Pearls of the Western Galilee

Our Guide Rafael at Caesarea

On our second day in Israel, we had booked a tour of the Mediterranean coast which was to stop at a couple of places we had not visited on our first visit to Israel.  The tour company picked us up at our hotel at 6:00 a.m.  It would be another long day!

We drove to Tel Aviv without too much traffic and there we changed buses and picked up 9 more tourists, 3 of whom were French.  Our driver also served as our guide.  It was amazing; he would give a running commentary on the road in English and then follow it in perfect French.  Of course, he also speaks Hebrew.  I found out later that he had been born in Egypt and his native tongue was French. 



Palace at Caesarea
 

Our first stop was the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Caesarea.  Not a natural port but built by King Herod during Roman times, it became one of the most important cities of ancient times.  It was here that the only stele bearing the name of the Roman Governor Pontius Pilot was found.   This was to be the first of many ancient ruins to be seen in coming days.  The theatre is still standing; the palace and hippodrome still remain beside the glistening sea.  It’s a beautiful spot.

We carried on and passed by the Baha’i gardens in Hafia. We had seen them twenty years ago, but they had been rebuilt in 2014 at a cost of $2.4 million.  Baha’i is an interesting religion, believers in peace and one of the first to declare the equality of women, they are the subject of discrimination throughout the Muslim world because they believe (heretically) that prophets have followed Moses, Jesus and Mohammed.  The gardens spilling down the sides of Mt. Carmel are tended with loving care and offer a peaceful respite in a tumultuous world.

Acre Courtyard

We then moved on to the Crusader castle at Acre.  Built in the 12^th century and home to many of the crusaders who fought in the Holy Land for two centuries, the site had seen quite a bit more excavation then when we had first visited.  It’s basically a big medieval castle.  Much of the stone and marble which was used to build it was looted from the ruins of Caesarea we were told.  Recycling in the ancient world.



IDF Soldiers in the Acre Souk

The final stop was at the Rosh Hanikra grottos.  This is more of a local tourist attraction than an international attraction, but they are located on the Israel/Lebanon border and the guide loved to titillate by pointing out that the “Iranians and Hezbollah” were just over the mountain, beyond the concertina wire, being constantly monitored by the radar, so we were safe.   

Back to the ship we went in horrendous bumper-to-bumper traffic.  My original plan had been to rent a car in Israel to do some touring….I’m so glad that didn’t work out.  Israel is an interesting country with incredible sites to visit, but the best plan is to rent a villa in the off season, spend a couple of weeks, and take it slow!