FUN-travel: Holy Land – Haifa To Tel Aviv, Israel – Day 16
May 13, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Holy Land – Haifa To Tel Aviv, Israel – Day 16
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Trip Day 70 – Tuesday, April 9 – Haifa to Tel Aviv, Israel – cool, windy, cloudy turns to sunny, breezy – low 70’s
- 6:30 – wake up
- 7:00 – warm machine cappuccino – typical breakfast buffet – make sandwiches for later
- 9:00 – take off for Tel Aviv
- 1st stop – view Baha’i Gardens from bottom
- 2nd stop – view Baha’i Gardens from top (can’t go in unless you have a group but don’t need to)
- 9:45 – drive to …
- 3rd stop – 10:15 – Caesarea – port city built by Herod the great between 29 – 22 BC – once seat of Roman rule
- A – impressive Roman aqueduct & excavated fortress
- 11:45 – head on to Tel Aviv
- 4th stop – 12:30 – Nachalat Binyamin Market – only on Tuesday & Friday – several blocks of art vendors including jewelry, clothing, paintings, etc
- 2:00 – arrive Rothschild Hotel
- C – get upgraded to suite w/huge living room
- 2:30 – walk back to market – wanted to let Yuval our guide go home & want more exercise
- 2:45 – burger break @ Agadir – Angus beef, fries, drink, salad – $18 – enough for 2!
- 4:30 – back to hotel for room R & R
- 7:15 – walk to Herbert Samuel – restaurant recommended by Yuval – fusion food
- 1st course – salmon sashimi w/habanera sauce
- 2nd course – tomato salad everyone’s trying to copy – homemade bread basket
- 3rd course – shrimp & calamari on homemade pasta w/artichokes
- Wine – Yarden Syrah from special vineyard I can’t remember – really good!
- C – so ready for a change of food & this was wonderful! – most expensive meal and worth!
- 9:30 – nice stroll back to hotel
FF – (FUN-fact) – The Baha’i Gardens are splendidly manicured and tiered up the hill surrounding the impressive golden-domed Baha’i Shrine.
More FF – Haifa lies on the Mediterranean coast at the foot of Mount Carmel
FUN-travel: Holy Land – Sea of Galilee to Haifa, Israel – Day 15
May 10, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Holy Land – Sea of Galilee to Haifa, Israel – Day 15
The ABC’s of The Holy Land
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Trip Day 69 – Monday, April 8 – Galilee to Haifa, Israel – hazy sun – high, 70’s – National Holocaust Day
- 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
- 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
- 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.