Israel: Part I--Caesarea

Caesarea was our first stop when we got back into Israel. It's now a small, expensive, rich community right on the Mediterranean coastline, with the only golf course in Israel. (So our guide told us.) We had an Israeli guide, named Carol Ann, and a Palestinian bus driver, named Adel. They were both excellent, and a great addition to our group.

Caesarea was a coastal port town built by Herod the Great, or Herod the Builder, as the Israelis call him. All that's left of the city and palace are some ruins right on the coast, with a large theater that is still used in the summer for theatrical and musical performances. Some of the aquaducts are still standing as well, which were brilliantly designed to bring water from the source at the base of Mount Carmel, eight miles away, to the city at the coast. Our group, ever the faithful LDS, also spotted a guy stuck in the sand and asked the bus driver to stop so they could help.

Here are some pictures of Caesarea, which the Israelis have made into a national park. They have done that with most of the sites we visited, which means there is an entrance fee, as well as informational signs and a gift shop. While we were in the theater, I was in love with the Mediterranean Sea, and had to take pictures of the sailboats. At that point, we were unsure if we would ever have time to go swimming, and I seriously longed to get in the water. (By the way, we didn't get to swim in the sea, which annoyed me to no end.) The theater was filled with Nigerian tourists. When we got off the plane in Tel Aviv, there were about 10 tour buses full of them--their government pays for them to come to Israel on a pilgrimage once in their lifetime, including spending money and all their luggage. We ran into them all over the country. They were friendly and kind, and liked to sing at every site, which occasionally overpowered our tour director and his lectures.

Scriptural and historical significance: When Paul was brought before King Agrippa (who was the son of Herod the Great), it was in Caesarea. As I mentioned, Caesarea was a port city, and the engineering used was advanced for the time. Underwater cement columns were constructed to build the harbor for the ships to come and go.