It was a long flight, Vancouver to Toronto, Toronto to Tel Aviv. And the flight was unique with such a diversity of passengers. You knew it was going to be a little different with all the extra security or was it the boarding. No zone boarding, everyone all at once. A lot of people seemed to be starting their ‘pilgrimage’ to the Israel.
The airport was huge and pretty empty so we were on our buses in no time. Got the prime seat right at the back where of course a small ‘back of the bus’ group of 6 people gathered. You know the kind of group, seems everybody relishes being there. We just needed tattoos to prove our current stations.
Onto Caesarea. The roads were excellent and you quickly got the feel that there was an economic dynamic happening here. Buildings, roadways, market gardening, everything seemed to be busy. The signage was in Hebrew and English and sometimes Arabic. As you left Tel Aviv you didn’t feel you were leaving the city but you felt there was an extension of this vibrancy out into the countryside. There seemed to be small villages scattered throughout the landscape.
We arrived at the site of Caesarea Maritima which has a rich history. The weather was windy with huge waves and brisk winds. It rained heavily but only briefly. One could only image the skill these ancient engineers needed to build a port of this size back then. It was interesting and as always you could spend more time there. We had lunch and watched the Mediterranean waves crash onto the rocky coast.
We then headed to Tiberius to our hotel at the Sea of Galilee The Ron Beach Hotel. Very accommodating and we were in our rooms within 30 minutes of arriving. Supper was at 7 and the buffet was huge. There were at least 4 tables to choose from, I didn’t get past the first one.
If tomorrow is anywhere close to today the next 14 days will be more than memorable.
Tinfoiling 