King Herod had a Wicked Pool

Last week we actually managed to get out a little more than we had in our first week back from the honeymoon. With energy fully recovered, we did a little travelling around.

On Monday, we spent some time at home because Rieta (Shar's piano teacher) and Yuri came in the evening for a little bit of food. Listening to them talk is always interesting, because there are some words in Hebrew that overlap with Arabic and sometimes I can understand a little. That being said, mostly I have no idea what's going on. :)

On Tuesday, we decided to set out to nearby Caesarea and check out some ancient ruins. It was actually a pretty cool place with a very interesting history - it's changed hands so many times, and everyone who lived there left a little something behind. There are ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the Roman Empire, a massive octagonal church from the time of Constantine, and a still standing mosque from one of the Muslim periods (I don't remember which, there were two). Here are some of the things we saw:

Some of the ruins were converted into shops and restaurants - how do you guys feel about this? I was a little intrigued but also kinda disappointed.

Roman temple ruins:

The beach front - the water was A LOT calmer here than in Haifa because of the bit of a breakwater that's left from the ruins:

King Herod's pool. As Shar put it - the inventor of the infinity pool:

This stone was a dedication to Pontius Pilate. Totally weird:

Standing in front of the Roman Forum where chariot races, and later gladiator fights, would have taken place:

On Wednesday we did some family visiting, and Thursday we did some running around in Haifa. Our resolve against the heat finally gave out on Friday and we bought a rotating fan to put on during the night in the room. Friday night, we went out with Shar's parents for a little bite to eat and a drink in an attempt to beat the heat.

Yesterday, we spent the entire evening out visiting family again in Jish, which is about a 20 minute walk from the Lebanese border. The weather was PERFECT. It's not more than an hour away from Haifa, but the humidity is non-existant and the night actually got quite cool. Thanks, mountains. Here is what the village actually looks like at dusk:

We went back to the house after a little exploring for some food and coffee:

Most importantly, we ate fresh figs(!!!!!) and cute little green grapes from Shar's grandfather's trees. Absolutely the best fruit I've ever eaten in my life.

It's hard to believe we're only here for another week and a half! We'll be trying to get around a little bit this week too, hopefully back to both Acre and Nazareth a little, as well as some new places!