Israel - Holy Cultures Day 5
Israel - Holy Cultures
Day 05 - Tuesday, October 19, 2010 - Optional Tour to Akko & Rosh HaNikra
We had breakfast this morning at the crowded hotel with 10,000 other pilgrims who seemed like they had not eaten for three years! I exaggerate? Maybe a little…
We began our day at 8:30 with a bright sunny day, 83º and 38% humidity. We were able to look down from our hotel into the Yizre’el Valley outside the Dead Sea Rift, a valley that has been fought over for centuries because of its strategic location.
The surrounding limestone hills are crowded with white stone or whitewashed stucco buildings. Over 80% of Nazareth is Muslim so the signs are in Arabic as well as Hebrew and the horizon is dotted with minarets of the Mosques.
Everyone elected to take advantage of the Optional Tour to north and west to Akko or Acre. On the way Carol from Idaho began reading a story of King Arthur and his Knights.
We reached Akko at 9:30 and began with a visit to the ancient walled city also known as the Crusader City of Acre. Ran led us through the Knight’s Halls, which were discovered as they built the modern city of Akko.
In the next level we entered an Ottoman Turkish bath house that was very well restored. We enjoyed a video production telling the story of Al-Jazzar and his reign over this region.
When we left the bath house, we were hot and thirsty so Ran bought us all a glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice that really hit the spot! The sun was high and it was 86º and 65% humidity.
There was a post office in the square so Gennie and a few others took advantage of the stop to purchase a few stamps for post cards. We made a brief walk through the Turkish Bazaar, but Ran reminded us we were not shopping, only looking and smelling.
Our walk led us to the beautiful Al-Jazzar Mosque, one of the largest in Israel. We were able to go into the entrance way and look at the inside as well as take photographs, but we were not allowed to walk on the carpets or go into the prayer center.
Our next stop was the harbor and then a visit to the Hall of Columns, one of the first hotels where weary merchants could find food and shelter for themselves and their animals when they came to the city for trading during the Ottoman Era.
Our included lunch was at the Doniana Restaurant. We had a very delicious dinner of either fresh fish, chicken grilled on a skewer, or beef and lamb kabobs.
We returned to the bus at 1:45 and Carol finished reading the tale of King Arthur. After about 30 minutes we reached the Rosh HaNikra where we rode the cable car down to the edge of the sea.
These white limestone sea caves were originally carved by nature but during World War II there were huge tunnels and a railroad that was bored into the cliff side to transport war materials along the coast of Israel.
We watched a short video and then we traveled down the slippery walkways through these caves. We were able to photograph the turquoise blue water of the Mediterranean.
After our tour through the grotto Ran took us to the border with Lebanon that is now officially closed. We reached the UN demilitarized zone where no photos were allowed.
Gennie was able to talk to a young Israeli guard and shake his hand through the gate. She told him to keep his head down and to be safe. He laughed and thanked her for her concern and wished us all a good journey in Israel.
At 3:45 we began our drive back to Nazareth and our hotel. We arrived at 5:00 with plenty of time to do a little laundry and refresh ourselves before dinner.
Dinner was at our hotel, again in the busy dining room where we had a buffet with many choices of salads, main courses, and desserts.
After dinner we walked out to the pool area where we had a stimulating discussion with three Israeli pensioners who were very kind and asked questions about our upcoming elections and life in general in America.
In our travels we have learned that most of the people of the world are much more interested and informed about United States politics than we are about theirs. This is just another example of why we find traveling so enlightening.
Accommodations: Golden Crown Nazareth Hotel, Nazareth, IL - - - Meal: B, D
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Comments
Knight’s Hall - Akko
Fresh Pomegranate Juice
El Jazzar Mosque
Akko Harbor
Rosh HaNikra Grotto
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