The first stop was at Megiddo. The tel there, like the one at Bet Shea'n, is comprised of twenty civilizations built upon the remains of another. Some Christians read the Book of Revelation to say that the final battle between forces of good and evil ("Armageddon") will be waged on the plain nearby. Everything looked pretty peaceful yesterday, with farmers irrigating and growing crops on the valley floor. The tel itself is an amazing archeaological site with cool tunnels to explore. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do that. A recent discovery at Megiddo is a mosaic that is believed to be the earliest known piece of overtly Christian art. It is part of a church dug up when the nearby maximum security prison was being expanded. It's actually inside the prison. I asked a guard at the Megiddo visitor center if there was any way for tourists to view the mosaic. He responded, "You'd have to kill someone if you want to see it."
On the Mediterranean coast north of Tel Aviv is Ceasarea Maritima. Like most archaeological sites in Israel, it reveals cultures and structures spanning many centuries. Much of what can be seen today is from the Roman era. A theater and a hippodrome (sports arena) dominate the site. Caesarea Maritima became the center of Roman government for Palestine under Herod the Great's rule. An inscription was discovered there including the word "Pilate," the only known evidence of the existence of a man named Pontius Pilate. It is believed that the Apostle Paul was held captive in Ceasarea for three years before being sent to Rome for trial. Nearby is an impressive Roman aqueduct that supplied fresh water to the city that once existed there.
We made it to the car rental office by the skin of our teeth. A taxi dropped us off at our apartment address two blocks from the beach. All of downtown Tel Aviv fronts a wide, sandy beach running along the Mediterranean Sea. Our apartment for the next several days is tiny, but it has a decent sideways view of the Mediterranean and the old city of Jaffa. Temperatures this week should hit 90 degrees farenheit, and we feel fortunate to be near the sea. 
We shopped for groceries at the Carmel Market (a sprawling open air marketplace) on arrival, and then strolled along the beach and through city streets. Our landlord for the week said that the Sabbath in Tel Aviv (unlike in strict Jerusalem) is "like Sunday in the U.S." In other words, plenty of restaurants and bars remain open on the Sabbath. Tel Aviv is known as the City That Never Sleeps. Unfortunately, we are the Men Who Can't Stay Awake. We were up early today, though, walking the Promenade leading to Jaffa.The Lilly Endowment (funder of this sabbatical) expects grant recipients to schedule significant periods of time in the sabbatical for rest and relaxation. Our time in Tel Aviv is intended to be just that. We will undoubtedly get out and see some of the local sites, but we are slowing our pace for several days.
