Following the recommendations of the locals, I left the last day of Israel to “Rosh HaNikra”-a natural cave called “Pigeon Cave” by the Chinese. Early on Saturday morning, when I set off from Tel Aviv, the streets were silent, and all the way north was unimpeded. At this time, the Jews were still asleep.
Every Friday from sunset to Saturday sunset is the Jewish “Sabbath”, so in Israel, legal holidays are Fridays and Saturdays, and people return to work on Sundays. According to the Jewish “Old Testament”, believers must light candles before sunset on Friday and pray for family and friends in the evening. People can only rest and not work on the “Sabbath”, and they cannot use any electrified equipment.
The love story between the sea and the mountains
About 2 hours later, I opened my sleepy eyes, and the parking lot at the destination was empty. The driver opened the door, and the Mediterranean wind was fresh and cool in late January, which dispelled my drowsiness.
The cover page of the brochure in my hand is printed “Rosh HaNikra—The Love Story between the Sea and the Mountains”. It is said that a long time ago, there was a beautiful young girl whose parents ignored her wishes and married her to an old wealthy businessman. The procession to send off the relatives ranged from ACRE (one of the oldest cities in the world, nearly 5,000 years old, now in Israel) to TYRE (a world cultural heritage with a history of 5,000 years, now in Lebanon). When passing by Rosh HaNikra, the girl walked from the cliff Jumped into the sea, and disappeared in a blink of an eye. The pure and heavenly Mediterranean waters, the dazzling white limestone—the girl has found the best destination for herself.
Traveling all over the world, there is no need to question the true or false story of the routine, but listening carefully to the sound of the sea hitting the rock, there seems to be a little sadness and sigh. This is Rosh HaNikra on the border with Lebanon at the most northwestern point of Israel. This is also the only place where mountains and seas meet in Israel. Standing on the top of the mountain, next door Lebanon is on the right.
Standing on the top of the mountain, next door Lebanon is on the right.
Nowadays, there is the most convenient way between the cliff and the sea-the steepest and shortest cable car in the world. Two minutes later, I looked back from the water bank, the white mountain showed its masculine physique, and the feminineness of the sea under my feet was the best caress.
The heat of the years has gone to the cold, wiping away the indifferent edges and corners of the rock boy. The stars move around, and the sea water keeps sending marine life onto the stone bed. After the gestation of the stone bed, the marine life and the rock merged into one body, and the thicker they piled up, it seemed that the black stones of Go were embedded in the white stone body, which became the most solid witness of love between mountains and seas. This pair of lovers, who are dependent on mountains and rivers, interpret the immortal feelings of the world by using each other to swear to each other, the sea is dry and the stone is rotten.
Magical water of the Holy Spirit
I entered the seaside cave at the foot of the mountain. On the left is the railway terminal, dark and damp, reminiscent of the ammunition depot in the movie.
Rosh HaNikra has been a major transportation link connecting North and South since ancient times. The Old Testament calls it the “Ladder of TYRE”. 2300 years ago, Alexander the Great dug a tunnel here and landed and invaded it. By 1917, the entire Palestine area was under British trust. During World War II, in order to facilitate the transportation of materials, the British widened the ancient roads and built railways. After the Zionist organization forcibly established Israel in Palestine in 1948, the Israeli army blew up the railway and blocked the road connecting with Lebanon.
On the right, I entered the cave along the 400-meter-long passage, and I saw the beauty that is different from the fusion of rocks and sea in the open world, like stepping into a fairyland. The pure blue water, like flowing crystals and melting sapphires, makes people think that it is the magical water of the Holy Spirit, which can dissolve this earthly dirt. At first, only experienced divers were able to go deep into the cave to feast their eyes on. In 1968, the Israeli government lasted two years to dig new passages along various caves on the right side of the original railway terminal, turning this place into a tourist attraction.
The “pigeon hole” is as big as its name. If you don’t choose to stay in a daze by the sea and the wind, one hour is enough to walk around the scenic spot calmly. In the warm sun, the blue coast constitutes a peaceful picture, which cannot be reminiscent of the scars of the Jewish nation. The Jewish people have been scattered around the world since ancient times, and peoples without their own land have been suppressed and excluded. But the magic is that the national language, culture, and traditions have not been assimilated, but have been well inherited.
Children playing in the “Kibbutz” collective community
Sponsored and sponsored by wealthy Jewish people all over the world, the Israeli government has implemented a new policy since 1999: every 18-32-year-old Jewish living abroad (as long as one parent is Jewish or a certified institution recognizes the reform (Believe in Judaism), after graduating from high school, you can come to Israel to participate in a 10-day tour. The cost of round-trip air tickets and tours in Israel will be borne by the project, in order to increase the young Jewish people’s national identity, history, and Cultural identity.
So far, 600,000 Jewish youths from 67 countries (80% from the United States and Canada) have enjoyed this welfare policy. For safety reasons, the tour group will be equipped with at least one well-trained armed person throughout the whole journey, and will not take tourists to visit the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem (which once belonged to Jordan), and the West Bank area.
Some Jewish youths decided to stay for military service after visiting. Israel is a country with a system of compulsory military service. Both men and women usually go for military service after graduating from high school if there is no special reason. Young soldiers also have to carry their assigned guns when they return home on weekends in order to deal with terrorist attacks that may occur at any time. Therefore, in Israel, young people holding guns in the streets on weekends are a special sight.
Soldiers and traditional Jews with live ammunition at the Wailing Wall
Sigh of history
Back to the top of the mountain, looking south, not far from the foot of the mountain is the “kibbutz”-a common collective community system in Israel, and it also runs the “pigeon hole” cable car.
“Kibbutz” is unique to Israel and plays an important role in this country. 10% of the country’s agricultural output comes from “Kibbutz”, and the world-famous drip irrigation technology and production are also mastered by “Kibbutz”. Everything is publicized, everything is shared, and the internal facilities are all available, including orchards, farms, poultry farms, milk bases, etc. Everyone must participate in labor, and food, lodging, education, and medical treatment are all free. There are restaurants, shops and hotels for tourists. This utopian model attracts tourists from all over the world every day.
After visiting the “Pigeon Cave”, I came to the nearby ancient city of ACRE. The history of this city can be traced back to the early Bronze Age (2000 BC-1500 BC). This is also the battlefield of several battles during the Crusades. The fortresses and ruined walls by the sea witnessed the artillery fire, killing, aggression and defense at that time. Arabs in the city now account for 32%. Since the founding of Israel, the Jews and Arabs have forged a feud, and the occupied land has been inhabited by Palestinian Arabs. As a result, there are 20% of Arabs in Israel, so that apart from Hebrew, the official language of Israel is also Arabic.
Israel is a small country with borders everywhere. The southernmost part of the country is only 424 kilometers apart from the northernmost part, and the narrowest point is only 15 kilometers from east to west. The Israeli-Palestinian separation wall can be seen everywhere. In order to prevent terrorist attacks, the separation wall built by the Israeli government in 2000 is the apartheid wall in the eyes of Palestine. During the process of building the wall, Israel continues to bend and extend toward Palestine, and classifies as much of the region’s natural resources as its own. Have. The 2003 UN General Assembly voted that the wall violated international law and should be demolished. However, the construction of the separation wall is still in progress.
In the city, you will see small monuments and reminders of terrorist attacks inadvertently. In the previous month and a half, I also experienced a terrorist attack exercise in Tel Aviv. After the alarm went off, everyone had to hide in the nearest air-raid shelter, and after skipping with fright, they gradually became accustomed to it.
In terms of economy and living conditions, Israel is an absolutely developed country. But Israelis living under strong pressure are always in a hurry, and it is difficult for them to enjoy life peacefully like tourists.
