Yesterday morning Seabourn Encore docked at the Port of Haifa, the third largest city in Israel after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

It’s a multi-cultural community of six faiths, living side by side.

We went, exploring the heart of Galilee region with an experienced Israeli tour guide. The first stop was at Zippori National Park, encompassing the ruins from Roman and Talmudic eras. From this point we had a lovely vista of Galilee Mountains and the Bet Netofa Valley. We also saw the beautiful Mona Lisa of the Galilee.

Went on towards the Sea of Galilee and Tiberius.

After lunch at a kibbutz, we stopped at Yardenit where the Jordan River separates from the Sea of Galilee. We ascended the Golan Heights to the international point where the border of Syria, Jordan and Israel meet. Then a visit to Capernaum where Jesus taught in the synagogue.

We ended the tour by going up Mount Carmel to see a spectacular panoramic view of Haifa and the bay with the glittering lights from the Bahai Garden.