By foot, then take the train

Snow? What snow? It's balmy in Jerusalem. Ten days later and we've got highs of 16C. I'm beginning to understand the "grin and bear it" attitude to winter around here. Anyway, last weekend we escaped the snow of Jerusalem for the Coastal Plain.

What's on the Coastal Plain? It's that bit of Israel that hugs the Mediterranean before you head east to the West Bank or the Judean Hills or south into the desert. Specifically, we went to Ma'abarot Kibbutz because that's where Amit grew up. Ma'abarot is a bit north of Netanya and a bit inland from the coast. At that point, Israel is a narrow strip of about 9km.

On Friday morning we went to Caesarea National Park. There's been something at Caesarea pretty much continuously since about 500 BCE. In what's becoming a familiar pattern, the usual suspects set up shop on site after defeating the previous group. So, first the Phoenicians then the Greeks and Hasmoneans, followed by -- you guessed it -- the Romans! King Herod (the Roman client king of Judea and generally busy guy about whom I'll have more to say in future posts) really made Caesarea into what it is now known for. As a planned city, Caesarea had a road network, a temple, amphitheatre, markets, residential quarters, and -- of course -- an aqueduct!  Also, Caesarea has a great natural harbour.

Jews and Gentiles lived together until the Great Revolt by the Jews in 66 BCE (more on that later -- when I tell you about my trip to Masada this weekend). Later Christians, Pagans, Jews, and Samaritans lived together. In the Byzantine period the city was extended and fortified. Following the Arab conquest in 640 CE, Caesarea became a sleepy town for a couple hundred years. The Crusaders showed up and conquered the city which they held until 1265 when the Mamelukes destroyed it (despite the Crusaders' improved fortifications). In the late 1800s the Ottomans settled Bosnian Muslim refugees in Caesarea. Today it's a touristic site -- more coffee shop than national park. On the day of our visit parts of the site were underwater; Jerusalem had snow, the coast had buckets of rain.

Some pix (photo credits Theresa Tribaldos):

The Amphitheatre at Caesarea

Looking North from the Amphitheatre (the flooded bit on the right of the walkway is the old Hippodrome)

Rocky outcrop at Caesarea's Harbour

Mosaics in the residential quarters

Deciphering the ruins -- I think we found the laundry rooms

At the kibbutz we hung out and ate, visited the kibbutz zoo (just like at Neve Ur, there's a zoo), walked, went mushroom hunting, and ate some more. Yep, it's really hard work visiting a kibbutz. No one puts you to work -- unless you count shelling pecans so you can take a bag home -- and everyone feeds you (Yemeni specialties and lemon meringue pie) and sends you home with food (cookies, jam, nuts, fruit). We are still working our way through the cookies that Amit's parents sent us home with -- we keep them at the office for coffee breaks. Fortunately, Theresa prefers the nut cookies, while I have a fondness for the tahini cookies (like peanut butter, but tahini!).