Cana is the city known for the first miracle of Jesus: Changing Water into Wine. There is a Franciscan church built over the site of what is to believed to be some first-century stone dwellings and large water jars.
A close-up of some of the building’s architectural details:
We walked along a hallway beside and behind the sanctuary on a path meant for tourists. A large stone water jar stands on display. 
along with some smaller displayed ruins,
and a glass floor protects the archaeological site below.
Our guide explained that in his culture, weddings are still elaborate occasions with various feasts spanning several days. Expenses are paid by the groom’s family, and there is great peer-pressure to live up to the expected standards. (Weddings paid by the groom’s family seem wonderful to this mother of two girls!) He said invitations are only sent to out-of-town guests because everyone in the community is automatically included. Meals and wine for hundreds of guests can really add up.
As we walked through the streets of Cana….
it is apparent that there is no shortage of vendors for wedding wine.
Next we drove to Nazareth. The Church of the Annunciation stands proudly in Nazareth bearing testimony to the scriptural account of the angel announcing to the virgin Mary that she would be the mother to the Christ. 
Above the triple doorway of this basilica is an inscription in Latin that reads, “The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us.” 
The facade shows four inset carvings honoring the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. (By the way, a basilica is a church that has been visited by the Pope.) 
The courtyard walls display mosaics of the virgin Mary from many countries.
Inside the basilica on this level is a large open space and several worshippers were seated along the rail opposite the altar.
Visitors descend a few stairs to view a protected grotto believed to be the cave-home of Mary.
Upstairs is an impressive sanctuary.
Additional mosaics of Mary are displayed upstairs. This one is from the US.
Leave it to my home country to come up with a sci-fi Mary!
We left the Church of the Annunciation from this upper level. The view from the upper level entrance looks much different than from our original entrance. 
More archaeological remains of ancient Nazareth are under the buildings and walkways in this compound. 
Just a short walk away is the Church of Joseph believed to be built over what are the remains of Joseph’s carpentry shop. Joseph’s knees are shiny where people have rubbed the statue over the years.
Inside
We went below the sanctuary to view the archaeological site.
We left Nazareth and and went to Nazareth Village, a recreation of Nazareth during the time of Jesus. As we were entering the village, many of the costumed crew were carrying out a tourist on a stretcher. This may have impacted our tour as the shepherd was gone and no sheep were in the pen. In fact we didn’t get to see any animals there, however, we did see a weaving demonstration, a carpentry demonstration, and a synagogue demonstration. We also looked inside a replica of a tomb, saw a demonstration of an oil press, and heard an explanation of the wine press. At the conclusion of our tour we ate a typical first-century VIP meal. (The VIP means it included Chicken.) 
Nazareth Village requires a media release to post pictures of the village and characters, and I neglected to inquire about it while we were there. I did email them after coming home, but have not heard back, so perhaps I’ll update this with some additional photos when I hear back from them. In the meantime if you are interested in Nazareth Village, you can check out their website at www.nazarethvillage.com
Next on the agenda: Bet She’an.