Floral glory at the Megiddo airstrip, and remains of British built bunkers, in Slovenia Park, Jezreel valley

Days of torrential rain followed by a few days of sunshine are an open invitation to white, pink, red and purple cyclamens to create enormous festive natural carpets in Israel – sometimes in the most unlikely of places.

From the Megiddo junction to the Jezreel valley town of Afula, that stretch of route 65 is known as 'the ruler' - simply because it is as straight as one.  Most people travel the road without stopping but at this time of year hundreds of cars can be seen at the roadside, especially on weekends, as Israelis go out in search of the abundant cyclamens and other wild flowers that have popped up in their thousands fashioning enormous areas of blazing color between tall, stately cypresses or thick trunk Tabor oak trees.

The compact Megiddo airstrip used by small planes, gliders and crop sprayers, is a neighbor to a much larger airbase, the British built Ramat David.  Named after a former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Prime Minister, war time leader and Welshman, David Lloyd George, the airbase was constructed in 1942 for the British Royal Air Force.  As the British pulled out of Mandate Palestine the then fledgling Israel Air Force moved in.   

Between the present day extensive Ramat David IAF airbase and the civilian Megiddo airstrip, a number of small buildings prove to be left over from British days in the Jezreel valley.  The brick structures are used nowadays by local farmers to store agricultural equipment.

Both sides of the approach road to the Megiddo airstrip are blanketed with colorful cyclamens.

Around the airstrip, purple and red anemones rub petals with a multitude of cyclamens, and some daffodils (a most fitting flower to be found in an area named after a Welshman) add some yellow to the extravaganza of Mother Nature's floral palate.

On the other side of Ramat David and spread out over a large forested area are more reminders of the British presence in the region.  A series of concrete bunkers built by the British at the same time as the airbase are almost hidden away behind an area of orchards belonging to local kibbutzim.

Well off the beaten path, and very badly signposted, one comes across a section of trees and bunkers covered in undergrowth forming the Slovenian park.  A series of large boards, in English, tell visitors about Slovenian history, geography and a great deal about that country's forests, the animal, bird and plant life to be found there and even has one board giving advice on the proper use of wood.

On the Sunday morning I visited the Slovenian park, a dozen or so families were enjoying a picnic in warm wintry sunshine, the wooden tables and benches provided covered in exotic foodstuffs, the strong aroma enough to make one's mouth water.  The families were Christian Arabs from villages in the region of Nazareth and according to one gentleman the Slovenian park is a popular place with folk from the area. It would seem they are among the very few who know about this park which is not a JNF project but a private one.

As children ran up and down the sloping sides of the bunkers and their parents began to settle down to the serious business of picnicking, a child ran up with a handful of ‘protected by law’ cyclamens plucked from between trees behind one of the bunkers.  Her mother scolded her and the child cried.

It is in this portion of the Jezreel valley at the foot of the ancient site of Megiddo (Armageddon) that the Israeli government plans to develop our second international airport.

Many residents of the Jezreel Valley and Menashe Hills kibbutzim, the moshavim, towns of Yokneam and Afula have been demonstrating against the plan.  Apart from the threat of pollution and noise the intended international airport would bring to the valley, the abundant wildlife and floral extravaganzas that are so much part it would be destroyed and the flocks of thousands upon thousands of pelicans, storks and other birds who pass over annually migrating from Europe to Africa and back again will buy a one-way ticket out of the valley for sure.

Caption:

Floral glory at the Megiddo airstrip and remains of British built bunkers in Slovenia park, Jezreel valley