A Trip To The Eye Doctor - And A Little Touring, Too

Talia needed a check-up with an eye doctor (she got glasses right before we left the U.S.) and we decided to go to a highly recommended practice in Modi'in, which is about 30-40 minutes east of Tel Aviv.  In another case of "it's such a small world!", one of the doctors used to work in Newington, Connecticut (which is about 20 minutes from where I grew up), before emigrating from the U.S. to Israel. 

We needed to rent a car to get to Modi'in, so we decided to take advantage of our mobility and visit some friends and see a nearby tourist attraction.  We looked at a map and decided on Bet Guvrin-Maresha National Park, about 40 minutes south of Modi'in.  So we packed up the car, filled the cooler with food, charted our course and headed out for the day!

The national park was stunning, and we'll get to that in just a moment.  But what we did not expect were such gorgeous views from the doctor's office itself.  There's some beautiful countryside and a great view from just down the street of a nearby Arab village (see the picture at the top and the next two pictures below).  Good thing I brought the camera to the doctor's office!

 

Ok, now on to the National Park, which covers a fairly large area consisting mainly of chalk overlaid with harder rock called "nari."  Here's a description from the park's website and they aren't lying:  "For thousands of years, people have been cutting into the rock beneath the nari to build quarries, burial caves, storerooms, industrial facilities, hideouts and dovecotes. They dug small openings into the nari, normally no more than two meters thick, and then expanded the caves into the softer chalk beneath. Hundreds of such caves were dug at Bet Guvrin and its surroundings, creating subterranean networks of unparalleled complexity."

We first visited the Bell Caves, a series of vast interconnected chambers dug in the 7th to 10th centuries for quarrying operations.  These caves are truly awe inspiring and have to be seen to be believed.  There are also some fascinating rock formations outside the caves.  For the most part, I just followed Jeremy around and took pictures of him striking up various poses.

We then proceeded to the Columbarium Cave, built around 300 BCE or so to raise pigeons for food, ritual sacrifice, communications and fertilizer (nothing like some pigeon dung to help your garden grow).  The narrow hallways of the cave contain hundreds of niches, creating a symmetrical but eerie visual pattern.  The niches were used for storage after the columbarium went out of use.

    

The third stop on our cave hopping adventure is called the Maze Cave, which is actually a network of several dozen ancient caves.  Just when you think you've reached a dead-end, a small opening leads to another chamber, then another small opening leads to yet another chamber, and so on, seemingly ad infinitum, much to the delight of our 8-year old son.  There are water cisterns, olive oil production facilities, more niches for pigeons, and many narrow and confusing passageways and staircases.  Watch your head, don't panic if you can't find your way back (there's always a way out somewhere), and bring some ibuprofen for the ensuing back pain.

Wanna make some olive oil?

Dad, c'mon, there's more to see up here!

Dark and Escher-esque

The final underground attraction that we saw were the Sidonian Burial Caves.  The Sidonians came from Sidon, a city in modern day Lebanon, and settled in the area at some point after 400 BCE.  Apollophanes, the head of the Sidonians who settled here, was laid to rest in the central niche, while others (including his family members) were put to rest in the side niches.  The walls are beautifully decorated with various creatures, real and mythological (the original paintings were looted long ago, but have been reconstructed).

And just when you've had enough of being underground in dark, dank caves, there are a number of sights to enjoy above the surface - including ruins of a Hellenestic dwelling, a Roman amphitheater and bathhouse, a Byzantine church, and a Crusader fortress.  Jeremy's favorite was the amphitheater, especially after learning that it was used for gladiator fights. 

Ruins from a Byzantine church

The Roman Amphitheater

Dad, can we fight a lion?

Talia may need a follow-up appointment with the eye doctor.  I can't say what the agenda will be for that day, but I'm sure it will be more exciting than visiting the eye doctor back home.