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Relax ocean waves5/16/2023 It's a stoney walk to reach the water – but worth the prickly sprint for the sharp uplifting slap of the ice cold lake – and there's little traffic, save for the occasional tourist boat chugging drowsily away from the waterfront, and no crashing waves, or sandy beaches to lure holidaymakers. There are instead staccato stretches of “beach” dotted around its edges. ![]() ![]() The Sea of Galilee is not, largely, a place of sweeping sands. It's a strange jumble of a place, where neglected black basalt remnants of this holy city's ancient past mix with gift stalls, yet with the inscrutable waters of the lake – known locally as the Kinneret – framing the horizon, all somehow is somehow still and unhurried. The hotel itself is located in the old part of Tiberias, on the western shores of the water. The hotel has recently undergone a facelift thanks to designer Saar Zafrir, who clearly took great pains to draw in the sense of magic which hangs in the air here, with soothing pale decor and abundant natural materials. Here, we checked into the Galei Kinneret – a hotel built in 1946 by entrepreneur Lotte Eisenberg, who was inspired by a trip to the Villa d’Este Hotel in Lake Como, and beautifully positioned quite literally on shores of the lake. From waterside cycles and hillside rambles, to dawdling in the restorative waters of ancient thermal springs, this pear-shaped, landlocked lake is a place to rest and reset both body and soul – and reset we did.Īrriving from Manchester late in the evening, we’d elected to spend our first night in Tel Aviv – at Sitopia, a four bedroom sustainable B&B in the Judean Hills only half an hour from the airport – before making the two-hour drive onwards to the Sea of Galilee, leaving the frenetic city behind us as the horizon unfolded, the road finally dipping down towards the shimmering waters. Massages and mud baths might seem incongruous with a place defined by its ancient spirituality, but on closer inspection, the two are a natural fit. The Sea of Galilee is many things – the spot where Jesus is said to have walked on water a pivotal point for an Islamic prophecy and the final resting place of great Jewish sages – but we had been drawn here by more earthly needs: namely, to experience the world's most overlooked wellness holiday. With lanyards swinging, and much excited chatter of Nazareth and Capernaum, the air buzzed with anticipation as we coasted by. ![]() ![]() Not everyone was planning such an unhurried start to the day, however – not least a lively group of Texan pilgrims, bustling onto a nearby tour bus. Only a slight breeze was troubling the tips of the surrounding palm trees, and the spring temperatures had not yet begun their daily climb, so it seemed the perfect time to take in the soft, sweet air at a leisurely pace. A leisurely walk had seemed an obvious way to start our first day beside the Sea of Galilee, as – wreathed in gauzy clouds – the sun rose to reveal the lustrous calm of this, the world's lowest freshwater lake.
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