On Shabat evening, just after the heat of the summer day lessened, we headed up to our favorite river, not far from where we live. The Alexander River originates at the Samaria Mountains and runs all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. It flows into the sea north of the city of Netanya. Although the river was once polluted (מְזֹהָם, mezoham) and lost lots of its water animals and vegetation, it has been restored during the last decade or so. Now, you may walk or ride your bike (if you don’t have one, you may rent it there) along a well-nurtured bank. You may enjoy a picnic by the shed of a eucalyptus grove (חֻרְשַׁת אֵיקָלִיפְּטוּס, xurshat ‘ekaliptus), or enjoy the lovely resting areas along the river bank.

This is a wonderful walk that the whole family may enjoy. Along the river bank many Israeli trees and bushes were planted, such as figs, vines, carob, and the most Israeli cactus - the Sabra. You may walk along the bank, pick some fruits (my kids picked some sweet juicy grapes), and enjoy.

In the midst of the river, you may find soft-shelled turtles (צַבִּים רַכִּים, tsabim rakim). Personally, I dislike these reptiles with their long grayish head that welcome any piece of food provided for them, but I do respect their long lasting existence in the last 100 million years (and especially during the last hundred polluted years). The kids and lots of other people may watch for hours their sleekly movements and their assertive way of getting food. For that reason, a special bridge was built, just around the area they inhibit. Not surprisingly, it is called - The Turtles Bridge (גֶּשֶׁר הַצַּבִּים, gesher hatsabim). This nearly extinguished soft-shelled turtle population gets a special attention from the nature preserved communities. Their eggs are being moved to a fenced area where they can grow unharmed, and when the little turtles hatch, they walk directly into the water.

 The clean up of the Alexander River received top prize at the Australian 2003 Theiss River prize competition.
The place became even more attractive since then. So, on your next trip to Israel, when you feel like simply cleaning your head and enjoy nature, you may visit the Alexander River and watch the results of the ongoing preservation efforts.

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