Back On The Road Again

Sunday and it was time to cut loose from the wonderful D n D and head off to discover Israel. The plan to head North and cover the country in a big clockwise circle with the odd diversion into the central hills which is generally the Occupied Territories.
On a gorgeous morning my first stop was the Roman remains at Caeserea which was pretty outstanding but strange in that it was totally set up for tourists who weren't there. It made me a little self conscious to be one of a handfull in a system capable of handling thousands- so I didn't dwell. Dan had recommended a beach on the edge of a series of lagoons and it made an ideal venue for lunch and a slighlty self indulgent siesta. Again all but deserted the blue waters were difficult to tear myself away from but the road North to my destination that night beckoned and I raced to Haifa before the tourist information place shut.
Haifa is a place I didn't really got to the bottom of, home to one of the more obscure religions it has palacial buildings and impressive gardens, museums and a European feel slightly less sophisticated than Tel Aviv. I went for a fast wander to get the lay of the land and found that the tourist info was not in any of the places I expected it to be- where my guide book said or where the puiblic maps said they should be. At ten to five I gave them a quick phone call and was directed to the Port Inn down by the docks to stay the night. I had a suspicion this may be a refuge for the countlesss seamen who must be in need of a cheap bed while waiting for their next ship leaving from the nearby port but when I finally found the place it was a pleasant surprise. Clean, friendly, busy but not packed and above all very very cheap. I asked where the best seafood restaurant was and got directions (20 minute walk) before using my Gucci security lock to secure my pack to my bedframe. The walk turned out to be more like an hour and twenty and my knees were feeling it by the time I staggered from the darkness into the large but empty restaurant on the prom. I approached the teenade girls on duty (assured by D n D that the younger generation all spoke good English) and said I'd like sea food and beer in a blunt but clear statement of my reason for being there. Hence I was taken aback by the curt repost "you want beer you go to a bar, this is a sea food restaurant!" "Yes, I want seafood", "well have a seat then!" Once seated I was put in my place both literally and metaphorically and meakly said, "now can I have a beer?" The beer flowed and while I waited I caught sight of a lonely and forlorn Goldfish in a scummy tank I hoped that I wasn't expected to make my selection from the choice of live fish.
Plenty was happening outside; joggers, dog walkers and a youth group having a barbie- it was one of those nights where a perfect sun sets out to sea and one thinks of the deeper things, for some reason Eddie came to mind.
When the fish came- I opted for the local speciality there were more spines than meat and filled up on the 13 small bowls of salad they provided on the side. The prospect of the long walk back wasn't good but I wasn't paying for a taxi and it wasn't as bad in the end. I sat down with a coffee in the small patio garden at the hostel and heard a Texan drawl the predictable, "hey you English?" I turned to see a 20 something guy with a pretty looking girl who opened the conversation with "what's the right word for someone from Argentina- Argentinian or Argentine?" "Either goes" I replied, naturally wondering where this was going. After telling me that he was there to join the Israeli Army because it's the best in the World and he is half Jewish (for that I have to thank him because it reminded me that Jewish is an ethnicity and not merely a religion) it hit me, "can I ask you a question? What about all those Argentines you guys killed in the Falklands?", "sorry", "you know, all those innocent guys you wiped out on the Falkland Islands". I delivered a concise and accurate history of the Falklands war, generously not mentioning with Grenada or any other countless incursions by US forces into foreign territories. He doubted my version having seen something different on TV.I then asked how Israeli soldiers could justify shooting kids because they were throwing stones. He mulled it over and the best he came up with was that they were just conscripts and didn't know how to deal with it properly- good luck joining the best army in the World then buddy!

I went to bed to find that my new security lock would not open despite being 100% sure I had the correct code and used a keyring tool to cut it off, philosophicaly speaking if it was that easy to get off it wasn't worth the space in my pack to start with. Bed