April 3, 2001

One of the many Mary and Child mosaics at the Latin Basilica.

Today we confined ourselves to the Old City of Nazareth. First stop was Al-Bishara, the Latin Basilica of the Annunciation, with its mosaics of Mary and the infant Jesus taken from around the world.

Stained glass detail from St. Joseph’s Church.

Just a stone's throw away is St. Joseph's Church, believed to be the site of his carpentry shop. There we discovered a group of French pilgrims, whose singing helped add to the feel of the place.

The ceiling of the Orthodox Church at Mary’s Well.

After a quick lunch and a brisk walk, we visited Mary's Well and the Greek Orthodox St. Gabriel's Church, their preferred site of the annunciation. Of course, in the end, no one knows which is the right one, but sharing is apparently out of the question.

We headed back to Zababdeh so Marthame wouldn't be docked for playing hooky and so that we could spend a few days basking in authentic Semitic village hospitality - just like they used to have in the old days.