Tel Aviv, Caesarea and Tiberias

Our flight aboard El Al arrived into Tel Aviv at about 1:00 a.m. this morning. We were blessed to make it through customs very quickly and were settled into our hotel by 2:00. Our room was very comfortable and quiet, so we fell asleep quickly. The typical Israeli breakfast - lots of salads, fresh fruit juices, whole grain breads and eggs - served by our hotel this morning was absolutely delicious, as most everything served was locally grown or produced.

After breakfast, we headed to the car rental place, where we rented a car for the week, and were off on our adventure. The roads in Israel are very nice, well-paved, clearly marked and for the most part free of too much traffic. Jerry has driven in many different countries and always seems to pick up on traffic rules and customs pretty quickly.

After about an hour or so, we found our way to Caesarea, an ancient port city that was renamed Caesarea by Herod in honor of the emperor. In 22 B.C., Herod began construction of an artificial harbor and built many public buildings.

Remains of the artificial harbor.

Old Byzantine church.

Ruins.






This picture is for my sister - it's an inside joke.

After leaving Caesarea, we headed to Tiberias, where we'll be staying for a few days. Because it's winter here, it gets dark around 5:00 p.m.; thus, we'll have to wait until tomorrow to get a good look at the Sea of Galilee. As our hotel's right on the coast, though, we can hear the sound of the waves out our window.