Well, I finally made it home to Canada. It took a while – in fact it took two years of living and working in Israel and Syria.
I jumped on a plane in Tel Aviv on the 28’th of July – fortunately for me there was an upgrade to business class in the wind as well. The one and only time I ever managed to get an upgrade. It made the trip home much more enjoyable.
I landed in Ottawa several hours late due to missing a connection in Toronto. However, just the fact that I was going home made the wait a “no prob” scenario. I was greeted by my wife with a Timmies coffee and two apple fritters. I was tired but they were good and made the nearly one hour and forty minute drive home all that much better.
After a couple of days at home I decided it was time to go and visit the folks at their home in Madoc. It was good to see them, as well as my sister and her family, but the highlight of the trip was some fishing and touring on Limerick Lake.
It all starts by driving to the Limerick Lake Lodge which is owned by George Offshack. He has been developing this lodge for some time now. As a boy he visited this lake often with his family and now he owns the lodge and the marina. There is a store there as well. But the treat for Dad is the covered boat slip he has the use of. It is the first slip inside and to the left as you walk out on the covered dock. Safe and secure, he leaves a lot of things in that boat with little fear of them disappearing.
And the best thing is? You never have to bail it out after a rain.
I had never met the owner until that day despite having communicated with him via email for a couple of things. A big man with a healthy hand shake – he is friendly and outgoing – and despite being an obviously busy man - he took some time out to chat with me while Dad got the boat ready.
We started out and hit a few smaller areas that run off the main lake – the water is clear, clean and cool. The traffic was sparse. Despite being close to a long weekend we saw less than 10 boats on the water all day.
From this area we trolled along the rocky cliffs and entered another little lake through a small creek.
Dad kept telling me there were fish to be had in the lake and here he is looking for that big one.
I did see a lot of shallower water as we passed through the passages into the lakes. The lily pads were in bloom and this is what they look like up close.
Because the fish were not cooperating, you can see that Dad was getting quite stressed. I had to tell him to settle down or he might have a heart attack! LOL
So we continued on. Here he is waiting for the big one to come and grab on.
And then ....... A strike!
It was difficult to take this picture because he was so embarrassed by the huge size of the fish! See how he is hiding his face. LOL!
However, I did get this pic from someone who shall remain nameless – Thanks George – I lifted it from your web site – Limerick Lake Lodge http://www.limericklodge.com/index.html
As you can see there has been at least one big fish come off the end of Dad’s fishing rod. And judging from the other pictures I found of him on the Limerick Lake Lodge web site, he has been successful more than a few times.
As with all good things we sooner or later had to head for shore. This is the approach to the lodge and marina.
This is the approach to Dad’s personal covered slip.
And here he is lined up to head in and tie up for the day – all in all a real nice day on the water.
We headed for home - he drove and I slept! Time zones are a killer and I still was out of whack with them. I was glad it was Dad doing the driving.
Last week I had family come to visit me in Israel. We had only one week. What to do, what to do?
They arrived from North America around lunch time and I picked them up at the airport using my special driver Michael. One thing I can tell you about the Middle East – if you can find and befriend a trustworthy driver – you are steps ahead of anyone else. Michael has been my personal driver for two years and I cannot say enough about him and what he has done for me.
So I grabbed a hotel in Tel Aviv – a nice little boutique place called the Abratel Hotel just off the beach on a small side street. It was at best a one minute walk from the front door of the hotel to the beach. We arrived at the hotel and dropped off all their gear. I told Michael he could leave us until the next day. Then I took them to the beach.
Now the beach in Tel Aviv is famous for a lot of things, great sand, warm water, a vibrant life and so on. But I always use it to decompress travelers from North America. The beach also has several great outdoor paces to sit and eat a meal or drink something. I take folks there to keep them awake for a few extra hours. If I can keep them up until 17-1800 hours they will find it easier to adjust to the time zones. I managed to keep these two awake until around 1900 hours on the beach. It was off to bed for them!
The next day we ran off to the north along the coastal highway to Haifa and Rosh Hanikra. Along the way we stopped and visited the Baha’i gardens and the grotto. The weather was clear and quite warm. On the way back we stopped at Acre and took some time to walk the ancient stone walls along the coastal waters. We then made a short stop at Caesarea, A unique city that was fortified by Louis IX in 1251. After a relatively long day we headed back to the hotel for a well deserved rest.
Always on guard.
Navy museum in Haifa.
Overlooking Haifa.
A Roman aqueduct along the Mediterranean coast line.
Rosh Hanikra grotto near the crossing into Lebanon.
The sea wall and street in Acre.
Some ruins in the fortified part of Caeasarea.
The next day we drove to Jerusalem – one of the finest historical cities in the Middle East. We stayed at the American Colony Hotel. A place that some would say is the finest hotel in the city. I would not disagree. Driving into the hotel we were greeted by an exceptionally welcoming staff and a nice cool drink. Our rooms were not quite ready as we had showed up a bit early so the staff took charge of our luggage and we walked to the Old City for a relaxing afternoon of touring on foot.
Damascus Gate and Old City walls.
The Old City was quiet that day and we walked through the various alley ways and did a little shopping, visited the Church of the Sepulchre and took a thousand pictures of almost everything imaginable. It was beginning to be a long day and the heat was starting to get to us so rather than walk back to the hotel, we took a taxi.
Arriving at the reception desk we discovered our bags had been taken to our rooms, the air conditioners had been turned on it the rooms and we suddenly were quite ready for a shower and a meal. So after agreeing upon a time to meet in the lobby we all had showers and changed our clothes for supper. After a late might and several beers, plus a wonderful meal, bed was calling. We had an early start the next day.
Masada - overlooking Herod's Summer Palace. The little square in the distance is one of the Roman encampments from the seige of Masada.
View from the top of Masada.
Over the next few days we visited Masada, The Dead Sea, En Gedi, The Old City, Bethlehem, City of Davis and Hezekiah’s Tunnel – an amazing engineering feat from nearly three thousand years ago. It is only fair though to relate a couple highlights that made our Jerusalem very enjoyable.
First was the hotel. This hotel is as gracious in its initial appearance to the traveller as it is well kept in its historical manner. From the web site:
A landmark fairytale get-away in the heart of Jerusalem, Israel, The American Colony Hotel has been providing its luxurious hospitality services for more than 120 years. Personified by classic Arabian arches, elaborate furnishing and opulent suites, this elegant boutique hotel prides itself in offering guests an enchanting ‘East-meets-West’ experience in a distinctively tranquil and romantic setting.
The design, layout and attractive appearance make it a delight to visit and a wonderful place to stay. We enjoyed our 5 night stay here and would highly recommend it to anyone who visited Jerusalem as the best place to stay due to all of the above and the staff who are highly trained, very professional and very friendly. If you ever need anything they know how to get it for you. One can spend the entire day simply taking in the history, the feel and the luxury of the hotel.
Finally, and in this case most importantly – Ibrahim’s Summer Bar. This small restaurant is located just across the entrance drive from the main lobby and in a very quiet and intimate location on the hotel grounds. Staffed by a competent and friendly group of waiters who certainly know what the word service is, this is THE place to eat during the warm weather.
The menu covers all the basics and has a few special delights we were happy to sample. Be sure to ask for the special of the evening. It got to the point where we did not even look at the menu as the chefs, who run a wonderful barbeque, worked their magic every night we ate there. They know how to prepare everything so well; it was obvious they had been doing this type of work for many years.
The food was well presented and best of all - tasted great!
Just a few steps away is a fully equipped Gazebo Bar with excellent service and a huge variety of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages.
The cleanliness of the area we ate in was of the highest standard. The flower gardens and the manicured grass – along with the mature trees, the wonderful food, and the friendly and very competent serving staff all combined to make this part of our stay one of the true highlights.
On our last night we were treated to a special desert as we had come to think of this place as our home away from home. I made a point of shaking the hands of the staff in the Summer Bar before we departed as they had obviously gone to great extent to make us feel so welcome.
Below is the man who runs the show. Mr. Ibrahim Zaghari - Chef de Bar
This place carries his name so he is very particular how things go - they must be perfect! His thirty plus years of experience certainly showed when a large group of businessmen showed up on our third night at the hotel. His friendly countenance and his organizational skills shone through as he made everyone feel exceedingly welcome. He is definitely the reason this restaurant is so successful.
Ibrahim during one of his very few moments of quiet time while looking after the entire operation and the large number of clients that showed up on this night.
If you are in Jerusalem, you must visit this hotel. You will truly enjoy the experience. And be sure to tell Ibrahim I said hello!
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This past week has been quite busy with student crossings as they come home to the Golan Heights from Syria for the summer break.
It is a somewhat complex return as the students traveling from Syria to the Golan Heights are residents of the northern Golan Heights towns and villages who have been away at school.
They need to be inspected by the Syrians as they leave, confirmed to be who they are by the Red Cross, and then accepted back into the Golan by the IDF and Israeli Customs.
Departing Syria.
The entire operation is arranged by the Red Cross as the international intermediary and monitored by the SSAD on the Syrian side, the UN as the students cross through the central gate and the IDF as they enter the Golan.
Approaching the UN gate.
Passing through the UN gate.
Through the UN gate and approaching the Israeli gate.
The entire operation is carried out with a calm and orderly air. Under the watchful eye of UN personnel in the nearby tower.
I watched the IDF officers carry heavy bags for the female students as they returned. Both sides had water and shade available for the students as they waited their turns to clear through the various check point.
Finally they are all cleared and have returned – so on the bus and away they go – back to family for their summer vacation.
The City of Hippos – also known as Susita – was founded on the hill overlooking the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee during the Hellenistic period in the second century BCE. The first residents of the city were probably pagans who later converted to Christianity. This site was shared by a small Jewish community.
The view from the bottom looking up at Susita.
The trail to the eastern gate of Susita - narrow and defendable.
In modern times of conflict it was made even more defendable by the addition of wire and mines.
Most of the ruins today visible today date to the Roman and Byzantine periods – first to seventh century BCE. They include a city gate, a main colonnaded street, a defence wall and fortified towers, a sophisticated water supply system, a main square or forum, a reservoir, a sanctuary, several churches, a baptistery and other buildings.
Water lines carved from stone. Some of these water lines were 15 or more kilometres long. A lot of work with not many resources. A very determined crowd of people.
The ruins of Hippos are of the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad periods. The site is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in the North of Israel.
The main street runs east and west. It is a very smooth and polished street when you see it up close.
This side street runs north and south and appears to go past an area of shops.
The mountain of Susita is detached from the south-western slopes of the Golan Heights, is rectangular in shape, and rises to a height of 144 meters above sea level. The highest point of the mountain is on its eastern side, from which the surface gradually slopes downward towards the west.
The northern slopes of the mountain are especially steep, along which flows the "En Gev stream in a deep, inaccessible channel. The southern slope is slightly more moderate than the northern one, with the Susita stream flowing at its foot. The slope on the west descends very steeply towards the sea, and it is only on the eastern side that the saddle ridge allows for an easy ascent of the mountain. The city stored water in gigantic underground cisterns.
This cistern is easily 25 - 30 feet deep and we could not see the far end of it. The top of the cistern is approximately 10 feet underground.
In the past, as today, it is possible to climb Susita Mountain by two routes. The western route winds along a snake-like road on the steep and rocky slope. In comparison, the route leading to the mountain from the east is a gradual and easy climb. At the top of Susita Mountain there is a fairly flat plateau that slopes gradually downward from east to west. This plateau was eminently suitable for building a city.
The city of Susita-Hippos was surrounded by a solid wall built of basalt ashlars. Except for a few sections that collapsed into the valleys around the mountain, the course of the city wall is distinctly visible on the surface. The builders of the city wall made a real effort to mount it exactly on top of the line of cliffs surrounding the mountain's edge. In most cases, the first course of ashlars was laid directly upon the levelled rock surface, and in those places where the rock surface did not allow for this, a foundation of rubble mixed with binding material was prepared as a base.
The city appears to have been destroyed by an earthquake around 749 CE and was never resettled.
These columns lay as they fell centuries ago. I believe the red granite columns were imported from somewhere else - a feat in itself in those days.
New excavation in an ongoing project.
Because it was never reoccupied, Susita-Hippos is unique compared with many other ancient cities, such as Jerusalem, Caesarea, Beth Shean, or Gerasa, in that its Roman-Byzantine urban character has been preserved. Moreover, since the mountain of Susita and the surrounding area are considered a national park, no buildings have been erected on it and its natural features have remained unaltered. Even the agricultural hinterland of Susita, the road network, the aqueducts, and the two cemeteries nearby are untouched by any modem development.
As we departed it was easy to see how the gates were defendable as the enemy approached up the narrow trail from the east.
During the Israeli war of independence in 1948, members of Kibbutz En Gev took control of Susita. It served as a front line military command post until the Six Day War in 1967.
It started out to be a decent weekend. A few friends were going to get together and we all had a plan to go to the beach.
Then a supervisor from the main HQ decided to take a personal dislike to a member of the team and throw a bit of a wrench into the plans. International organizations are always an interesting experience and it is not always love and roses behind door number one, two or three. There is a lot more dissention that goes on behind the scenes than many would realize. He decided we should not be allowed to take a vehicle that weekend. So, the beach was cancelled, the supervisor earned a bit less respect for being vindictive over a minor issue and we were grounded with no wheels.
I decided that was not going to happen. However, rather than have a full blown mutiny, I went through a back door I developed a few months ago and found us another set of wheels to use. Unfortunately we were not able to keep the vehicle as long as it was needed for the initial plan – so we decided to stick close to home and do the religious tour of the Sea of Galilee. Two of the gang decided to stay home instead of come along - so I took my colleague from Austria and off we went.
The first stop was just outside Tiberias when we stopped to visit Tabgha. This is the location where Jesus is supposed to have fed the masses with bread and fish. There have been several churches built upon this site. And eventually they have all been destroyed by some means or another. Fire, earthquake, crusades and so on – they all took their toll.
Christian tradition has localized three important gospel events. The Sermon on the Mount, the multiplication of loaves of bread and fishes and the third apparition of the Risen Lord where he commissioned Peter to “Feed my lambs ... look after my sheep
This is the present church standing on the site today.
And this is the altar built over the rock Jesus shared his fish and bread from
I took this pic from the back of the room – the church is small but it is attractive. Thousands of tourists visit this place every year.
Outside is what remains of a very well preserved olive press.
Just down the road and basically on the same site is a small chapel called Peters Primacy
Sometime around 381, the Spanish pilgrim Egeria visited the area and reported that next to the Church of the Loaves and Fishes are some stone steps where the Lord stood.
Egeria does not mention a church here, but one was built on the site by the end of the 4th century. It was roughly the same size and shape as the original Church of the Loaves and Fishes and its east end enclosed a flat rock identified as the table on which Jesus offered breakfast to the disciples (John 21:9).
In the 9th century, the church is referred to as the Place of the Coals. By this time (first mentioned 808 AD), the Twelve Thrones had been placed along the shore to commemorate the Twelve Apostles. The church survived longer than any other church in the area, and was finally destroyed in 1263. The present Franciscan chapel was built on the site in 1933.
Church interior with Mensa Christi
From here we headed down the road to this picturesque Orthodox Church at Capernaum. The church is built on the ruins of Kfar Nahum. Around the church the remains of the village have yet to be excavated. The church takes up about one third of the ruins and the entire are of ruins is about 60 dunams or 15 acres.
The inside of the church is covered in icons and art work. The altar is finished in gold and silver.
The gardens are well tended and grapes are in season. There is enough food in the gardens to support a large population.
The yards are well tended and the trees in the gardens are healthy, old and very large, The branches have all been trained and trimmed to provide a low and solid shade cover to the pilgrims.
From here we visited the village of Capernaum where Jesus is said to have lived. There are large areas that are undergoing excavation at this time.
Capernaum is an ancient fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It is home to a celebrated Byzantine-era synagogue as well as the house where Jesus healed a paralytic and St. Peter's mother-in-law.
In the Bible Capernaum is frequently mentioned in the Gospels and was Jesus' main base during his Galilean ministry. It is referred to as Jesus' "own city" (Mt 9:1; Mk 2:1) and a place where he lived (Mt 1:13). He probably chose it simply because it was the home of his first converts, Peter and Andrew.
Now predominantly an archaeological park, Capernaum was originally a fishing village inhabited continuously from the 1st century BC to the 13th century AD. As the first town encountered by travelers on the other side of the Jordan, it was equipped with a customs office and a small garrison overseen by a centurion.
Capernaum was a Jewish village in the time of the Christ. Christian presence is attested early in Capernaum and the village was predominantly Christian by the 4th century AD. Rabbinic texts from the 4th century imply considerable tension between the Jewish and Christian communities of the town.
The synagogue of Capernaum is located just inland from the shore with its facade facing Jerusalem. It has been difficult to date, with scholarly opinion ranging from the 2nd to 5th centuries. It stands on an elevated position, was richly decorated and was built of imported white limestone, which would have contrasted dramatically with the local black basalt of the rest of the village. All of this would have given the building great beauty and status.
The day was getting long and we had to leave for supper at the Kinneret but we made one last rush trip up the hill to the Church of the Beatitudes.
Located on a small hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee near Tabgha, the Mount of Beatitudes is the traditional site of Jesus' delivery of the Sermon on the Mount, probably the most famous sermon of all time. Pilgrims have been drawn to this scenic place since at least the 4th century.
The interior is quite small but well appointed.
The chief attraction here, though, is the setting. The cool and quiet gardens overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the landscape where Jesus conducted his ministry make an excellent place to contemplate some of the best-known Christian teachings. As you can see the views are outstanding.
We ran out of time to continue on from here – so returned to Tiberias and an awaiting supper.
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