Caesarea, "hum-seen," and thoughts about home

The hardest part of blogging is this part - the beginning. I feel like I need to come up with a proper introduction, but then that makes me feel like I'm writing a paper. However, it feels too abrupt to just jump into what I want to write about, and an opening sentence like "Yesterday I went to Caesarea" seems a little lame.


However, because I don't have the creative energy to produce a beginning sentence with more flair...we went to Caesarea yesterday, and it was wonderful!

But first, a brief synopsis of the last week is in order. Daniel's parents were here until early Sunday morning, and we had a great time together playing Phase 10, watching home videos, and eating lots of chocolate. Because I was still volunteering at the hotel and Daniel is still busy with school we had to squeeze in time together in the evenings. On Shabbat, though, we spent the afternoon at a lovely beach a little bit north of Netanya; it was really great to get to hang out and relax and spend some good together.


My last day volunteering at the hotel was Sunday, and although I really did enjoy the work there, I'm looking forward to having a free schedule for the last couple of weeks here. Daniel and I have a few fun adventures planned, and yesterday in Caesarea was a great way to kick off this time. 

At the top of the amphitheater-it's the oldest theater in Israel.
It was a super windy day, and I apologize for my hair.

Standing at the southern end of the coastal area of
Caesarea and looking north.

Caesarea has a ton of history - it was originally founded by the Phoenicians as a village sometime between 500-300 BC, and was conquered by the Romans and awarded to Herod in 30 BC. He built a port, and put a lot of money into planning and building up the city. Later, Caesarea was taken over by the Byzantines, then conquered by the Arabs in 640 AD. The Crusaders took it over in 1101, then the Mamelukes won the city in 1265, and proceeded to destroy things so completely that the city was deserted until the 19th century, when it was re-settled with Bosnian refugees by Ottoman authorities. 


The ruins are awesome, and it's pretty incredible to be walking in a place that was around when Jesus was on earth. Caesarea is where Gentile believers were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time (Acts 10-11), and this is also where Paul was held and tried before being sent off to Rome (Acts 25-27). But you can read about all those things in other places - here are some more pictures.

Daniel in the Herodian amphitheater, where
horse races were held during Roman times.

In one of the gates leading into the
amphitheater.

Looking out at the Mediterranean from
a street leading up to the bathhouse.

The public bathhouse, which was built after
Herod's amphitheater was no longer being used.

Walking down one of the streets that
still has the original stones.

After we explored Caesarea for a few hours, we had a great dinner at a sushi restaurant on the harbor, then headed north to watch the sunset from the Aquaduct. Caesarea has no rivers or springs, so water had to be brought in from other sources via this aquaduct during Roman and Byzantine times. It blows my mind that they were able to construct this and that it's still standing. Pretty incredible.

We are getting spoiled with having so many incredible days. As with all the other adventures we've had so far, I wouldn't change a thing - the day was about as perfect as it could be.

Today I'm being lazy, because we're in the middle of having what's called "Khamsin," (which is pronounced like "hum-seen"), a dry, dusty desert wind that makes it really, really hot. I attempted to explore some new areas of Netanya, but after walking around for a while I was almost dripping with sweat. It literally feels like the air is pressing in on you, and the dust is so thick that it looks like the sky is cloudy. So, I'm sitting on my bed and moving as little as possible.

I have 9 days left here. As much as I don't want to think about leaving, it's unavoidable that my thoughts are drifting toward that more and more. I fly back to Utah on June 8, and on June 18 I start grad school in Spokane. I spent yesterday touring ruins from over 2000 years ago; today I ordered textbooks. And even though it makes my stomach hurt to think about leaving, I can't deny that I am really, really excited for many things that await me when I get back to the States. There are so many people that I'm excited to see, and I'm really looking forward to starting school and putting some serious energy into my studies. I get to live with my dear friend Kathryn, and we're going to grow herbs and bake bread and watch Chuck and get library cards and join the YMCA. Is it strange for me to be thinking of and excited for these things? They seem so...trivial. But I'm excited for other more meaningful things too - being in community with friends, living so near to many dear Compees and youth group kids, and having valued mentors to process life with regularly. So, life is good. I am happy and content where I am, and I'm looking forward to what's coming next.