 | The port town of Acre (Akko, Akka). At the time when the Crusaders were settled here, the revenues from this port are recorded to have exceeded the revenues of the king of England. Sam appears in the foreground. |
 | Many of the Crusader-era buildings have been excavated and opened for visitors. |
 | This area was used as a prison yard. |
 | Acre. |
 | A vast latrine, capable of supporting 50 simultaneous users on two levels. Internal plumbing within the walls would have carried waste down from the upper level. The taller constructions on the right side of the room appear to be urinals. |
 | Part of the refectory. The black bands around the pillar are metal braces. |
 | An underground tunnel. |
 | A novel use for shoes! |
 | The old marketplace. |
 | The Templar tunnel. This appears to have been built by demolishing the buildings above, digging a vast trench, adding arches to form a ceiling to the trench, then allowing new buildings to be added on top. |
 | The Templar tunnel again. |
 | The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. |
 | Works of art in praise of Mary were requested from all countries. This one is from Wales, honouring her as Our Lady of Cardigan. |
 | The doors of the Basilica of the Annunciation. |
 | In the lower part of the Basilica stands the grotto of the Annunciation. |
 | The grotto. |
 | The upper part of the Basilica is quite clearly from the 1960s. |
 | While we were in here, they were tuning a new organ. |
 | The chapel of St Joseph is a bit further up the hill. |
 | We had Mass here. |
 | The Basilica of the Annunciation, shown from further up the hill. |
 | Next to the Basilica is an excavated house from Christ's time. It is proposed as the one where the Holy Family lived, where Joseph would have had his workshop; even if it isn't the right house, a boy growing up in Nazareth at that time would probably have known this building. |
 | The Basilica again. |
 | A field near the Horns of Hattin where the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem camped before their defeat at the Horns. A small stream runs through the field, just below the area shown in the photo. According to records, it could not supply enough water for the vast army of 1500 knights (with horses) and approximately 18,000 footsoldiers. |
 | The Horns of Hattin, where the army was destroyed by Saladin. |
 | Mazdia, Howard and Teresa in the hotel bar. All drinks were free. Regrettably, the wine (flowing from taps) was not particularly pleasant. |