Casey Kin Come Calling On Caesarea (By the “C”)


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Middle East » Israel » Haifa District »  Caesaria
December 3rd 2014
Published: December 4th 2014
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We received our courtesy wake-up call promptly at 6 AM by the diligent front desk; but, only after my courtesy wake-up alarm for 5 AM racquetball awoke both of us much before we were ready. It might have seemed odd for my phone to be chiming in so early; except, Sharon had suggested that I set a backup in case we didn’t get our courtesy wake-up. I’m way ahead of you, I've already disabled my MWF alarm for the remainder of the trip. I mumbled something to Sharon about “Are we supposed to have our bags out in the hall by six?” knowing full well that we had just an hour to do so. She replied “seven” just as she was turning on the water to the shower. I at least realized what happened before she got all wet and she wasn’t even all that upset that she could go back to bed for another hour.

As Father David had warned us about what to expect for breakfasts in Israel, along with traditional breakfast fare including made to order omelets, there was also plenty of salads as well. Father David is the monk joining our “Green Group” and serving as guide on our pilgrimage, Franciscan Father Ben is accompanied by the archbishop on the Blue Bus. Father David lives in Washington DC and is also a Franciscan, working to preserve Holy sites of the Catholic Church. For Sharon, they had Chocolate croissants, so I figured that that should make her happy. But when I asked at the table Erin and Dennis had already reserved for us, she said “It’s not bad.” I pressed her further if that was like my mother’s “Okay”. She assured me it wasn’t that bad, and I was pretty sure it wasn’t up to Holland America’s standards (although this one at least looks like a croissant with plenty of chocolate). For my money, HAL’s chocolate croissant falls short on both scores… give me a plain old ordinary croissant with butter any day of the week. And I did try a little bit of salad with raita (a Greek cucumber and yogurt dressing) and some hummus, along with butternut squash ravioli and what looked like a sausage McMuffin sandwich missing the top piece of bread, and it was all quite delicious. I asked where Dennis had found the juice, and my choices were lemonade or orange juice. Erin had given us an adapter plug the night before for charging our phones, and we were pleased it had worked just fine for us (without a converter). These newfangled smart devices can handle either 120 or 240 VAC. We’d made it much too hard on ourselves in China.

We boarded our bus, but not before pointing out to the driver which of our bags were to come with us. Our first stop was at the ruins of Caesarea. In King Herod’s day he envisioned Caesarea as a world class commercial sea port, a vision which in three short years was realized. A massive wooden and stone breakwater was built. A massive stone tower was erected supporting a massive platform and wood burning bon fire to serve as a beacon for the sea port. Herod built his palace overlooking the commercial harbor. Ruins revealed where commercial enterprises had concealed vaults storing precious raw materials traded across the seas. There was even a Hippodrome for racing chariots, the ruins still visible today, with some of the stone seating for onlookers. We were fortunate that the English version of the fifteen minute movie highlighting the two-thousand plus year history of Caesarea would be showing in just a few minutes after we arrived (otherwise we couldn’t have waited for it to play again). After Herod died, his heirs weren’t strong enough to maintain control of Caesarea, and it became controlled by the Romans until about 400 BC. Caesarea’s magnificence did not weather the changing elements well, especially those due to earthquakes and regime change. After the Romans, came the Byzantines, then the Crusaders and eventually the Muslims who ultimately completely destroyed the port and its supporting structures, razing it to the ground. Erin uses a portable scooter to help her get around, and she had little trouble navigating the ruins at Caesarea; although, she can manage fine for short distances or some stairs with her crutches. When someone asked about charging it, she noted that it charges overnight and is good for about ten miles if she watches the speed and doesn't race around like Mario Andretti. Okay, for you race buffs out there, that should date us quite well.

We had a strict 10:30 AM departure from Caesarea so that we could make it to the site where mass would be held today. One of our group who is travelling alone and has trouble hearing was unable to follow the instructions regarding either the time or the pickup point. One of the monks and one of the pilgrims walked that rather long route back to where we were dropped off, and it took some extra time but we did eventually get all of the sheep back into the fold. It probably wouldn't be a good thing to lose one of us pilgrims on the first day in the Holy Lands. You can imagine what CNN could do with a story like that. Before arriving at the church for mass, they took names of couples who would be renewing their vows the next day; which, I signed Sharon and I up for though it looks like Erin and Dennis will forgo this informality. I figure, what the heck, tomorrow night becomes another wedding night for us. And I’ll make no further comment on the double entendre that goes with that statement. Access to the church at Stella Mares (Star of the Sea) was a bit problematic for Erin, and she and Dennis navigated a circuitous route about the perimeter, requiring the scooter only to be lifted over the threshold. Inside a magnificent vaulted structure featured an altar and lectern atop a grotto/cave overlooking seating for not more than sixty people. Many of us incorrectly believed that this was where mass would be; but, we were soon informed that we would need to meander through a myriad of corridors (and stairs) to get the chapel reserved for us. Erin’s cart could only get her to the next room. She managed the relatively few stairs easily enough, then the long uneven floors down several hallways to the chapel. Dennis is not the mass-going type, so he wasn’t with us as I’m leading Sharon and Erin into the chapel where most other pilgrims are already seated in the center with seats still available around the perimeter of the chapel. As I’m walking towards some of the side seating I hear a load thud behind me, and the audience issues a collective gasp, and I turn fearing that Erin has slipped. Sharon’s mom is currently recovering from a broken hip she suffered about a month ago from a fall. And Sharon still hasn’t lived down the accusations that she pushed her younger brother Paul down the stairs when she was five (she maintains her innocence to this day, and as her husband I must say I believe her… but even her own mother thinks she did it: because Paul said she did. When Sharon first met her nephew James, he asked “Daddy, is she the sister that pushed you down those stairs?”) So you can see why I wouldn’t what to get the reputation in this family of having let anything bad happen to “The Enforcer”. Although Erin doesn’t understand how she got this reputation, her family agreed at the reunion that we had for Sharon’s mother Shirley’s 85th birthday bash in Oregon in September, Sharon was the “good cop” and Erin was the “bad cop”. Lo and behold, it wasn’t Erin sprawled on the ground, it was (only) Sharon. What a relief. Fortunately, she only had a broken fingernail, having miss calculated the step up to the tiered perimeter seating. Mass went fairly smoothly; although, the new group in a new location did appear to this lay bystander a bit haphazard in the administration of the Eucharist. Lunch was at a restaurant across the street, so we made our way there, including crossing a somewhat busy street and blind corner and very poor handicapped access. Dennis and I had to carry the scooter down several flights of stairs. The view of the harbor from this height was spectacular, as it was from our table in the restaurant. I thought the salad and hummus course was great, especially the spicy almost salsa like puree. We had our choice of fish, kebabs or chicken. Dennis had been warned by our bus driver during mass, not to choose the fish; although, it looked to be a nicely battered “fish-and-chips” like fish dish. What Catholic shouldn’t like that? Dennis had had a nice chat with him and even offered to buy him a cup of coffee. The driver declined noting that the bus drivers get their coffee for free anyway. So Dennis joined him, pretending to be a bus driver. The kebobs seemed to be a combination of grilled ground-beef and lamb. Sharon and Erin’s chicken choice was a massive serving on a nicely grilled chicken breast, served very plain (grill marks and chicken only) just the way that they like it. And I decided to try a “first” for me, and took a date from the dessert dish placed before me on the table. What is it they say about sampling local cuisine, try something in a place famous for that dish. The date was quite different from what I expected (and much better than I had expected). I think I actually liked it. I might even try it again.

We re-boarded the busses (after Dennis and I carried Erin’s scooter back up those steps leading to the restaurant). Lunch already had my eyelids pretty heavy and ready for some down time. This is when (what I heard from my foggy haze) we passed by the Temple of Bob. I almost wasn’t able to open my eyes, but I was glad that I did. We passed by the entrance, a magnificent gate behind which a hill rose dominated by a gold domed temple shining in the sun. It was so worth the look that our driver went around the tight traffic circle in front, making our companion bus wait to enter the circle, so that we all got a second look: The Temple of Bob. From my sleep I seem to remember that Bob is buried beneath the Temple. And that Bob had head strange religion. Okay, maybe the name was closer to Hezabub, but I will remember this as the Temple of Bob.

They decided to squeeze in our visit to the church atop Mount Tabor commemorating one of the twenty mysteries of the Catholic Faith (The Transfiguration of Jesus) a day early, since it fit better in the schedule this way. This is the event where Jesus reveals himself to be divine to Peter, James and John atop this mountain where they witness him conversing with Moses and Elijah about his upcoming passion. There are four types, for example, sorrowful ones like the crucifixion. This one is one of the Luminous Mysteries added by Pope John Paul II. There are also Joyful and Glorious Mysteries. If they ever do a movie about these mysteries, they should get both Spielberg and Lucas to oversee the lighting special effects! Of the twenty mysteries, we will be visiting sites for nineteen of them over the next week and one-half. For the twentieth you must visit Heaven for the Coronation of Mary, and I’m hoping that we skip that one on this trip. Halfway up the mountain we had to stop and board taxis for the remainder of the trip. Erin scoffs at our guide calling these land features “mountains”. Back at her home in Colorado, these might not even register as a hill. The taxis did get us to the top; although, Erin took off in the first taxi, leaving Dennis behind with Sharon and me. Dennis caught the next cab, and Sharon and I had to wait for taxis taking the first group up returned. We’re glad we arrived when we did, because another tour bus (besides our two Blue and Green ones) just arrived. The hair raising switchbacks made it clear why our busses couldn’t go up the rest of the way. And the taxi drivers go fast, as someone told Dennis, because the taxi drivers think the tourists like it that way. I guess it might upgrade a C-Ticket ride on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland to a real E-Ticket adventure. We did have a near miss a blind switchback, which was only avoided because there was someone at the switchback who cautioned our driver to stop, just before a caravan of taxis cut the switchback close coming on our side of the road (this being the only way they could make the turn). We made it to the top.

The church was definitely worth the long day. Inside, an incredible mosaic commemorated Jesus atop the mountain, with Moses and his ten commandments featured on the left side, and Elijah the Prophet on the right side. The Bible never mentions which mountain the transfiguration mystery occurs on, and it wasn’t until the Crusades that this Holy Site was sought out, and through much searching study and prayer I imagine, identified unequivocally.

There is a viewing platform outside and Father David pointed out where various cities of the Bible were. Jerusalem is about a ten days journey by foot and barely visible in the distance. Jesus made this trip several times during his life with his disciples.

It was dusk and chill was in the air atop the so-called mountain. Dennis at least appreciated the thinner air at these modest heights. We were among the first to return by taxi; although, Erin and Dennis were already waiting for us by the buses. Erin couldn’t get up the narrow slippery stairs to the viewing platform safely, and chose to return early. Sharon needed to borrow some Shekels from Erin to use the restroom, which Sharon said was worth every bit as the toilet paper had cute red hearts on it, and it was the plush soft kind and not the waxy single ply variety you often encounter (or the zero-ply kind we found so often in China). The two Shekel cost was about 50 cents. I decided it was time to try another first for me, fresh squeezed pomegranate juice at a cost of $2. It tasted like a tarter fresh squeezed orange juice, but not nearly as sweet. It was still quite good and quite different from what I imaged it might taste like; but, never having tried pomegranates before I’m not sure what that might be. Woo-hoo, two firsts in one day, and meeting my quota of at least two new culinary experiences per trip.

Our trip to our residence for the next three nights took just under one hour, and we arrived at the Pilgerhaus in Tabgha near Tiberius. Translated from German, meaning Pilgrim House, A German group supporting Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land acquired the land containing the hotel and the ruins of the Loaves and Fishes Church on the Sea of Galilee over one hundred years ago. Only recently has a church be rebuilt on the site of the ruins. These lodgings are very nice; although, the only WI-FI is in the lobby. Oh, did I mention the twin beds in the bedroom. I’m not quite seeing how tomorrow is going to work out for us. There was a problem with the keys to our room, and after three people came by to verify that it was just a stupid tourist error, they sent out somebody to figure out what the problem really was, and then they sent out somebody fixed it. I told Sharon they probably need to replace a battery. In the end, I think that’s what he did. Our door was fixed and we just barely made it to dinner at 7 PM with Erin and Dennis. More Mediterranean style salad stuff, but there was a new thing, some very hot looking green chilies which you could take, or you could take some that had been pureed into a lime green colored sauce, which I tried (very good). Hummus, of course. Sharon and I both enjoyed the braised beef and roasted chicken. I had the rice pilaf and Sharon the roasted potatoes. Mediterranean fare with a German twist. I enjoyed the chocolate mousse, but Sharon thought it was pudding. Erin thought it might be a mixture of both. From the samplings that Ron and I and his sister Linda did during our sampling of chocolate mousse in Europe some thirty years ago, I can say it was mousse. (Ron was the best man at our wedding and hates it when I blog too much on the food). Sharon’s chiming in now “It was pudding!”



Too many people using the internet so can't get the rest of the photos uploaded. Will try again later.

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