tiberias in the north with a stopover at Mt. Carmel and Nazareth.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-74.jpg
We went on a 2-hour scenic roadtrip through the coastal road en route to Mt. Carmel.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-77.jpg
It was exciting to see the different towns we passed through with houses made from limestones.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-73.jpg
As you pass through the towns, you’ll see housing developments.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-76.jpg
Make sure you also interact with the people on the other buses. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-80.jpg
VERED Hasharon, the local travel agency partner, gave us a map of Israel, and travelogue booklet, cap for sun protection, and a headset receiver so you can listen to the tour guide properly.

 

MOUNT CARMEL

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-107.jpg
We finally arrived at Mt. Carmel Sanctuary and Monastery, known as the MUHRAQA (The Sacrifice) by the Discalced Carmelite Order.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-105.jpg
This is the site where Elijah triumphed over the 450 Baal Prophets (1 Kings 18, Elijah on Mount Carmel).

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-82.jpg
After a long trip, the water closets are always a blockbluster with very long lines. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-83.jpg
We were advised by the tour guide to reserve our shopping in Cana or in Jerusalem for quality and better priced products. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-87.jpg
We went to the rooftop for the vantage point…

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-89.jpg…and our first orientation about the 4 geographical regions of Israel — the Coastal Plain, the Mountain Ranges, the Jordan Valley, and the Negev Dessert.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-84.jpg
The view from the Mt. Carmel Hill.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-94.jpg
This is the Valley of Armageddon, which is the location of the last battle as prophesized in Revelation 16:14-16.

Trivia: The Israel Airforce strategically setup their airforce base here and you can see the runway in the distance.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-96.jpg
Our Jewish tour guide Ronin was awesome, providing just the right info at the right time, with good jokes and trivia to give us a good perspective of the place.

All of us were equipped with the headset so that we could hear the tour guide clearly. Check out Ronin in action in the video above. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-108.jpg
This is the small chapel where we reflect on the triumph of Prophet Elijah.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-98.jpg
Rache and Elijah in the distance.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-104.jpg
Meet the awesome people of the Blue Bus group. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-323.jpg
After Mt. Carmel, we drove for another 45 minutes to reach Nazareth in time for lunch.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-117.jpg
You have to pass through this tunnel to reach the town of Nazareth.

 

NAZARETH

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-118.jpg
Welcome to modern city of Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-122.jpg
Most of the houses use limestone to preserve the look and feel of the city.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-124.jpg
It is the largest city in the north and considered to be the Arab Capital of Israel.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-128.jpg
The bus dropped us off and we had a great opportunity to walk along the town of Nazareth.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-131.jpg
It was very interesting to see Arabic bread cooked on the street.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-137.jpg
There were a lot of shops that sell religious items and souvenirs…

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-138.jpg
…like these Camel stuffed toys. But we’re glad we waited to buy in Jerusalem.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-140.jpg
One of the things we love on this trip is the freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-167.jpg
Pomegranate is a superfruit naturally high in polyphenol antioxidants, which is good for the heart, aids in resisting damage from free radicals, and helps prevent cancer.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-163.jpg
One fresh cup sells for 15 Shekels or 4 Dollars. It was a bit expensive in Nazareth and in other touristy locations. It’s better to pay in dollars since they round off the amount equivalent in Shekels. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-143.jpg
As we were walking to the restaurant, it was pleasant to see lemon-bearing trees along the way.

 

HOLY LAND RESTAURANT

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-144.jpg
The Holy Land Restaurant is the most popular restaurant for Holy Land pilgrimage groups visiting Israel.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-182.jpg
The restaurant is 20 years old, but the building has been there since 1860.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-158.jpg
It was able to accommodate the 140+ pilgrims. They serve the same yummy menu everyday for $15/person. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-150.jpg
Meet Allan, Irma, Werner, and Luz Torress, the happy Filipino family based in Australia who were celebrating Irma’s 50th birthday. They visited Rome in Italy before this pilgrimage and came via a direct flight to Tel Aviv.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-156.jpg
I love the cute nooks…

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-153.jpg…and the antique memorabilia throughout the restaurant.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-159.jpg
Every meal we had in Israel starts with a thick Arabic Pita bread. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-170.jpg
They serve a simple lentil vegetable soup that is light and a bit bland.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-171.jpg
Make sure to buy Pomegranade juice for your lunch.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-185.jpg
The sodas sell for $3 each.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-175.jpg
The restaurant is known for serving the best Spaghetti pasta in town. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-178.jpg
We had a great lunch with the Torres Family. I must say, it’s best to go to the Holy Land Pilgrimage with your entire family. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-184.jpg
A vegetable plate before the main course.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-187.jpg
The Jabali family who owns the restaurant are Christians and they serve meat. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-189.jpg
Beef with carrots and potatoes on the side.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-191.jpg
For dessert, they serve Cocos, which taste like big macaroons.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-195.jpg
It’s great to celebrate your birthday during the pilgrimage and get a nice birthday cake. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-197.jpg
The cakes in Israel are just OK. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-157.jpg
Don’t forget to visit the nice clean water closets here.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-201.jpgA happy and satisfied Blue Bus group. 🙂 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-204.jpg
After lunch, we walked to the Basilica of the Annunciation.

 

BASILICA OF ANNUNCIATION

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-210.jpg
Welcome to the Basilica of the Annunciation, where the Angel appeared before Mama Mary (Luke 1:26-38: Birth of Jesus Foretold). 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-212.jpg
Around the Basilica, there are different artworks as a tribute to Mama Mary. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-217.jpg
The Basilica is a two-story building constructed in 1969 over the Grotto of the Annunciation, which is the childhood home of Mama Mary.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-223.jpgThe door depicting the significant moments in Jesus’ life. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-224.jpg
You enter via the lower level of the church. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-228.jpg
The altar was constructed on the location where Christians believe the Angel appeared before Mama Mary. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-241.jpg
As you look up from the altar, you’ll see a beautiful conical rooftop composed of the M symbol.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-245.jpg
Make sure to pray for 3 wishes in each new Church you visit. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-232.jpg
Pilgrims line up to see the cave up close… 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-237.jpg
…which is believed to be the childhood home of Mama Mary. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-248.jpg
From the grotto, you can go up to the main church on the second level.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-249.jpg
Love the mosaic-inspired windows with quotations along the stairs.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-254.jpg
This is the main church of the Basilica of the Anunciation.  

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-304.jpg
This is the view of Nazareth from the balcony of the church. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-298.jpg
We had a beautiful mass offering all the prayer intentions of our family and our friends. I look forward to the every day masses with Fr. Joel and Fr. Eli, who alternate in providing the homily.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-299.jpg
Bro. Brother usually gives a short talk and blessing after the communion.  

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-301.jpg
I love this altar of Maria di Nazareth. 🙂

 

ST. JOSEPH’S WORKSHOP

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-263.jpg
Beside the Basilica is the workshop of St. Joseph, the father of Jesus here on Earth.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-264.jpgd

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-271.jpg
The Church of St. Joseph was built in 1914 on the site of an earlier 12th-Century church. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-273.jpg
The church is built on top of the location of the carpentry workshop or house of St. Joseph. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-276.jpg
You can go to the tower level to see and pay tribute to the location where St. Joseph lived.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-284.jpg
These are the original stairs, mosaic tiles, and stones from St. Joseph’s era.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-285.jpg
The stairs that lead to the actual home with the green light.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-289.jpg
A view of the ancient well during St. Joseph’s time.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-291.jpg
In the area, there’s a pay water closet. You always have to be ready with 2 shekels if you want to use clean restrooms in the touristy or pilgrim areas.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-306.jpgRache and Mama Mary.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-309.jpg
Don’t miss the opportunity to take a photo of this Filipino Mosaic Artwork commemorating the Annunciation.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-313.jpg
A Pilgrim Group photo at the Basilica of the Annunciation. 

 

NAZARETH to TIBERIAS

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-325.jpg
It was about sunset when we made our way to Tiberias.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-328.jpg
It took us almost an hour to reach Tiberias, which is the town near the Sea of Galilee. 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-331.jpgWe stayed in Leonardo Tiberias near the Blue Beach, along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-333.jpg
Managing your luggage is very important so make sure you have a big-wheeled luggage that you can easily identify throughout the trip.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-337.jpg
The small lobby of Leonardo Tiberias. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-336.jpg
We had a welcome drink of fresh lemonade.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-334.jpg
Getting up the elevators is always a challenge. You can either bring your luggage yourself or put a sticker provided by the hotel with your room number so that the concierge can bring it up. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-338.jpg
Our room 1401 in Leonardo Tiberias.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-339.jpg
It was a simple room, like a room in an inn.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-342.jpg
The bathroom with low quality towels. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-343.jpg
I recommend bringing your own soap, shampoo, and conditioner because the ones available in the room are poor in quality. 

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-344.jpg
The elevator floors are confusing so you just have to remember which buttons to press.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-345.jpg
This is the dining area of Leonardo Tiberias where the buffet breakfast and dinner are served to all the pilgrims.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-346.jpg
I like the fresh hot dish options available in the buffet.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-347.jpg
Couscous with vegetables — my Mediterranean favorite! 🙂

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-351.jpg
They have chicken and other types of meat in the buffet.

Day 1- Kosher Breakfast and Nazareth  Our Awesome Planet-353.jpg
My dinner for the night to close our Day 1 pilgrimage.

Day 2- Mt Tabor - Our Awesome Planet-20.jpg
My morning view of the Sea of Gallilee from Room 1401…

To be continued…   

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE with BRO. BO SANCHEZ

Live an Awesome Life,

Anton
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com 

Disclosure: We paid for our Holy Land Trip. Read Our Awesome Planet Complete Disclosure Policy here

P.S. The Next Holy Land Pilgrimage by Bro. Bo Sanchez is on February 10-19, 2015. For more info, you can email Tita Beckie at Beaconlightevents+pilgrimage@gmail.com

P.P.S. The pilgrimage tour costs P340,108 (exchange rate P44.65 – $1) for a couple, broken down into the following:

  • Tour Cost: $2,995.00 x 2 = $5,990
  • Airline/ Other Taxes: $495 x 2 = $980
  • Tip Fund: $100 x 2 = $200
  • Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner: $130 x 2 = $260
  • Travel Insurance: $45 x 2 = $90
  • Philippine Travel Tax: P1,620 x  2 = P3,240
  • Airport Tax: P550 x 2 = P1,100

Note: There’s a $300/person non-refundable reservation for the trip, which is deductable from the total amount.

Overall, the Pilgrimage tour with Bro. Bo Sanchez is relatively more expensive than the other pilgrimage trips organized with Executive Resources. But it is the best experience for us because of The Feast (Community Worship Gathering) and the Feast Builders who make the trip awesome. 🙂 

TIP: You can decide to book your own airfare if you plan to visit other countries after your pilgrimage.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *