I have made a decision that I want to start every week with something uplifting, something fun or something unusual. Coming off a great weekend we need to jumpstart the week.

This week I am starting with wine. I will admit I am not so knowledgeable in wine, Israeli or otherwise. I do love a good wine with a good meal, or even a glass of cold white wine on a hot summers evening, looking out over the Mediterranean or the Mountain of Judea.

I think I know enough to distinguish between a good wine and a bad wine. I can even say a few chosen words about the wine, such as fruity, very fruity. But that’s about all. But that is me, and there are plenty of Israelis who know their wines.

In fact Israel has very much come on to the world scene of producing excellent wines. There are of course the large wine cellars, such as Carmel and Golan Wines, but in addition there are innumerable smaller wine cellars. I have been told something like 250 in all. That’s not bad for such a small country.

When you visit Israel it is quite possible to visit wine cellars throughout the country, from the Golan Heights and the Galilee in the north to the Judean Mountains and the Negev to the south. But you may want to get to know more about Israeli wines even before you get here. That can be done by reading about it on the premier blog on Israeli wines Hakerem: The Israeli Wine Blog. “Kerem” is Hebrew for vineyard. Well-chosen name.

There is so much information about Israeli wines on their blog, including a list of many, though not all wineries in Israel. There is also a lesson on Wine Tasting, which of course can never substitute the real thing.

The real thing can of course be had during a visit to Israel. But many Israeli wines are todaysold in many places in the world, especially USA and Europe.

Reference:

Hekerem: The Israeli Wine Blog

The Jesus Trail is a hiking tour through the Galilee that Jesus would have known. The moving force behind the development of the trail are Maoz Inon, an Israeli entrepreneur, and David Landis, a Mennonite from the US. The idea behind the trail is to allow visitors to Israel the opportunity to experience the Galilee scenery in a new way, as well as helping businesses in out-of-the way places to make more money.

But there is more to it than that. As reported in StarTribune.com | Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota:

Though the venture is called the Jesus Trail, the appeal is meant to be broad. Nazareth and the Galilee are important to Christians, who regard the area as the setting of Jesus’s boyhood, adult ministry and initial miracles. However, the route is a layer cake of “narratives,” covering Christian holy sites, small Arab towns typical of northern Israel, the remnants of Palestinian villages empty since Israel’s 1948 war of independence, ancient Jewish sites, modern kibbutzim, Crusader battlefields and Muslim shrines.

The Jesus Trail is still in its infancy, but is constantly being improved. From the website of the Jesus Trail:

The Jesus Trail offers an alternative for travelers and pilgrims to experience the steps of Jesus in a way that is authentic, adventurous and educational by trekking through the rugged and beautiful landscape of the Galilee.The main Jesus Trail route is 65 km and begins in Nazareth and passes through Sepphoris, Cana, Kibbutz Lavi, Arbel Cliffs, Tabgha, Capernaum, and the Mount of Beatitudes. An optional return loop to Nazareth passes through Tiberias, the Jordan River, Mount Tabor, and Mount Precipice.

The trail is made up of several journeys that can be hiked individually or in full. The organizers will rent out GPS, organize guides and more.

At present only the first section is guided by volunteer guides. There are daily tours that start at 8 am from the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, except Sunday.

For full article on The Jesus Trail – A Spiritual Journey By Howard Schneider, Washington Post

For the Jesus Trail Website.