Day 6: October 17, Tabgha to Capernaum (3.8 K) to Jerusalem

Sign at Capernaum

We got up this morning with a brilliant plan to walk to Capernaum and back to Tabgha without our packs as the hotel will store them. We were also advised to take a cab to Tiberias to catch the express bus to Jerusalem as local buses are infrequent,  have lots of stops, and we would have to figure out the Hebrew schedule.  

After the buffet breakfast we took off, an easy walk on paved sidewalk. We arrived at a different world than the empty one we have been walking through - us and perhaps 15 to 20 tour buses full of tourists from all over the world. We had a lot of luck eavesdropping on some of the English tours. And here we saw a young woman turned away because her sarong did not cover her bare legs well enough.




We made our way to Tiberius with 5 minutes to spare before the next bus and arrived in Jerusalem at rush hour, took a taxi to the Damascus Gate then headed into the congestion of Old City to find our accommodation, the Ecco Homo Convent. The search included walking through the souk (we later learned that the narrow streets in the old city are pretty much all market streets) with us trying to get in and most foot traffic trying to leave as the market winds down at around 5pm.  After two or three turn arounds on the Via Dolorosa, we found the convent. The convent dates from the late 18th century, has very thick stone walls, and is very cool and quiet. We have a small clean room and bath. To reach our room we go up two flights of stairs, down and around a few hallways, then down another flight of stairs.

Toasting Jerusalem

We went back into the market for a beer, then back to our convent rooftop patio to look at the view of the Old City as the sun set and listen to the call to prayer from the many minarets.

Night view from convent roof terrace

 Our accommodation includes half board (breakfast and dinner) which is served family style. Tonight, we sat with three women from Australia and a couple from France. Our meal was a slight step down from Israeli food we have enjoyed so far, but more than adequate. Tomorrow we off to explore the sites - there is a lot to see and do in our 2.5 days here