Park Taninim / Crocodile Park - Of handbags, Romans and wildlife.......

Drive along Route 2 heading north from Netanya and you will see – and probably drive straight past –one of Israel’s most fascinating and delightful national parks, Park Taninim.  Taninim in Hebrew means crocodiles and up to the early part of the 20th century Nile crocodiles, fresh water crocodiles, could still be spotted in the Kabara river (more of a big stream, really) that feeds the nature reserve. Of course, human nature being what it is, the last one was seen in 1907 – and promptly shot!

The Romans, of course, realised the benefits of plentiful fresh water in the Kabara valley and designed various methods by which to channel this water to the citizens of Caesarea, nearly five kilometers (3 miles) away. Whilst renovating the nature reserve preserve, excavators discovered a dam, which utilised three wooden floodgates to elevate the water, and control its flow through ground level aqueducts, chiseled out of stone by Roman crafstmen. The 200 metre long dam created a reservoir of 6000 dunams (about 2500 acres/ 1000 ha), creating a large lake in the Kabara  valley with a virtually unlimited supply of fresh water fed by the stream, springs and runoff from the nearby Carmel mountains. As ever, the brilliant Roman engineering solution was very well constructed and a rebuilt version can be seen there today, as can the rebuilt Byzantine era waterwheel for the flour mill which used the power of the dammed river.

Today, the banks of the river and surrounding wetlands provide any visitor with the sight and sounds from herons, cormorants and storks who feed in the nearby fishponds! Park Taninim is excellent for visitors of any age, with easy walks, bridges and dams to explore and birds and fish to view:  a wonderful combination of archeology and a peaceful natural setting (well, if you block out the background traffic sounds from  Route 2) which can be easily explored by foot in about an hour. It’s a little gem!

Although you drive past it on Route 2, the entrance to the reserve is actually from the old Haifa-Tel Aviv road (Route 4) crossing the bridge over the coastal highway westward toward Bet Hananya on Route 6531.

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Ein Hod Artists’ Village. An Artists Life for them.

The War of Independence left many areas of Israel abandoned and in ruins. One such was the beautiful hillside, Ein Hod, just inland from Atlit, south of Haifa, although the area had assumed far greater significance in the thirteenth century, when the great Sultan Baybars defeated the advancing Mongol armies there.

In the nineteen fifties, a group of artists decided that here they could work, build studios and workshops and live in a creative and educational environment for their art.     

They were led by the Dadaist Marcel Janco, whose museum now forms a centrepiece of the village. Their community government system has been preserved until today and you can really understand the effects of it as you wander round the village.

Whilst summer is certainly the busiest time for the village, with live music, open air shows and other activities, there are always galleries and studios to visit throughout the year - but many seemed to be closed mid week when I visited. The old crusader and Turkish building forms have been retained in the homes, studios and the other buildings in the village.  If you are interested in fine art, print, ceramics, stained glass, sculpture or bronze castings, or even just the spectacular views from the village towards the sea, then a trip to Ein Hod is a ‘must do’ for you.

Ein Hod can be reached from Route 4 north of Zichron Yaakov and south of Bet Oren.  Driving on Route 2 will require you to turn off at the Atlit/Bet Oren junction and follow the signs onto Route 7111.
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See and Essene Qumran

A visit to the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem is always worth a trip, but for a real understanding of the people who wrote the scrolls and how they lived, you really should take a trip to Qumran, on the edge of the Dead Sea.

There had been small settlements in the desert regions of Qumran during the Israelite period, until the Babylonian conquest. But in the second century BCE a Jewish sect called the Essenes moved to the area, according to many historians. They led communal lives, and practiced an ascetic life as they waited for the Messiah. It was destroyed in 31 BCE by an earthquake and was rebuilt about 4BCE.  The Romans destroyed it in  68CE and made use of the site as a military fortress, as it had a commanding view over the northern section of the Dead Sea.

 The site was eventually abandoned about two thousand years ago.  In 1947 a young Bedouin boy who was chasing after a goat entered a cave.  Here he discovered jars containing scrolls which scholars date all the way back to the Essenes.  The famous work by Proessor Yigal Yadin did much to bring Essene culture and beliefs to light, but there is certainly more to be learned.

The scrolls give an excellent picture of life in the community, which is augmented by archeological finds.  Excavations at Qumran have uncovered the mikvaot, 'scriptoria' (rooms used by scribes who wrote the scrolls), the refectory 9 communal eating seemed to be a feature of Essene life) and other public buildings. Of course, there are now archaeologists who think that the whole premise is false and the site was really a seasonal wool working industrial location, but that would just spoil the entire story, wouldn't it?

You can visit the fascinating site , which is located very close the northern end of the Dead Sea on Route 90.

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Even when it's cold it's hot at Hammat Gader

Hammat Gader must be one of the most unusual of sites in a country which, you will readily agree, is not short of unusual sites! You can swim here in the hot outdoor pools in the depths of winter with snow falling on mount Hermon, just 60 km (37 miles) to the north. Situated at the southern tip of the Golan region, Hamat Gader, along with Tiberias, was a premier resort in Roman times. First mentioned as a Greek city in about 200BCE, it was captured by the Hasmonean king Alexander Yannai, eventually forming one of the ten Decapolis cities, with a type of semi-autonomy under the Romans. The Romans built an extensive network of buildings at the site, incorporating both hot and cold mineral pools for their patrons' pleasure. When asked 'what did the Romans ever do for us?' we can now all give the right answer! One of the most famous visitors and, we assume, regular bathers, was Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, the codefier of the Mishna. Keen to know that their ablutions and exercise were 'under rabbinic supervision', the hot springs became very popular with other scholars and residents. Most of the Roman buildings have been excavated and partially restored and a modern mineral spring resort has been built on the site. The modern site now blends the soothing comforts of the geothermal mineral pools with fascinating Roman excavations and architecture. By the way, when we say hot, I really mean HOT. With water temperatures ranging between 40 - 52 degrees Celsius, well over body temperature, you may want to take medical advice before swimming.

 The alligators, introduced some years ago as a tourist attraction, however, do not seem to have a problem. Don't worry. - they live in different pools! 
 Hammat Gader is well signposted off Route 7599. Turn right at Tzomet Hammat Gader on Route98, which runs along the Jordanian border at that point.


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White City -on- Sea - Bauhaus Tel Aviv

Berlin in the 1920's was the powerhouse for a radical new movement in architecture.  The driving force was a group of Jewish architects who worked at the 'Bauhaus' and it is this name which gave rise to the movement.  During the 1920's and 1930's, as they wisely left Germany for what was then Palestine, Tel Aviv - literally overnight - adopted their style to define the character of the new "Jewish" city on the Mediterranean.  By the mid-1930's it was the only city on earth being built entirely in the International Style - its simple concrete curves, boxy shapes, small windows set in large walls, glass-brick towers and sweeping terraces all washed with white.  Viewed from the air, Tel Aviv appeared as a vision of startling white, hence the name, "White City."  UNESCO, which once voted to equate Zionism with racism, recently designated the "White City" a World Heritage Site. 

Almost every Bauhaus building in Tel Aviv is an architectural landmark - a delight for visitors, if sometimes a nightmare for owners.  Sadly, many are in disrepair, but the municipality gives generous subsidies for restorations. Hundreds of "White City" buildings have been restored in recent years, many becoming flats, offices, private houses, restaurants and hotels.  One of the loveliest restorations is that of the former Esther Cinema in Dizengoff Circle, reborn as the "boutique" Cinema Hotel, retaining its sweeping staircases, tall windows and curving walls, plus dozens of design details that recall its heritage.

Dizengoff Circle is at the junction of Dizengoff and Reines streets.

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Baram. Queen Esther's burial site.....or not? -

 Bar'am ( formerly Bir'im) was once a Maronite border village which was almost entirely destroyed in the War of Independence. What remains today are just the remnants of churches, synagogues… and a strange story. There are several traditions which claim that Queen Esther is buried there. An anonymous student of Nachmanides wrote in the fourteenth century "Near there is Queen Esther. The mouth of the cave is at the top and a large stone covers its mouth." That's it: no more proof, but that seemed enough to those who wanted to believe it.  There is even a painting, dated 1536, which claims to show the gravestone with a tree besides it. Other traditions hold that the site is the burial place of the Prophet Ovadiah. Who knows, perhaps they shared a plot?

So impressed were explorers to the area in the nineteenth century that they removed the finely carved lintel to 'Ovadiah's Synagogue' and it can now be found in the Louvre, in Paris!

The other synagogue has gained a reputation as one of the finest in Israel, dating from the third century CE. The synagogue faces south, of course, towards Jerusalem and the dedication inscription states, in Aramaic, that its building was sponsored by "the son of Eliezer ben Yodan", clearly a wealthy but perhaps not very modest fellow. You can easily imagine the roof being held up by the rows of columns, although there may have been a second storey - a ladies gallery perhaps! Here you get a real sense of communal worship in Israel eighteen hundred years ago.

 You can find Bar'am by taking Route 89 west from Tzefat and turning right onto Route 899 after 15 km at Tzomet Hiram.
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The Alexander River National Park for a total turtle experience.

Most rivers which empty into the Mediterranean in Israel are either dry in summer, or have had most of the sweet water extracted from them. One of the few exceptions to this is the Alexander River and this has allowed it to become one of Israel's newest National Parks. Sited on the northern bank of the river at its mouth, you will find eucalyptus groves and pleasant picnic areas.

If you are keen on wildlife, you will not want to miss the soft-shelled turtles, which can grow up to 1.2 metres (over 4 ft) in length and weigh 50 kg (8 stones). On the small hill in the park the ruins of an ancient customs house can be seen: probably where taxes were paid as goods were brought down to the coast on rafts. In Springtime the hill is carpeted with wild flowers.

Close by you will find the Bet Yannai coastal area and this is also worth a detour. North of the beach can still be seen the remains of a quay built in 1938 during the mandate period. It was ostensibly constructed to unload fertiliser for the neighbouring orchards and orange groves. In truth, it was actually built to allow clandestine Jewish immigrants to land at night in some degree of safety.

As the park is still new, access can be a little challenging. You should turn west at the Kfar Vitkin junction on Route 2 between Netanya and Hadera, driving over the bridge and carefully turning right off the road, as there is not yet an official turnoff. Indicate you're turning right as early as possible, as other drivers behind you might not know what you intend to do!

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