The next morning we jumped in the car early and drove to Caesarea, which was actually backtracking a little as Caesarea is back towards Tel Aviv. Caesarea (or Keisarya or Qesarya) is a little town on the Mediterranean that has been around long enough to have some Roman ruins, the main attraction. Some of the ruins are underwater, so I went diving to see them. A couple weeks ago a big storm hit the area and rearranged most of the sand on the bottom of the sea floor and, it turns out, covered up much of the ruins. Also, even though the storm had been weeks ago, the water was still hazy with unsettled sand and other underwater muck, so the dive wasn’t a great success.
Back on land I joined Sarah in roaming the ruins. The ruins are right on the water and since we lucked out with the weather every glance to the sea was a postcard.
Back on land I joined Sarah in roaming the ruins. The ruins are right on the water and since we lucked out with the weather every glance to the sea was a postcard.
When I visited India a few years ago I walked around a church that was in the middle of excavation. It was notable for me not only because I like old churches and excavation sites but also for the site’s lack of signs forbidding visitors from climbing on the ruins, getting too close to high edges, or really anything. There were few people there and we were just doing whatever we wanted. This was liberating in a way but also made me worry for the conservation of the site, since you always read that even though these structures have survived hundreds (or in Caesarea’s case, thousands) of years in the elements, they will disintegrate at the touch of a human hand. Caesarea was like this as well. Climbing, jumping, sitting, and walking all over the ruins was perfectly acceptable.
Also like that church in India, there were few tourists at Caesarea. That has been the case in most places we’ve been so far. There were some at the Baha’i Gardens, there were a lot in Eilat, and naturally there have been tourists at the hostels in which we’ve stayed, but overall fewer than I expected. Further, seeing other Americans has been downright rare. I can’t say I’m disappointed.
After we had our fill of ruins we drove back up north, past Haifa to Akko. Akko (or Acre), like many other Israelit cities (or so we are finding), has an Old City with cool Old Stuff in it. Unfortunately we got to Akko a bit later than we had hoped so we missed out on guided tours but we were able to walk around the Old City. After picking up falafel from a street vendor, we walked to the port, where both tourists and locals were enjoying the late afternoon views of the water and strolling in the nice weather. We walked through the small alleys of the outdoor market to the Jezzar Pasha Mosque, the largest mosque in Israel that’s not in Jerusalem. The Jezzar Pasha Mosque holds among its possessions a lock of hair from Mohammed’s beard. We walked around the mosque’s courtyard but did not ask to see the beard hair.
Also like that church in India, there were few tourists at Caesarea. That has been the case in most places we’ve been so far. There were some at the Baha’i Gardens, there were a lot in Eilat, and naturally there have been tourists at the hostels in which we’ve stayed, but overall fewer than I expected. Further, seeing other Americans has been downright rare. I can’t say I’m disappointed.
After we had our fill of ruins we drove back up north, past Haifa to Akko. Akko (or Acre), like many other Israelit cities (or so we are finding), has an Old City with cool Old Stuff in it. Unfortunately we got to Akko a bit later than we had hoped so we missed out on guided tours but we were able to walk around the Old City. After picking up falafel from a street vendor, we walked to the port, where both tourists and locals were enjoying the late afternoon views of the water and strolling in the nice weather. We walked through the small alleys of the outdoor market to the Jezzar Pasha Mosque, the largest mosque in Israel that’s not in Jerusalem. The Jezzar Pasha Mosque holds among its possessions a lock of hair from Mohammed’s beard. We walked around the mosque’s courtyard but did not ask to see the beard hair.
In Haifa we had walked by several storefronts open to the street, in Akko we walked through the busy market, and we’ve walked by any number of street vendors. We have not been harassed. I’m used to and had prepared myself for being engaged constantly by people trying to sell me stuff but it just hasn’t happened. Vendors don’t yell, kids don’t stare, and no one offers to squeegee my windshield at intersections. There is no begging. In fact, we’re only seen two people who looked like they might have been homeless. This is not what I expected. It’s strange in that sense but it’s also refreshing; not being hounded constantly is nice. I wonder why it is this way.
The whole time we’ve been here I’ve been asking myself “Is this a third world country or not?” I’m not sure yet what the answer is.
The whole time we’ve been here I’ve been asking myself “Is this a third world country or not?” I’m not sure yet what the answer is.
That being said, there is one thing I am certain of; Israel, like all third world countries I’ve been to as well as nearly every other country outside of the US, is, as I always repeat, light years ahead of us in shower technology by virtue of the very simple tool that is the movable showerhead. I just don’t understand why this doesn’t catch on stateside.
After Akko we had some ideas of stopping in Nazareth but just didn’t have the time. Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus, apparently doesn’t have much to look at. Since we were running a little late anyway we decided to skip it and head straight for Tiberias (also Tiberius), where we would spend the night. We aimed the car towards the Sea of Galilee and took off.
After Akko we had some ideas of stopping in Nazareth but just didn’t have the time. Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus, apparently doesn’t have much to look at. Since we were running a little late anyway we decided to skip it and head straight for Tiberias (also Tiberius), where we would spend the night. We aimed the car towards the Sea of Galilee and took off.
