• Half-day tour to Nazareth and the Basilica of the Annunciation where the angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.
• Drive past the church in Cana where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine.
• Visit the award-winning Jewish-Arab peace initiative Sindyana of Galilee olive oil factory.
• Meet local Arab and Jewish women for either a short culinary workshop or a workshop in traditional basket-weaving.
• Optional traditional mezze style Arabic meal is available at additional cost.

This half-day tour will take us to Nazareth where we will visit the commanding Basilica of the Annunciation, which marks the spot where the angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would give birth to Jesus and the “Word became flesh.” Designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Muzio, the church was completed in 1969 and was, until a few years ago, the largest church in the Middle East.

First, we will walk around the courtyard of the Basilica with its large gallery of images of Mary from the numerous Marian devotions around the world. From here, our tour will take us down to the grotto to see the exact location where the miracle occurred before heading up to the second floor where we will visit the striking upper church with its impressive images of Mary donated by various countries with large Catholic communities.

As we exit the church, we will walk past the archaeological remains of Nazareth from the time of Jesus and head up to the Church of St. Joseph, built on the site of Joseph’s carpentry workshop. Completed in 1914, the church is built in Byzantine style with an impressive wooden clerestory roof. Dedicated to the Holy Family, it houses a ritual bath and intimate images of Jesus’ family life. As we depart Nazareth, we will drive by Mary’s Well and through the neighboring town of Cana where the miracle of turning water into wine took place.

We continue heading down the mountain to Sindyana of Galilee, a “bottom-up” peace initiative led by local Arab and Jewish women who have joined together to produce olive oil and to promote coexistence. We will listen to a short presentation on the important work that they are doing and sample some of the different olive oils that they produce for sale. Their olive oil is organic and fair trade and has won dozens of prizes in international competitions. Most recently, it was selected as one of the 100 best extra virgin olive oils in the world.

Following this presentation, we will try our hand at a basket weaving workshop, where you will have the opportunity to learn the traditional method of weaving baskets from palm fronds and willow branches. Depending on your interests, other workshops such as a cooking class, spice mixing, or hydroponic gardening are available instead. All the workshops are led by local Jewish and Arab women and provide the opportunity to have conversations and to ask questions about this worthy initiative and about their lives in Israel. Following our visit, we will return to your hotel or ship.

Optional:  A traditional Arabic mezze style lunch is optional and available at additional cost.