Caesarea, Jaffa & Tel Aviv - Mar 27
Last time we were in Israel we visited Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.
2013 Jerusalem & Dead Sea https://photos.app.goo.gl/37WLUochu2zj18Wt5
2023 Caesarea, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel https://photos.app.goo.gl/XJWp3hBD7aFcSDk17
There is much to see in Israel, but we opted to visit the Roman city of Caesarea and the old city of Jaffa and new city of Tel Aviv.
We had another face-to-face immigration which had us meeting in the Wheelhouse Bar at 6:45 to get our tickets to be called off the ship. Today we were joined by Tom & Cathy and Horst & Mark. With only 6 of us we got off the ship early and found our guide Ehud from Guided Tours Israel. https://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/shore-excursions/from-ashdod-port/tel-aviv-jaffa-caesarea/
They do many different tours depending on your interests. They were very responsive and helpful in emails setting up the tour.
This will for me, go down as the worst tour of the trip (or ever for that matter), a month left in the cruise so maybe another guide could be worse. A guide can make or break your experience and Ehud chose to break it. (I'm sure that was not his intention, but his style was not ours) The first strike was the vehicle. No one over the age of 6 should sit in those 2 back seats which essentially were the trunk. (and we are not large people)
He seemed irritated that we chose to see the cites vs other sites in Israel. Tom & Cathy had done an extensive land trip here and were looking for something different and we had seen Jerusalem and also wanted something different. Horst & Mark hadn't been before but are signed on to the next two world cruises that also stop in Israel so they will visit the "must-see's" on those visits.
He was more than informative about the Jewish religion and knows history well. Due to protests our guide seemed nervous about traffic (they tend to block roads and bridges) and told us he would do his best to avoid the situation.
Changes being pushed by Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition government would allow the executive branch to reverse decisions made by Israel's Supreme Court and undermine the country's system of democratic checks and balances.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets over
the past two months to demonstrate against the changes being sought by
Netanyahu's government, and the protests ramped up dramatically over the
weekend when the premier fired his defense chief for calling for a halt to the
planned judicial reforms.
Anyway, he started with Caesarea National Park. Caesarea was built by Herod the Great about 25 to 13 BC as the port city called “Caesarea Maritime.” It was built on the site of a Phoenician and Greek trade post known as Straton's Tower. The Phoenicians were maritime merchants of the ancient world.
It was named after the Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar the first Roman Emperor to declare himself a god and demand to be worshiped. A temple was built here to honor and worship Caesar Augustus as a god. Interestingly, Christ was born in this time period and was viewed as a competing God.
King Herod the Great was the one who had all the children
2 years and younger slaughtered in Bethlehem in his attempt to kill Christ. He
was a jealous king who feared losing his power and control.
Caesarea was the capital of Israel during the time of Christ
and the whole Roman occupation of Israel.
Today, it is an upscale beautifully landscaped town with a very nice golf course. At the end of the 1950s, the Rothschild family transferred the lands in Caesarea (approximately 30 square kilometers) to the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (Israel) and invited the State to become a partner in the Foundation.
We stopped at the remains of the Hadrianic aqueduct of Caesarea Maritima. We then got back in the vehicle to continue on to the Roman ruins.
Here he divided the 3 that were going to buy tickets for the ruins so they could get out easily and the rest of us got in the back. By the time we unfolded ourselves from the back seat and jumped to the ground since the car had no running boards, he takes off to buy the tickets.
Here is where we first experienced his "guiding style". The ruins were very well preserved and did come with nice plaques explaining them. (some areas have been restored) He did tell us the history of what we were going to see, but once we got to the ruins, he literally ran past them. We stopped to actually look at them and take some photos, but he kept hurrying us along. Every time we caught up, he took off running again. There was a "photo frame" for photo ops which he should have let us get our photos taken. I took Tom & Cathy's and he just stood way ahead of us acting annoyed that we stopped.
We think we can get some time on the way back past them, but he says he'll leave us at the exit and go retrieve the car. I got a token magnet, and we bought a diet Coke and some cookies as we had a very early breakfast, and we were starved.
We get in the vehicle which didn't get any easier to climb into that back seat and there was a plastic hump there that kept you from just sliding over so the other person could get in. There also was a huge plastic "shelf" on both sides that blocked the air vents in the back. So, when we complained, he feels the one behind him which of course is just fine.
We proceeded to Jaffa. which is the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv and is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the biblical stories of Jonah, Solomon and Saint Peter as well as the mythological story of Andromeda and Perseus.
Here we got out and did a short walk to see the seaside and to see the Tanner House. According to tradition, Simon the Tanner (leatherworker) hosted here Peter, Jesus’ Apostle, during his travels in the Land of Israel.
The New Testament says that Peter performed a miracle in Jaffa – the resurrection of Tabitha, a woman known for her virtue, with the words “Tabitha, rise” (Acts 9). During his stay at the home of Simon the Tanner, Peter dreamt a dream where he saw clean and unclean animals together. A heavenly voice told him to eat of the animals, and when he refused to eat the non-kosher animals, the voice told him: “What God has made clean, do not call common.” Peter interpreted the dream as divine sanction to spread Christianity not only among Jews but also among the pagan Romans, and he agreed to convert Cornelius, a Roman centurion in Caesarea. This marked a historical turning point in the process of transforming Christianity into a universal religion.
On the roof of the house, the British mandate constructed a lighthouse serving the ships entering the Jaffa Harbor. It was under construction today.
Again, he runs so far in front of us, we often don't know which way to go. We were back-tracking to the car so we knew where to go. I went ahead to get my token magnet, before he whisked us into the car. Here, he really got on my nerves. Greg got in first and has to navigate around the huge plastic thing on the floor to slide over and I'm waiting to get in. He starts demanding I get in. He shows me the handle to pull myself up. I have use of one arm so getting in and out of tight spaces is not easy. He said just do it. I said, Greg hasn't moved over yet, and I need to wait. What was the rush? He should have opened the door on both sides of the vehicle to make it easier, but half the time he forgot we were back there to lay the seats down in front of us to get in or out.
We then proceeded to the city of Tel Aviv passing through the Jaffa Gate and he pointed out some buildings, but of course they can't be seen from the car unless you are in the front seat. Sightseeing in a car that you can't see out well is worthless.
He asked if we wanted to keep touring or stop for lunch and it's almost 2:00 and we are starved.
We stopped at a mall that had a few different "fast" places to eat. Greg and I went for the Shawarma which was the best one I have ever eaten. It is the best "street food" to try in Israel. You could get it in traditional pita or in as a wrap (flat pita rolled) They spread hummus on it and then whatever else you wanted on it. We took them with everything. The meat seemed to be chicken or turkey instead of lamb which they cut off the spindle (like a Greek gyro) and piled that on top. Mine came with a deep-fried slice of eggplant and a falafel. OMG to die for. Nurman was name of restaurant.
The rest of the group went for hamburgers. Again, here is where the guide lost more points. We headed for the Shawarma place and when we split up, we were in front of tables and chairs in the mall that clearly was where you would sit and eat your food as it was not a sit-down restaurant. He explained that and we proceeded to the counter to order when he yells, "turn and look at me" as he again explained where we could sit to eat. Yikes!
After lunch we stopped for gelato that was very yummy. We had the dark chocolate that was sticky and gooey and very tasty. We also bought some chocolate bars to bring back to the ship.
If he didn't feel like we should visit Tel Aviv, he could have spent more time in the first 2 places or substituted something else.
Back at the port the trucks were lined up outside the container port as they had gone on strike as well. The government went on strike about 4:00 so there was no one at the port to check us back in for immigration and there were no linesmen. The ship was being fueled and that didn't finish until after 9:00p. All aboard was 7:30 and it was hours before all the tours returned. Even Jerusalem was impacted by the protests. Blocked roads so it took a long time to get everyone back. All I could think was I hope this guide doesn't do tours of Jerusalem or he would just run you through the narrow streets and you would miss everything. (or maybe if it was religion oriented, he would be more interested and take more time) It was like he took a dislike to us, but perhaps that is just his personality.
We shopped a bit at the small shop at the port and debated taking the ship's shuttle to Ashdod city center. We had too much stuff to drag with us and to go on the ship and get back off would have been a hassle, so we didn't.
We grabbed some food at the buffet and went to the early show with Balloon Artist Syan. (pronounced Shan) He was a Japanese man who had great presentation and some pretty incredible balloon creations, but in the end it's still just balloons. LOL It was hard to know when to applaud. Always interesting to see some different and interesting shows.
We have one sea day before Kusadasi, Turkey and Gytheon, Greece.
Caesarea, Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Israel https://photos.app.goo.gl/XJWp3hBD7aFcSDk17
Birds seen:
Common
Myna
Eurasian
Kestrel
Graceful
Prinia - NEW
Hooded
Crow
Laughing
Dove
Palestine
Sunbird
Pied
Kingfisher - NEW
Red-rumped
Swallow
Rose-ringed
Parakeet
Spur-winged
Lapwing
White-spectacled
Bulbul
Yellow-legged
Gull
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