Chapter 2

After an exhausting twelve and a half hour flight, Peter finally exited the plane and headed for the baggage claim where he would meet his guide. He continued around all of the people gathering around the baggage carousel and toward a group of men holding signs. Spotting his name, Peter approached an athletic looking man in his late forties.

“Hi, I’m Peter.”

“Hi, welcome to Israel. My name is David Navot; I’ll be your guide for the next week as we tour the Holy Lands. Is that all of your luggage?”

“Yes, I was told to travel light.”

“Good, let’s get started; this way to my car.”

Twenty minutes later, they were in David’s car, a small SUV, driving in traffic heading north.

“Here’s a map,” David said handing it to Peter. “I’ve highlighted our route for the day. Our first stop is at the ruins of Caesarea. We’ll head north and then turn left towards the coast.”

Peter studied the map noting that State of Israel was about the same size as the state of New Jersey. As they drove they told each other a little bit about themselves. Peter explained that he had graduated college and was currently on leave from the seminary.

“David, tell me about yourself.”

“I have a degree in Archaeology, I served three years in the military as all Israeli men do, and I’ve been a guide for about fifteen years.”

“Are you married, do you have any children?”

“Yes, I was married. I lost my wife to cancer about seven years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you; she was a good woman. Anyway, I have three children. My oldest daughter, Rimona, is twenty-eight, married, and lives in Tel Aviv. My son, Eli is twenty-six; he also lives in Tel Aviv, and is in software design for the government. And finally, my little girl, Dina, is twenty-three and lives with me.”

The work traffic eventually thinned out as they continued north, along the coast, reaching the town of Caesarea. They traveled through several residential quarters and then entered a recreational area. David turned down a road lined on both sides with tall bushes and date palm trees. When they emerged from the road-side vegetation, they were greeted by a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea and a long wall with a series of arches at its base.

David parked the car and they walked across the sand towards the structure.

“These are the ruins of an aqueduct built by the Roman Army, which occupied this land over two thousand years ago. It carried water from the mountains ten miles from here to the port city of Caesarea.”

Peter examined the structure and was amazed to discover that it consisted of two walls built side by side, made entirely of cut stone, held together by its own weight. The only mortar appeared to be that used by modern engineers to preserve several areas that were in danger of collapsing.

He continued to walk across the sand until he reached the shoreline. He kicked off his sneakers, rolled up his pants and entered the sea. It was his first time in the Mediterranean. After a few moments he returned to where David was standing; they read a passage from the Old Testament and returned to the car.

“Our next destination is the port city of Haifa. We’ll spend a couple of hours touring the city, stop for lunch, and then head to the hotel.”