Underwater museum, stone proves savanna heritage
nickname
CAESAREA, Israel -- When most people think of Israel's underwater
attractions, their thoughts immediately turn to Eilat: there, you can
swim with dolphins, observe the myriad of sea life at the underwater
observatory, or dive down to Red Sea coral reefs. Last week, however, a
new attraction welcomed its first visitors, this time on the
Mediterranean coast: at the ancient port of Caesarea, roughly 60
kilometers north of Tel Aviv, the world's first underwater museum
opened for business.
Although it lacks the crystal-clear waters and stunning marine life of
Red Sea destinations, the museum hopes to draw visitors interested in
the history and archaeology of the region. Here, Caesarea's history is
on display for those equipped with a snorkel or wetsuit, as four
underwater trails lead museum visitors around the remains of Jewish
King Herod the Great's once spectacular ancient harbor.Perhaps the only
thing missing at the Caesarea site is somewhere appropriate for
visitors to stay. At Key Largo in Florida, for example, Jules' Undersea
Lodge provides just this: a small hotel some seven meters beneath the
mangroves of the Key Largo nature reserve. Visitors must dive to the
hotel's entrance, a door in the underside of the structure through
which divers surface as if from a small swimming pool.
With tourism currently on the increase in Israel, and visitor numbers
this year set to reach the highest levels since before the recent
intifada, perhaps this - a hotel beneath the waves - is the next
logical step in welcoming tourists to Israel's historical underwater
world.
rmacfarl
nickname wrote:
> http://www.metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060505-062911-5025r
DD, you are a prize idiot if you think that this kind of post does
anything at all to "advance the cause" of some putative aquatic hominid
heritage. SAP regulars like me have watched the AAT crowd's propaganda
tactics over many years, and although the time, place and circumstances
of this spurious damp-toed history have changed, narrowed and become
less and less plausible year on year, the deliberate propaganda tactic
of twisting of the message to suit the latest fashion has pesisted. You
are just the latest (and far from the cleverest or most entertaining)
in a long tradition of wet, squishy trolls.
Now piss off...
<plonk>
Ross Macfarlane