The Flip Side to Mark's Peaceful Co-existence

It's disarming, to say the least, and without any pun intended, to visit a popular and beautiful attraction, only to exit the site a block away from a chain link fence, an armed guard, and a border that is completely closed.  Yet that is exactly what you'd find about 50 yards to the left of Rochelle and Jonah in the photo below.

What an incredible contrast: the cable car at Rosh Hanikra took us down to explore the natural grottos and experience the crashing Mediterranean waves against the caves. The street exit up top laid bare for us the bitter conflict still raging with Lebanon.

Thankfully, the contrast on this day leaned heavily toward adventure.  At Caesarea, we staged our own chariot races in the Hippodrome, and in the theater (not an amphitheater) also staged the next number for the Temple Israel Players (DVD release may come shortly).  We sloshed through the 2,000 year old underground water tunnels at Park Alona -- way more cooler in every way than any water park.  And from Mount Carmel, we took in the spectacular views of Haifa -- a city famous for the peaceful co-existence Mark writes about in his blog below below....

-- Ron Klempner