Continuing North . . .

Day 19: A visit with history around Haifa. Based on a phone call from our tour guide we followed his recommendation and headed to Zippori National Park. We spent many hours walking around the park and looking at beautifully excavated mosaic floors built by the Romans. We were amazed at how well preserved the floors were and the intricate designs on each floor. In addition to the Cardo (market) and many houses we got to see an ancient synagogue and the many designs on the floor. The kids also got to go inside a Crusader fort where they learned the importance of the size and shape of the windows. The day continued with a quick lunch - you guessed it: falafel. At this time we think Avi can write a guide book on “Where to find the best falafel in Israel” and we have only been here for 3 weeks.

We continued our day with a trip to Bet Sher’arim to look at the catacombs. Bet Sher’arim was one of the premium places to be buried from about the fourth through 15th centuries. We quickly walked the trail and read the many signs explaining what was located in the catacombs based on the inscriptions found in the caves. We were able to go into some of the catacombs and see some of the tombs and artwork, and although a bit creepy, it was also very interesting. The weather was beautiful and the kids enjoyed some time playing tag on the grass.

We finished our day with a nice walk around Ein Hod, looking at the art and visiting some of the studios of the local artists. The kids watched one of the artists paint a plate, and they also played with the dog of another local artist. The community is peaceful. We ate a nice dinner prepared by Scott on the patio overlooking the beautiful mountainside. All in all, our visit to Ein Hod was fast but lovely. We spent the rest of the evening packing and relaxing.

Day 20: We Meet Our Tour Guide. We awoke from our last night in Ein Hod, packed the car, and headed to the train station to pick up our guide. We had decided to work with a guide for some of our time in the North, plus a few days in Jerusalem, Massada, and the Dead Sea. Raz (our guide) turned out to be an experienced guide who is working on his masters in Jewish History and who immediately bonded with the kids. We drove directly to the ancient city of Akko (often called Acre in English) to see the ancient Crusader City located below Akko. Much of the Crusader City was not even discovered until the last decade and sections were not excavated until this year. While Monica and Scott had seen Akko 11 years ago for our honeymoon trip, the city was now completely different. It was an incredible experience to climb down steps to 20-25 feet below the current city level and enter huge halls previously occupied by the Crusaders. The largest hall uncovered thus far has 20 foot high ceilings and it stretches for dozens of yards in each direction. We then walked through long, narrow tunnels to travel the escape routes used by the Crusaders.

For lunch we ate at a local restaurant that served only hummus – three types of hummus, but only hummus. Avi of course ate his millionth meal of Falafel. We then got in the car and went to Rosh Hanikra on the border with Lebanon. We rode in a cable car down to the sea and walked through natural caverns formed by eons of waves crashing against the soft limestone cliffs. We also had a chance to see the old railway tunnel dug by the British that has been closed since the War of Independence. We then ended the day with an hour or so at a small lagoon on the Sea, giving the kids a chance to get out some energy and look for sea creatures. In the evening we arrived at our next apartment, a small B&B in Rosh Pinna. The accommodations are great: a two bedroom apartment with a living room and balcony run by an Israeli grandmother names Nilli. But the best part of the B&B is the brand new pool which we promised the kids they would get to use tomorrow.

Day 21: The Curse of the Mazda 5. We awoke, showered, and rushed out onto our balcony where Nilli placed before us a traditional Israeli breakfast: salad, four types of cheese (two homemade), homemade strawberry jam, hot rolls, and omelets. Nilli was an absolute doll and her food was as good as we hoped. After breakfast we picked up Raz and headed off for Mount Moron (MORE-own), the highest point in pre-1967 Israel. On the way Scott hit a pothole and then we heard a woosh-woosh-woosh sound. Upon stopping, we discovered two bent rims with two flat tires. We changed the first with the spare, and then Raz left to hitch-hike into the nearest village with the bad tire. While he was gone we jacked up the car and took off the second bad tire. Upon Raz’s return with the first fixed tire, we replaced it for the second bad tire, and limped into the village where we had the second tire fixed. While the whole episode was an inconvenience, the kids got to learn how to change a tire (twice!) and our spirits were renewed by the village repair shop which only charged us 30 Shekels ($7.50).

We then headed out to Mount Moron and had a wonderful hour and a half hike during which we were able to see Lebanon pretty close, and the kids found ten different plant species and identified each from a field guide. Following the hike we headed for Peki’in, the only place in Israel to have been continuously populated by Jews for the last two thousand years. But on the way, we noticed a new scrape-scrape-scrape sound from the front tire. A bit of investigation allowed us to decide that it was not dangerous, and that we would visit a repair shop tomorrow. We ate lunch in Peki’in at a local shop where the kids made their own pita and we feasted on lentils, rice, beans, falafel, Israeli salad, and tabouli. Following lunch Scott dropped off Raz, Monica, and the kids at the top of the hill where they proceeded to walk through the village seeing an ancient synagogue and a cave inhabited by a Rabbi Bar Yohi centuries ago. After Scott picked up the group at the bottom of the hill we all headed to Sefat, where we toured some ancient synagogues and learned some of the folk lore. Then a quick trip back to Rosh Pinna, a jump in the pool for the kids, and off to bed for everyone.