36 » OpenRoad Driver
A church atop Acre’s seawall remains in honour of
St. John the Baptist, a prophet revered by Israel’s four
major religions.
the Sea of Galilee where Jesus lived and
preached, and see His baptism site on the
River Jordan. Instead, our route passes
Haifa’s refinery, sprawling chemical
plants, and takes us along the dry desolate
coastline. A large plantation emerges
surprisingly below a hill. “Kibbutzniks
genetically engineered those bananas
to resist root nematodes,” Lem notes.
“Using white netting and drip irrigation to
decrease water loss, they’ve created a very
successful enterprise!”
Our investigations of Caesarea begin
at the reconstructed amphitheatre.
“A cosmopolitan population enjoyed
performances here,” Lem recounts. “Of
course, Rabbis forbade congregations
to attend such pagan activities.” On a
nearby limestone block, inscriptions show
Pontius Pilate paying tribute to Emperor
Tiberius. We discover that outside Biblical
references, this is the only existing evidence
of the Roman prefect who ordered Jesus’
death.
On a rocky point beyond, reassembled
foundations and marble columns outline
Herod’s Palace. Below, bathing pools
carved into rock ledges border cobalt blue
Mediterranean waters. Here we learn
how King Herod developed this strategic
seaport and dedicated it to Emperor
Augustus.
Images of chariot racers and cheering
toga-clad spectators rush forward as we
stroll through the Hippodrome’s extensive
ruins. Ahead, red brick bathhouses feature
sophisticated clay plumbing, pools with
stone benches and dramatic black