A Long Day, Monday

The Roman Theatre

We were off to an early start with Ahron our guide.  The ten of us piled into the mini bus and headed for Caesarea. This is an interesting place with a Roman theatre and a Hippodrome for chariot racing.  One major problem however, was a lack of a water supply.  To overcome this problem, two aqueducts were built to provide the necessary water for the city.  After a brief look around we drove to the nearby aqueduct.

The Aqueduct for Caesarea

From Caesarea we drove inland to Megidda. In ancient times Megiddo was an important city-state. It is also known alternatively as Tel Megiddo (Hebrew) and Tell al-Mutesellim (Arabic). Megiddo is a tel (hill or mound) made of 26 layers of the ruins of ancient cities in a strategic location at the head of a pass through the Carmel Ridge, which overlooks the Valley of Jezreel from the west. The name Armageddon mentioned in the New Testament may derive from Har Megiddo (Hebrew) meaning Mount of Megiddo.

Steps at Megiddo

We had lunch at a very pleasant Druze restaurant. The Druze community in Israel is officially recognized as a separate religious entity with its own courts (with jurisdiction in matters of personal status - marriage, divorce, maintenance and adoption) and spiritual leadership. Their culture is Arab and their language Arabic but they opted against mainstream Arab nationalism in 1948 and have since served (first as volunteers, later within the draft system) in the Israel Defence Forces and the Border Police. The Druze community in Israel has a special standing among the country's minority groups, and members of the community have attained high-level positions in the political, public and military spheres.

The Bahai Gardens at Haifa

By now the weather was heating up and we were on to our next stop, Haifa.  This is a beautiful city and is the largest city in northern Israel, as well as the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 265,000. Haifa is a mixed city: 90% are Jews, more than a quarter of whom are immigrants from the former Soviet Union, while 10% are Arabs, predominantly of the Christian faith. It is also home to the Bahai World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bahai Gardens are absolutely magnificent.  Haifa is a modern, major port with cruise ships.  The volume of cruise ships arriving is considered by many to be a barometer measuring the safety of Israel at any given time.

Our final stop for the day was Acre. Under the citadel and prison of Acre, archaeological excavations revealed a complex of halls, which was built and used by the Hospitallers Knights. This complex was a part of the Hospitallers' citadel, which was combined in the northern wall of Acre. The complex includes six semi-joined halls, one recently excavated large hall, a dungeon, a dining room and remains of an ancient Gothic church. The city is ancient with a wonderful market through which we wandered and we finally left via a secret passage , recently discovered, which gave the Crusaders a secret route to the harbour.The markets of the old city are a delight: the 18th century Turkish bazaar, full of small artisan shops where you can haggle for souvenirs; the Shuq al-Abiad arcade with narrow passageways full of grocery stalls; and the vibrant street market along the main road, which sells everything from fresh fish and baked pastries to spices and perfumes - a glorious profusion of colours and smells.

The Crusaders' Castle at Acre

Inside the Crusaders' Palace

Utterly exhausted and totally sated with the wonders of the day we headed back through Galilee along the Jordan border to Kfar Gilad, the Kibbutz where we will be spending two nights. This is situated in the North-western tip of Israel right against the border of Lebanon and from our hotel room window it was only about 100 metres to the line of demarcation.