Undermanager
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Madrid (x2)
VDLP
Salvador
Primitivo
Finisterra / Muxia
Lana
I hope this one gets better, after day one!
Got to Nazareth yesterday. There is zilch to keep anyone here in this gridlocked sprawl of a city, except for a couple of new churches and some holes in the ground, said to be where Mary may have lived, possibly, and possibly Gabriel gave her some news about baby cheeses (soveniers on sale at the entrance). The more I'm in Israel, the less religeous I'm becoming and the more cynical about the whole thing.
So, left Nazareth about 9.30am. The first 20 minutes is an uphill slog. Then the next two hours is spent walking along disgusting paths, by large rubbish dumps and fly tipping areas, building sites and general ker-rap until you get to the entrance of Zippori National Park. You could pay about 10 Euros to go in and wander around some ruins but it didn't look too promising, so decided to carry on.
The next bit is through more forest, until you get to another fly tipping area, and then the village of Mashhad. There are four or five shops here, where you could pick up lunch if you wanted. The first one is a small shop but five minutes later, you'll see quite a few more. They were all open today (a Saturday). You could hang on for more choice as Kafr Kanna is only 30 minutes past here. Kafr Kanna is a town with ATMs, restaurants, shops and anything else you need, also all open on Saturday. It's 'famous' as the place Jesus turned water into wine. I kid you not, I overheard a guide in the church built where it was supposed to have happened ask his charges after their 'tour' (which must have lasted 5 minutes as there is naff all to see, another hole in the ground, a few stone things that resemble jars etc) if they would like to drink some 'Jesus wine' from the shop opposite the church entrance, and they all dutifully followed him in. It's enough to turn you into a drunk.
Kafr Kanna is quite pretty in its own way, and I stayed at the strangely named Cana Wedding Guest House, which you find 5 minutes after entering the town. It's near all facilities, is run by a lovely old couple and has a great sun trap seating area, very welcome after the five hours including long stops I was out today. The lady will cook evening meals and breakfasts if you want, or you can use the nearby shops.
Overall, whilst walking is always nice, this section should really be avoided if at all possible. Get a bus from wherever and start your walk from here, or stay the night and start walking tomorrow. All of this wasn't a surprise. I was expecting loads of rubbish and it didn't disappoint. Tomorrow is supposed to be a big improvement, but we shall see! As far as waymarking goes, it is mostly fine so far, but a gpx trail in maps.me from wikiloc will stop you getting lost in the few places where the waymarks are less good. It is quite muddy because there has been a lot of rain. My gaters have really helped keep the mud off my trousers, and I'm using leather boots for this walk rather than walking trainers.
Got to Nazareth yesterday. There is zilch to keep anyone here in this gridlocked sprawl of a city, except for a couple of new churches and some holes in the ground, said to be where Mary may have lived, possibly, and possibly Gabriel gave her some news about baby cheeses (soveniers on sale at the entrance). The more I'm in Israel, the less religeous I'm becoming and the more cynical about the whole thing.
So, left Nazareth about 9.30am. The first 20 minutes is an uphill slog. Then the next two hours is spent walking along disgusting paths, by large rubbish dumps and fly tipping areas, building sites and general ker-rap until you get to the entrance of Zippori National Park. You could pay about 10 Euros to go in and wander around some ruins but it didn't look too promising, so decided to carry on.
The next bit is through more forest, until you get to another fly tipping area, and then the village of Mashhad. There are four or five shops here, where you could pick up lunch if you wanted. The first one is a small shop but five minutes later, you'll see quite a few more. They were all open today (a Saturday). You could hang on for more choice as Kafr Kanna is only 30 minutes past here. Kafr Kanna is a town with ATMs, restaurants, shops and anything else you need, also all open on Saturday. It's 'famous' as the place Jesus turned water into wine. I kid you not, I overheard a guide in the church built where it was supposed to have happened ask his charges after their 'tour' (which must have lasted 5 minutes as there is naff all to see, another hole in the ground, a few stone things that resemble jars etc) if they would like to drink some 'Jesus wine' from the shop opposite the church entrance, and they all dutifully followed him in. It's enough to turn you into a drunk.
Kafr Kanna is quite pretty in its own way, and I stayed at the strangely named Cana Wedding Guest House, which you find 5 minutes after entering the town. It's near all facilities, is run by a lovely old couple and has a great sun trap seating area, very welcome after the five hours including long stops I was out today. The lady will cook evening meals and breakfasts if you want, or you can use the nearby shops.
Overall, whilst walking is always nice, this section should really be avoided if at all possible. Get a bus from wherever and start your walk from here, or stay the night and start walking tomorrow. All of this wasn't a surprise. I was expecting loads of rubbish and it didn't disappoint. Tomorrow is supposed to be a big improvement, but we shall see! As far as waymarking goes, it is mostly fine so far, but a gpx trail in maps.me from wikiloc will stop you getting lost in the few places where the waymarks are less good. It is quite muddy because there has been a lot of rain. My gaters have really helped keep the mud off my trousers, and I'm using leather boots for this walk rather than walking trainers.