FUN-travel: Holy Land – Haifa To Tel Aviv, Israel – Day 16

May 13, 2013 by · 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

3 Caesarea, Israel

Caesarea

Trip Day 70 – Tuesday, April 9 – Haifa to Tel Aviv, Israel – cool, windy, cloudy turns to sunny, breezy – low 70’s

1 Haifa, Israel

Baha’i Gardens

  • 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
8 Tel Aviv, Israel

Nachalat Binyamin Market

  • 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
5 Caesarea, Israel

Caesarea

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 · 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

2 El Jazar Mosque, Israel

El-Jazzar Mosque

Trip Day 69 – Monday, April 8 – Galilee to Haifa, Israel – hazy sun – high, 70’s – National Holocaust Day

2 Safed, Israel

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
4 Rosh Hanikra Grotto

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

    4 Acre, Israel

    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.