This past Friday, I had lunch at a naval base on the coast of Israel. The base isn't open to the public, so the Mediterranean there is as pristine, as clear, as blue and turquoise and aquamarine as the Tel Aviv waters once were.

I swam out into the water, the sandy bottom just beyond my toes for a long way out. Even in deeper water, the bottom appeared mere inches away. A heard a swoop, and saw a seagull fly off, having passed mere inches above my head. He came back once more, with a friend, encouraging me to join my own species on shore before I got pecked! The other downside was the onset of the jellyfish season. We saw a few big ones hovering menacingly just beneath the surface. The smaller ones swam out of sight, leaving tiny stings on my legs and stomach.

It was an extremely hot day, so some of the guys put up a shelter on the beach. I stayed as much as possible out of the sun by the picnic tables nearby. There were about 15 families there and lots of young children to play with. It was sheer joy to watch the fathers caring tenderly for their children, taking them into the water, helping them navigate the buffet, showering them, and even dealing with some less pleasant crisis related to, em, certain human necessities.

There was an obscene amount of food, and the mass consumption of rare meat was the one aspect of the day that fit neatly into my preconceptions. After one huge gorging of steaks and kebabs and sausages (no forks necessary!), we all went for a swim. Stuffed, I was shocked when the guys lit up the fire again an hour later and started round two. Ori came over to me, dripping steak in hand, red juice trickling down his chin, and offered me a bite... (Uncle Chris, I think you would have been in heaven!) There was dessert, too - Ori's mom had hand made ice cream and brownies and chocolate mousse. It was, simply - a food orge.

The meal, however fabulous, was hardly the highlight of the day. After everyone cleared out, we headed out to explore the ancient ruins that remain securely protected from public grasp by the elaborate security forces of the base. Adorned with headlamps, sneakers, long pants and some water, we went into the depths of the crusader fortress. The fortress, erected in 1218 by the Knights Templer, truly defies description. It is in incredibly good condition. There is an elaborate system of underground, cavernous rooms. There is a long hall, somewhat reminiscent (and I apologize for what I am about to say) of the dining hall in Harry Potter. The complex of large gray stones stretches out into the sea, with systems of arches, towers and walls that protected the city that once stood along the shore.

We walked out towards the sea, into the dining chambers where the water crashed up against the outer walls. Light poured in from the long, arched windows at the end of the rooms. From there, we walked into rooms more hidden underground. The floor of the fortress was sandy (and flea-covered, we found out later!) We stuck close together to see in the dim beam of our headlamps. We heard the distinct squealing of bats and stayed far from one of the rooms where the din of their soanr navigation was deafening. We choose an alternate passageway and tunneled on until the site of the disease-carrying fleas beneath us was too terrifying for us to want to linger any longer.

We found a shelf of rock and coral barely covered by the water and sat watching the sunset amidst barnacles, crabs and a giant jellyfish.The water splashed against us and the sun shed changing hues of orange against the stone arches and walls that have stood guard to so many sunsets...


Very few people have had the incredible privilege and adventure of exploring this place. Lacking the tourist trap feeling of an archaeological dig, I couldn't help feeling that such sites might be better left untouched. There were no glass cases filled with artifacts, no hole covered in glass to show the layers of ancient construction over thousands of years. Perhaps the knowledge gained from such archaeological projects is fascinating and important. Still, I've always felt a bit tentative about museums and they're flagrant exploitation of the simple day-to-day life of ancient cultures...

For photos:
http://www.sitesandphotos.com/catalog/actions-show/id-389281.html