After yesterday's trudge through mud, starting today by walking along the promenade with the morning joggers was a really pleasant change. A stylish 1930's lighthouse and I thought an equally stylish 1930's power station in white, were the first sights I walked by. There was then a long section with the beach on one side, and an empty area behind barbed wire fencing on the other. Maybe an old airport as there was a lonely control tower. It did mean you had to run over a kilometre if there was a Tsunami warning as the fencing prevented you heading directly inland. Tsunami signs pointed which direction to run in. I had not considered such an event in the Mediterranean before, they usually seem to devastate the Far East, however there are earthquakes in the Mediterranean area so a Tsunami is not so unlikely.
Looking for where the trail went after the concrete promenade ended I met a German guy also walking the Israel National Trail having started at a similar time to me. We walked together along the beach a little way, sharing experiences. I stopped for a coffee at a Marina. Service was sluggish but it wasn't so bad watching yachts come and go in the sun. Later I joined a 78 year old Israeli who was walking some 20 kilometres for a bit of exercise. He was certainly fit as he sped up the hill to the Sidna Ali mosque (where the call to midday pray was being sung). He came to Israel some 44 years ago, and seemed very glad to have left the Soviet Union. There was a crazy house built into the cliff he showed me. Lots of curves in concrete and mosaics, a bit in the style of Gaudi but not as colourful.
I left him when I visited the Apollonia archaeological park. There were remains of a Roman villa and some cisterns but the main sights were the remnants of a Crusader castle and town which overlooked the sea. It was destroyed by the Muslim Mamluks after a siege in 1265.
I had imagined that it would be very urban along the coast, but beyond the fortress there was a long section of undeveloped open land and well vegetated sand dunes. Cliffs were steep and crumbling so I avoided going too close. Shrubs in bloom lined part of the track and flowers of many colours were spread among the grass. There was an art installation in one place with several large pieces made of wood and wooden cable reels.
As the sun began to approach the sea I met my German colleague again. He was planning to camp among the trees whereas I had booked a room in "Q" hotel, which is where I am now. I have showered, washed some clothes and eaten at the hotel buffet. The beach is nearby, it seems an area used by kite surfers, there were several out on the sea as I turned inland to my hotel.
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