FUN-travel: Holy Land – Sea of Galilee to Haifa, Israel – Day 15
May 10, 2013 by Susan Clarke
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
El-Jazzar Mosque
Trip Day 69 – Monday, April 8 – Galilee to Haifa, Israel – hazy sun – high, 70’s – National Holocaust Day
Safed Mosque
- B – wake-up 3:30 – 5:30 – 6:30 (ready for my own bed & pillow)
- 7:00 – machine cappuccino
- 8:00 – pack up to check out
- 9:00 – pick up – drive to …
- 1st stop – 9:30 – Safed – highest town in Israel – one of the Four Holy Cities according to tradition and Kabalistic studies (birthplace of Kabbalah) – see oldest synagogue
- 10:00 – 11:00 – walk around artist colony – narrow streets & alleys filled w/sculptures, paintings, jewelry
- B – another sand storm coming in
- 2nd stop – 11:45 – Beit Jann for Druze Hospitality w/local residents
- A – top of hill can see Lebanon (on a clear day) & huge flocks of migrating storks
- 12:30 – lunch – huge spread of food – 10 different salads/dips/olives w/pita – 3 hot dishes – lentils w/bulgur, chicken, liver & onions – VG! – couldn’t possibly eat it all!
- 1:15 – drive to east coast of Israel
- 3rd stop – 2:00 to 3:00 – Rosh Hanikra – grottos are cavernous tunnels formed by sea action on soft chalk rock – total length 200 meters – branching off in various directions w/some interconnecting segments – tiny cable car takes us down – in past only access was from sea by experienced divers
Rosh Hanikra Grotto
- 4th stop – 3:30 to 4:45 – Akko (historic Acre) – most complete, charming, old walled, port city in Holy Land – Ottomans, Crusaders, Romans, Phoenicians all ruled here – get to go in Mosque of El-Jazzar – Turkish style w/recycled columns from Roman ruins
Crusader City in Akko
- 5:30 – arrive Haifa – Colony Hotel – cute little boutique right in center of town w/view of Baha’I Temple & gardens
- A – happy hour – nice cold beer in lobby fridge
- A – lots of trees & clean streets
- 8:00 – dinner across street – huge salad is enough for us – service just so-so
- A – good wine from winery tour yesterday
FF – (FUN-fact) – The Ottoman’s rebuilt on top of the ruins of the Crusader city. The original streets lie 25 ft below and include a network of underground passageways along with many well-preserved buildings.
More FF – We are really impressed with how good Israeli wine is. Our favorite so far is the Yarden Syrah and they have a distributor in New York.