Day 5: July 12th, 2010 (Tel Aviv and Haifa)

Got up around 6:30 AM showered, put our luggage outside our room and then went downstairs for the buffet around 7:00 AM. We had a solid breakfast and then headed back up to the room quickly to get our small bags we wanted to carry on the bus. We went down to the buses around 8:00 AM and headed north along the coastal road to our first location. It took about 45 minutes to visit an old aqueduct that was located parallel to the beach. We hung out there for about 30 minutes and took pictures.

The adults in front of the Aqueduct at Caesarea

When we headed back to the bus in the parking lot, a local vendor parked his truck next to us and was selling souvenirs. His truck was rigged so that he could slide his vending table and hanging stuff right out the back of his truck. We didn’t buy anything but a couple of people did get a few items. Our next stop was the ancient city of Caesarea. This was a very interesting Roman and Crusader ruin.

Scott in the middle of Caesarea

We always hit the bathrooms first before venturing out and while I was waiting for Al, I started talking to a woman from Connecticut who happened to have a brother that lived in Marietta, GA. I didn’t know her brother but after speaking further, our Rabbi knew her Rabbi and started doing Jewish geography. Our first stop at the ruins was multi-media presentation that explained the history of Caesarea. After the video we headed over to the ampi-theater where our tour guide explained more details about the area. It was another very hot day and we all huddled in the shade while he spoke. We continued walking around Caesarea and all the excavated ruins which were located right along the Mediterranean. There was a harbor place, bath house, chariot hippodrome, and many other structures. On the grounds of Caesarea was the Drydal House where they sold all different types of drydals, most of which were handmade. We spent a couple of hours in Caesarea and then got back on the bus and continued to head north. It was around 1:00 PM so we stopped for lunch. We went to a cafeteria style restaurant where you picked out a meat and two vegetables. Zach and Hannah both got the chicken, Al got the meatballs and I got the stuffed cabbage (with chickpeas and lima beans). Not a big surprise but Zach did not like his food but the rest of us did. Zach ended up getting a big of tortilla chips at the gas station. Around 1:45 PM we got back on the bus and went to Crusader city of Acre. Our first stop there was the old castle. Many rooms of the castle were recently excavated and our tour guide presented the history of the building from Crusader time to recent time when it was the central British prison in Palestine. We then headed over to a silver and jewelry store where they made a lot of handmade items. Our next stop was the market area within Acre. This was a very traditional market where you walked around narrow corridors and people were selling all types of products from toys to fish and much more. After walking through the market we came across the Templar Tunnels. This was a very cool secret passage underground that the knights used to gain access to the castle from the ocean. We went down a set of stairs and had to bend down and walk through a long low ceiling dark tunnel with running water on each side. We walked down a few tunnels and then emerged up a set of stairs and came outside across the street from the Mediterranean.

Alan S and Scott standing at the exit of the Templar Tunnel in Acre

Our bus met us there and continued to drive north along the coast to Rosh Hanikra where we descended by cable care to see the magnificent underwater grottoes.

Zack in front of a grotto

We watched a video that explained the history of the grotto and how the British actually bored through the mountain to establish a railroad that would be able to provide supplies to the Northern Territories. In the late 1940’s a section of the tunnel was blown up by military forces and has been closed ever since. What you are able to walk through is the eroded caves and walk ways throughout the grotto. The floor is very slippery and Terry Rittenberg slipped and hit the ground hard. She was ok but we were all very cautious after that making sure to hold onto the railing along the path. When we emerged from the grotto we rode the cable car back up the mountain and walked over to the border crossing between Israel and Lebanon. We took a bunch of pictures with

the whole group and individually.

Saffrans at the Israeli border at Rosh Hanikra

It was a long day and we got back on the bus for the one hour drive to Haifa where we were spending the night. Before getting to our hotel we made a pit stop to take pictures of the angled gardens and Bahai Shrine.

View of the Bahai Shrine and Gardens in Haifa

Haifa is built on the side of a mountain (similar layout to San Francisco), so looking down the mountain you get a great view of the city and of the gardens that are planted on the side of the mountain. We re-boarded and made it to the Dan Carmel Hotel around 7:45 PM. Went up to room 803 (kids) and 804 (parents). Al’s legs were hurting from walking around so we relaxed a few minutes in the room before heading out for dinner. We wanted something quick and easy. The concierge recommended we walk to Haifa Center which was only 10 minutes down the street from the hotel. We headed toward the Center area and came upon a mall so we decided to check it out for a restaurant. Not much was open but we did find one and checked out the menu. Everybody was able to find something so we decided to eat there instead of walking around more. Zach ordered a pizza and lemonade, Hannah had a cream cheese and salmon toasted sandwich with salad and ice tea, Al had a chicken noodle stir fry with a lemonade and I had the vegetable stir fry. Not long after we sat down another couple from our trip came to the restaurant and sat at the table next to us. Before the food came out, Zach and I went to the Pharmacy (like a CVS) in the mall and bought a six pack of large water, some energy bars and gum. We headed back to the table and the food came out soon afterwards. Everybody was pleased with the quality and quantity of their food. We were all tired from a long day so we finished up and walked back to the hotel. We got back around 9:30 PM, showered up and relaxed. We knew tomorrow was going to be another busy day so we wanted to try and go to bed early.