Day 13 - July 18th

Golan Heights

We decide to head north for my last full day to the Golan Heights area. First stop is Rosh HaNikra. Rosh HaNikra ("head of the grottos") is a geologic formation in Israel, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in the Western Galilee. It is a white chalk cliff face which opens up into spectacular grottos. We take a cable car which claims to be the steepest in existence down to the grottos and walked through tunnels formed by the force of the sea.

The Rosh HaNikra grottos are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on the soft chalk rock. They branch off in various directions with some interconnecting segments. In the past, the only access to them was from the sea and experienced divers were the only ones capable of visiting.
The British had built regional rail tracks. During The War for Independence, the Israelis were concerned that the tracks would be used by the Lebanese to send soldiers and supplies to join the war down south so the Hagana blew it up under the noses of the British police while they slept.

Spectacular views. A great place to visit.

Next stop is The Hermon Stream or also known as The Banias Nature Reserve.
Another very cool place. There is the nature reserve and the ancient ruins.

The ruins are very interesting dating back to when Alexander the Great conquered the place. After that the Romans gave it to King Herod who built a big temple to his benefactor Caesar. Jesus also supposedly performed some miracles here. There are also ruins from The Byzantine Era. Interesting stuff. The area is part of the land captured by Israel during The Six Day War.
The nature reserve part of the park is even better. Waterfalls and streams in Israel! Who knew (not me)! There is also accompanying lush vegetation.

There are 4 different hiking trails. My buddy wants to do the long one which is estimated to be 3 hours round-trip to the waterfalls. I go along but assume that I may not make it.
Everything is just beautiful. The stream and falls are crystal clear. Lots of different sized trout swimming around. Visitors are not allowed to go in the water because it is a preserve. Signs are posted all over the place. Between the heat and the beautiful streams I am dying to jump in and risk the consequences. I convince myself that it would be the most refreshing swim of my life. I really almost jumped in a few times but out of respect for the land and thinking that getting locked up the night before I am supposed to leave would not be such a great idea.
About half the way through, there is a small concession stand that serves Druze pitas (not sure what is different) and a few other things. The proprietor is a thick bull of a man. I ask if he has water. No water. This is just as dumb as having a souvenir stand at the top of Masada and not selling water.

I go about two-thirds of the way and decide to turn back and have a leisurely walk back as my buddy marches on. I decide that I will settle for a Coke at the Druze snack stand. The snack stand is closed. Israeli customer service strikes again!

We have a long ride home to Tel Aviv and we decide to stop by my friend's cousin to say good-bye. I am totally depressed. The trip is just about over.

On the way home we decide to stop for a snack at a beachfront city - Nahariya. My oasis! I had no idea when we stopped how much I would fall in love with this town.

We take a walk along the boardwalk. There are nice cafés and bars that are beachfront. Some of the tables are literally on the beach. There are also Hamptons style beach houses. All of this without the pretentiousness! You could buy a cheap slice of pizza or an ice cream cone for a few bucks and have an oceanfront view! There is a nice mix of people walking around - young, old, retirees & families.

We stop to share a pizza pie. I try a drink called the "ben Laden". Either a typo or the English spelling on the menu was pretty bad. It is gin, vodka, tequila and a splash of O.J. Two of these and the fact that I may be a bit dehydrated and I am nicely buzzed. It is sundown and scene is idyllic. I could stay there all night. I vow that if I ever hit Lotto, I am going to buy a beachfront house.

Unfortunately, I left my camera in the car. I was enjoying myself so much that I did not want to go back for the camera. I did go on-line and downloaded some photos but they do not do it justice.

Now for some background on my favorite beachfront town.

Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel. Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants in the 1930s. Its first settlers in the modern era intended to build an agriculture foundation but soon found that it was not very practical due to the geography. It went on to be the home of some very successful manufacturing companies.
Now for the bad part. Over the years, due to its geographic location—only 6 miles down the coast from Israel's border with Lebanon, Nahariya has been a frequent target both of direct cross-border terrorist attacks, as well as of indirect mortar and Katyusha rocket fire. As recently as in July-August 2006, Nahariya sustained a barrage of several hundreds of Katyusha rockets launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. As a result, the city suffered multiple civilian casualties - with 5 fatalities. Significant damage was also inflicted on property and physical infrastructure.

I am still coming back.