The Road to Jerusalem
The Mediterranean at the border of Israel and Lebanon with an Israeli gunboat on patrol in the distance.
“In Israel, a land lacking in natural resources, we learned to appreciate our greatest national advantage: our minds. Through creativity and innovation, we transformed barren deserts into flourishing fields and pioneered new frontiers in science and technology.” –Shimon Peres
As we made our winding way towards Jerusalem, we got to experience the people, the culture, the history and the beauty of this small but mighty country.
We learned all the ways in which this country has harnessed innovation not just to use to better the life of the Israeli people but also to help the rest of the world.
We spent two nights in Haifa on our way to Jerusalem. We ventured out to explore this beautiful country and immerse ourselves in the Discovery experience.
The Baha’i Temple and gardens in Haifa are a holy site for the followers of the Baha’i faith. Extending from the summit of Mount Carmel, this magnificent garden features 19 terraces and its centerpiece, the gold-domed Shrine of the Bab, the center of knowledge and tomb of the leader of the Baha’i faith.
We arrived in Haifa on Friday evening in time for Shabat. Since the Jews are not allowed to operate any electronics or machinery, one elevator in the hotel is deemed a Shabat elevator. This means that it goes up and down, stopping at every floor with no need to press any buttons. In addition, there were two elaborate buffets, one that was totally kosher for Shabat and one that was for all visitors.
The Rosh Hanikra Grottoes are carved by water erosion into the mountains in Northern Israel. As we approached this tourist attraction, we could see the barbed wire electrified fences that mark Israel’s border with Lebanon.
After taking a cable car down to the entrance we walked amongst the various grottos to appreciate the power and beauty of the sea where it meets the rock.
Acre or Akko as it is now called used to be a crusader stronghold in the Holy Land. Not only did the Hospitallers and Knights Templar build a strong fortified castle, but they also controlled the harbor and collected taxes from anyone who used it. The Rock in the center is guarded by a chain that used to be lowered only after the payment of the proper harbor tax.
Some of the who’s who, who came through this port are Julius Caeser, Mark Antony, Marco Polo, Richard the Lionheart, Francis of Assisi. We did not take a harbor cruise, but we did have lunch at a beautiful harbor side restaurant.
Yes! unfortunately it was cloudy with a touch of rain which in no way took anything away from our overall experience here.
The vibrant bustling souk winds itself through the center of town. This bazaar, hundreds of years old, offers a little bit of everything from fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, spices, and souvenirs.
We chatted and laughed our way through some of the food sellers where it would have been fun to taste but we had a date with a restaurant in the harbor for a meal of fresh seafood and the typical dips and bread that came up a meal in this part of the world. As you can see we had quite the treat in store for us.
Kibbutzim are going through a transformation in Israel. Some are extremely successful and continue to operate and others that are not as financially successful are finding other ways to succeed.
We got to visit one and get a tour and chat with some of the locals.
Israeli wine has been produced since biblical times. Given the nature of the various rulers who came and went the wine production business went through some ups and downs as well. Today, it’s a thriving industry and Israel produces about 10 million bottles per year.
We got to visit the Somek Estate winery in the Zichron Ya’akov area for an unbelievable experience. The family vineyard has been cultivated since 1882 and is run by a husband-and-wife team. We also got to meet their delightful daughter who came over to practice her English with us when she got back from school.
A homemade spread using recipes from their ancestors was all part of a delightful wine tasting experience.
The Jezreel Valley spread out in front of us while we were at Mount Precipice.
At the Yigal Allon Museum. We went to see the boat recovered from the Sea of Galilee that is referred to as the Jesus Boat. While that was intriguing in itself what I really appreciated was some of this art on the outside inspired by local students and artists of all the different faiths and cultures that reside in Israel today.
This bench brought to mind the colorful benches in the Gaudi Park Guell in Barcelona.
The first sighting of the Sea of Galilee. We had hoped for our first sighting from the Mount of the Beatitudes where Jesus preached his first sermon but as it turned out that the morning was overcast and hazy and it wasn’t until later that we caught our first glimpse. In the distance the hazy mountains are the famous Golan Heights.
Again, we did not actually take to the water in a boat but from the back of the Yigal Allon Museum we could see a couple of boats on the water.
It was windy, and hazy with the evening fast approaching and we had been all day on the road stopping at various points as we stopped at this lookout point for our first true glimpse of the fabled golden city of Jerusalem.