Cana and Haifa with the Zion Family

We had an early wake up call since we were checking out of the hotel and proceeding to our next destination.The two places included in our itinerary were Cana and Haifa, with all the excitement to explore new places we had a our breakfast and said a goodbye to  the staff of Hotel Rimonim, who were an amazing host in Nazareth and boarded the bus.

It took us 30 minutes to reach Cana and to our luck we were the first batch of tourist to arrive. However we had to wait until the church doors opened. The town of Cana in Galilee was the site of Jesus’ first miracle, the turning of water into wine. We were to have our service and the married couples were to renew their wedding wows.

Pathway to the Franciscan Church.

The Cana Catholic Wedding Church.

 The church has two levels:
The upper level:
The upper church has a chapel surmounted by a simple dome.

Main alter with a picture of the Wedding.

Lower level:
A small museum with artifacts from the site, including a winepress, a plastered cistern and vessels of various dates. One old jar is said to be one of the six jars used for the miracle.

 

One of the six jars used for the miracle.

We boarded our bus again and set on the road to Haifa. It was a long journey so we sang songs, hymns all the way. As we got close to Haifa our Guide Mr. Hani gave us a brief of the place.

He told us that Haifa means beautiful, it is one of the largest city in Israel. The Port of Haifa is the leader in passenger traffic among Israeli ports, and is also a major cargo harbor. We were briefed on the German Colony of Haifa which was founded in the mid-nineteenth century by the German Templar Society. As we admired the German houses we began to climb the slopes of Mount Carmel to visit the Stella Maris Monastery.

Stella Maris Monastery:

Stella Maris Monastery

The Stella Maris church is a beautiful structure which houses Elijah’s Cave. He lived and meditated here before defeating the pagan prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel; he hid here when fleeing the wrath of King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel; and Elijah established his school here upon his return from exile.

 

Colorful paintings on the dome, done by Brother Luigi Poggi (1924-28).

Our last site in Haifa was  Baha’i Garden, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

View from Baha’i Garden