Today, we traveled north on the coastal highway and visited the ruins at Ceasarea - the ancient harbor, huge Roman Amphitheater and 1st century excavations built by King Herod. We also saw the remnants of the Arab Conquest, the Crusaders, the Ottoman Empire as well as the Bosnian settlements of the 19th century. We were amazed at the amount of engineering technology that was present from the 1st century BCE. We learned a Latin word: vomitoria – the name of the entrances/exits of the theater (vaulted passage) - not the reaction of patrons to a show! Throughout the entire archaeological site, we experienced the beauty of the Mediterranean.
Next, we went to the Druze village, Tirat HaCarmel. We visited someone's home, sat on the couches in the living room and shared Druze pizza (picture pita bread baked with olive oil and lots of spices - it was very good) and some hot tea. We learned about the Druze people and their faith - very unique. We then journeyed to Acco to visit the ruins of the Crusades and the vast structure they built to protect their control. It is also the location of the infamous prison that housed members of the Hagana and other fighters during the period of the British rule - the most famous being Menachim Begin.
We are here during raining season and this afternoon, the clouds opened up. Unfortunately, this shortened out day (we were unable to see the famous gardens outside the Bahai temple). We have settled in the beautiful hotel at Kibbutz Nof Giosaur. See the next posting for some pictures.
Shalom!
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Our guide David showed us the crusaders' rest room in their castle. They had no privacy, no place to wash, and lacked ventilation. It rated a D-.
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