Transporter on the bridge

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We talked before about the now-elegant old Scots Hotel in Tiberias here and here..

Their footbridge allows guests to cross above the busy street and go down to the hotel swimming pool.

The view from the bridge is to the Sea of Galilee. Beyond the lake, the Golan Heights.

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I love the lighting in the floor of the wooden bridge.

If my kids were there at the Scots Hotel, each of us could stand over a blue light and say "Beam me up, Scotty!"

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Hope this makes Louis into la vache qui rit for his Sunday Bridges meme.

Join us, it's fun!

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Sundial resting in shade

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Sundials for ABC Wednesday S-day, in the garden of the Scots Hotel, St. Andrew's, Galilee, owned and managed by the Church of Scotland.

Enlarge the photo to learn that Tiberias is 3, 390 kilometers from Edinburgh.

The clever sundial tells both local time and time in Edinburgh.

The Hebrew writing says "In sunshine I work, but in shade I rest."

We talked about the newly refurbished hotel in an earlier post.

The Scots built it as a hospital in 1824 and it served as such until 1959. Then it was converted into a youth hostel. In 2005 the site was reopened as an elegant boutique hotel.

A strange ship near the shore of the Sea of Galilee, with the sundial in the background.

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Salutations to artist Pietro Brosio. At his blog you will find lots more sundials as well as his paintings and fine photos of Italy.

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A touch of class in Tiberias

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During my weeks in Tiberias, after our digging day was over I would often escape from the crowded hostel room and walk up to a hotel with real class--"The Scottie." Just to walk around their gardens and to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.
Their brochure is titled "The Scots Hotel, St. Andrew's, Galilee, Owned and Managed by the Church of Scotland, Maintaining Christian Witness in the Land of Christ Since 1885."

The brochure continues:
"The city of Tiberias, named after Caesar Tiberius, was founded by Herod Antipas and is nearly 2,000 years old. During its history it has been ruled by Jews, Muslims, Druze, Crusaders, Turks, and the British, as well by the Romans. It was to here that, in 1885, David Watt Torrance, a 23 year old surgeon from Airdrie, Scotland, arrived to set up the Scottish 'Mission of the Jews' in the Holy Land."
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So this former hospital is now what has been converted.
Now it is a botique hotel complex, with its 19th century black basalt walls having been "sensitively refurbished." And a new modern wing was added.

Look at all the benches! Perfect for RuneE's "Bench on Friday" meme at Visual Norway.

These benches in a row sit in the fragrant herb (and other plants) garden. A pleasure for the nose as well as the soul.

Notice (if you enlarge the photo) the flag of Scotland.

This fine old bench is in the archaeology garden.

Nearby is a fishpond with underwater lights to illuminate the big ornamental fish!

Even the bench along the wall has underground illumination!

The view from the semicircular bench: ancient Roman capitals on pedestals and the Sea of Galilee.

The lovely gazebo . . .

. . . and its view of the lake.

The hotel swimming pool is just across the street, via a private wooden bridge.

Not bad, eh? :-)

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The old basalt Scots church and school buildings are also across the street.

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The interesting website, complete with history of the place, is http://www.scotshotels.co.il/index_en.html.

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