53 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
53 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
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layout: post
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title: "Those Roman dudes were pretty cool actually"
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categories: [Lerler]
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date: 2021-08-26 23:45:00 +0200
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---
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<sub>Shot with the incredible Fuji X-T30, 18-55 F2.8 Kit lens @ 55mm, F5.6 </sub>
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The ol' family and I traveled to Jerusalem and Cesearea this week, so I can feel like a tourist again.
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Harkening back to my tourist days, I recalled the somber words of an Australian father down in Tasmania, after I expressed my wonder at the scope of domestic travel availble to Aussies.
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*"We've got things to see, sure, but in Israel, you have such history!"*
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And boy howdy, do we now.
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We went into the Westren Wall tunnels, a destination that (amazingly!) not one of the dozen or so institutions that dragged me to there bothered letting us into.
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That bit outside? it's nice. But there's a *nicer* bit inside!
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As it turns out, the actual Jerusalem lies a good few meters under the ground, and the Muslim empires that came after the Romans simply raised the whole gosh darn city to be even with this **massive** temple complex. Has not a single school, course, government or military institution thought to mention this awesome fact?
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Deep inside, there's a surreal women's shul (Yes, I know this word now), and below it is the single biggest stone of the wall - which weights (or so the guide claimed) like approximately 60 African Elephants - about 3 meters deep, 14 meters wide and 3 meters tall. And on it, you can still see the chisel marks from Herod's stonemasons. *2000 year old chisel marks!* that's history right there, folks!
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There's even a fraction of authentic Jerusalem street buried underneath (yes, the Muslims just... built right on top of it. Mind boggling.).
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<sub>It just keeps going on top! How has no one told me this??</sub>
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That whole complex was so god darn *massive*, in fact, the Romans themselves (they really did go on for quite a bit, didn't they) failed to destroy it after the Jewish Bar Kochva rebellion - yes, there's also that bit. Slightly less awesome.
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That same crazy Herod (why *is* it Herod in English?) went on, or perhaps came from - I didn't do my reasearch - the northen city of Cesearea, named after... the cesear [note: this is intensely ironic in today's political climate). What can I say, it seems like they had a chill hangout spot back then.
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<sub>Hardly anything like this lying around Tassie, is there?</sub>
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In Cesearea, I discovered several things:
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1. Whoever's in charge of Israel's national parks has no aesthetic sensitivity whatsoever (see garbage can in image below)
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2. Hadera's famous Wieners, Cesearea and the bunch of those Kibbutzes are within spitting distance, and I should really get around to studying geography
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3. Those Romans knew how to have a good time.
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<sub>Old & New in Cesearea. Can you see the garbage bin?</sub>
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As I stood there gazing at King Herod's mighty vacation palace sinking in the sea, I could not help but wonder - is there any point aside from having a good time?
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<sub>I'd go for a swim.</sub>
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I'd like to imagine Herod as a smug bastard sitting in that pool (yes, it is a pool) enjoying a nice glass of Roman wine, and that really helps.
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