Heading North

This weekend found the team on the road to Northern Israel. Waking up bright and early on Sunday morning, we had a quick breakfast and then departed for a day long guided excursion to see the sights and attractions of Haifa, Acre, and Rosh HaNikra. 

After a quick drive up the coast from our base in Ramat Eshkol, first up was a quick tour through Haifa's German Colony and then up the side of Mount Carmel to the most impressive (and beautiful) view in Haifa - the Bahá'í World Centre and the Shrine of the Báb. As you can see from the picture below, the Bahá'í Gardens are gorgeous.

"View of Haifa from the top terrace of the Bahá'í Gardens"
Photo by Daniel Branscome

Leaving Haifa, we headed further up the coast to the ancient city of Acre. One of the oldest sites of human habitation, Acre has been a site of many conflicts over the past millenia - and has changed hands repeatedly. As such, Acre is home to many interesting sites, chief among them, a buried Crusader Fortress, an Ottoman Citadel, and the Khan al-Umdan. 

"inside the main hall of the Knights Hospitaller at Acre"
Photo by Kristin Thompson

No doubt about it, these places were big hits with the group and had the Dan Brown fans among us thinking back to what we'd read regarding the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller. Very cool stuff.

By this time, the group was getting hungry - and boy oh boy - the tour guide did not disappoint. This brings us to what I'd say is currently the odds on favorite for highlight of the trip to date - lunch in Acre. After trudging through back allies, we found ourselves in front of a packed little hummus joint in the middle of Acre's Arab souq. 

"Our tasty hummus lunch in Acre's Arab souq"
Photo by Kristin Thompson

If its not already obvious, the team really liked lunch - even as it only really consisted of warm pita, veggies, and hummus. The restaurant - whose name I never quite figured out how to pronounce - was instantly dubbed by the group as the "Ben's Chili Bowl" (Hummus Bowl?) of Acre. It was just that good.

Leaving Acre, we departed for the final site of the day, Rosh HaNikra. Directly on the border with Lebanon, these white chalk cliffs and coastal grottoes are known as the gateway to Israel. Taking a cable car down to the sea edge, we were able to explore the inside of the caves - and get up close and personal (my wet t-shirt is a testament to how close I was) with the waves that have been crashing and forming this site for ages. 

"The team enjoying the seaside sights of Rosh HaNikra"
Photo by Kristin Thompson

This was a great way to end the day - and got us all excited about the adventures to come! Next up, this week we'll be working at the Technion in Haifa. Then on Friday we depart for a weekend in Tel Aviv.