Shalom, My Friends

Believe it or not, we managed to escape the snow!  There was some worry on our part when we heard the impending weather forecast that was predicting yet another tremendous snowfall Sunday through Monday.  Since our flights were scheduled for Monday afternoon, we decided to change our plans a bit and reserve a hotel room near the airport so that we did not have the worry of driving to the airport.

As it happened, not a flake of snow fell in Newark, and we had no problems boarding our flight to Israel.

And here is proof that a little sunshine can hide the fact that one has only had a few hours of sleep.

Not too bad, I suppose.  It was great to feel the warmth of the sunshine after leaving such frigid temperatures behind!

For those of you who do not know, Marty's job has changed venues.  He said good-bye to Scotland in October and was assigned to Nazareth, Israel, making his first visit in November, and a second in January.  He asked me to accompany him on this trip, and after some serious thought on my part, I agreed to come along.

My touring strategy will be far different than my Scotland adventures, and I just may lay low in our hotel on some days.  It certainly offers a beautiful view of the sea from our room.

Our hotel is in Haifa, but we decided to stop in Caesarea on the way from the airport since that opportunity will not avail itself to us anytime for the rest of the trip.

We weren't sure what to expect, because when we landed, there was a condition referred to as a "dust storm" throughout the area, and all of the buildings looked like they were hidden in a fog.

Luckily, by the time we reached Caesarea, the skies had cleared.

Our first stop was the Byzantine Street, which is actually part of a forum.  The street is lined with marble, and the statues are from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, brought here from the Roman forum when the street was built.

We headed over to Caesarea National Park.  This features the City of Herod the Great who set out to construct a port to rival Alexandria.  He built the town as well as a harbor, naming it after his benefactor, Augustus Caesar.  It was once one of the grandest port cities on the eastern Mediterranean.  

Beautiful, don't you think?

Stone walls and Palm trees stand stately in this historic town.

Walking through the gate transforms you back in time to the time of Herod the Great.  And, although this city was claimed by different groups over time, the ruins continue to give us a glimpse of time in that era. 

Near the entrance stands the foundation of the Crusader Church of St. Paul from the 1100's.

This Citadel is from the original Crusader City

Sarcophagi were easily spotted on the grounds, and here is an example of an unusual one.

A Hippodrome with a field for Chariot Races still stands

One can almost envision the chariots rounding that bend.

Roman villas once stood among the Mediterranean seaside, and many features are still standing. 

Here you can see some  mosaic floors.

And remnants of a Roman Bath.

 Here stands the palace where St. Paul was brought from Jerusalem, in chains, to stand trial for heresy.

And there is a Roman Theater which was constructed in the time of Jesus and Pointius Pilate.   This is an entirely separate structure from the Hippodrome.

And a larger than life Chariot Statue stood near the Hippodrome. 

One can almost imagine Ben Hur behind the reins!

I actually have a lot more to share with you, including many lovely photos of Haifa,  but with only a few hours of sleep on the plane, I'm going to call it a night.

I'm fairly certain that I'll have more tales to share in the days to come.

But for tonight, I bid you…..Shalom.!