Pre-School Getaway & 3-month Anniversary

  Nehariya, Israel
Tuesday, September 4, 2007

August 30, 2007

Evette has been working really hard on a paper she is writing, literally day & night.  So, with school starting on Sunday, September 2, I decided to whisk her away for a short getaway before school gets into full swing.  Evette's schedule will have her leaving the house sometimes before 7am & not returning until 10pm on some nights.  She has a really full schedule. 

We left to pick up our rental car this morning & got there right when they opened.  As expected, we still had to wait because, as the man stated "the car is in the washing machine."  Hmmm?  Interesting.    First stop was Nahariya, in Northern Israel, right on the Western Coast.  Nahariya was founded by the German Jews in the mid-1930's.  It is a popular Israeli honeymoon spot, they say because archaeologists dug up a Canaanite fertility goddess on its beach.  So, after we checked into the hotel, we went off to find the Montfort Castle, located in Goren Park.  We had to park & then hike a little to get to this view.  Montfort Castle was built in the 12th century by French Crusaders & is the largest ruin in western Galilee.  There is a 4-5 hour hike you can take that leads right to the castle where you can explore & wander.  We might try it in the spring.  For right now, we enjoyed the view. 

The 2006 Lebanon War, known in Lebanon as the July War and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War, was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel.  This summer marks the 1 year anniversary of this conflict.  When we were at Goren Park, there were hundreds of people gathered there.  We asked some people & it was a remembrance ceremony for all the relatives & friends of the Israeli paratroopers who were killed in this conflict.  The woman we spoke to said we were welcome to stay for the actual service that would have been in 1 hour.  We were torn, but after watching & listening to the emotion around us, I felt like we were intruding on a very personal, private event.  I think because only 1 year had passed, the emotions were very high. 

We left Goren Park & proceeded to attempt to find a landmark called the Rainbow Arch.  We drove everywhere, trying to follow the guidebook instructions, but could not find it.  So, we gave up, as it had been a long day of driving and exploring.  On our way back to the hotel, we parked & walked around the town of Nehariya to find dinner.  We found this little place called Soncho, with only about 3-4 tables outside, with the best burrito we ever had.  The flavor was so tasty; we could not stop raving to the owner.  He said that even when he has had visitors from Mexico, they rave about his food.  He said he combines Mexican with a little traditional Mediterranean.  YUMMY!!  We wandered around some of the shops & then turned in to rest up for our upcoming full day of adventure.

August 31, 2007

We got up early, had breakfast & headed off to Rosh Hanikra, which is Israel's northernmost coastal limit.  We saw a film explaining the history of this area.  Over the years, the sea has eaten into the soft pale sandstone & the cliffs are now riddled with little holes and tunnels that wind through the rocks.  For a long time, the Rosh Hanikra mountain range has been an obstacle for those who needed to travel along the shoreline. In 1940s, the British army dug three tunnels through the three cliffs of Rosh Hanikra and built railway bridges linking the tunnels - the Haifa-Beirut railway passed here. During the War of Independence (1948), the bridges were blown up by Jewish partisans.

The first, southern tunnel, and half of the second, middle tunnel, is now in the Israeli territory; the rest is Lebanese. A small tourist "train" can take you to the southern tunnel and the reconstructed railway bridge. Then you walk through a passage hewn in the rock, which leads you down to the natural grottoes.

We did not take the train but descended to the entrance in a cable car.  The steep cable car line connects the grottoes with the top of the cliff (the upper station is near the Israel-Lebanon border crossing).  This was really quite amazing.  Especially since I've been here in Israel, I've become quite fascinated with natural wonders of the world, caves, grottoes, etc... 

So, here we are, right at the border of Israel & Lebanon.  So close to another country; literally steps, yet it is not safe for us to enter.  What a sad shame. 

On continues our adventure as we leave the grotto area.  We see a coastal road that runs right along the shore, so of course, we venture along.  We were able to drive several kilometers along this road.  We got out and sat on the rocks by the water for awhile, and drove along the beach to the end of the road where it meets up with the highway once again.  As we exit the area, we see that we were in Akhziv Beach.  Akhziv existed when Joshua assigned the tribes of Israel to their various territories, and is mentioned in the Bible as a Canaanite town that the tribe of Asher, to whom it was allotted, was never able to conquer.

On the way back to Nehariya, we once again attempted to find the Rainbow Arch I previously mentioned.  The guidebook gave what seemed like specific directions.  We drove to the left, the right; we could not find it anywhere.  We stopped in the town of Shlomi for lunch.  Shlomi  has been the target of Hezbollah attacks, where they launched Katyusha rocket attacks on May 11, 2005, Israel's Independence Day, and repeated the attack on Israel's Independence Day in 2006.  It was again the target of rocket attacks on July 12, 2006, a diversion to facilitate the killing of three soldiers and kidnapping two others, which sparked the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

I was really disappointed that we did not see the Rainbow Arch, as the picture in the book is beautiful.  When I bought these guidebooks, months before we came here, I saw the picture & told Evette she had to take me there.   

September 1, 2007

Last day of our getaway, so we pack up the room, get in the car & head to find the Rainbow Arch.  Yes, we are VERY determined.  Of course, we now have asked the hotel manager for directions.  We had asked several other people along the way, but either they never heard of it or the language barrier was too great.  So, we found it.  It was NO WHERE NEAR where the guidebook said it was.  It was in Adamit National Park, several miles straight up a mountain.  "Adamit, we passed this area a few times before!"  Well, it was very, very worth it.  We had to hike down the mountain, following the footpath.  We knew we had arrived because this is what we saw: Check out the other photo's in my photo album, as it is quite an amazing, intriguing piece of nature.  It used to be a cave.  Over time, the cliff edge dissolved, leaving this spectacular arch.  This is also a very popular place for the more adventurous to rappel down the side of.  We like to think we are adventurous, but not that adventurous!

We now have to hike back up the mountain.  It was HOT, HOT, HOT, and very humid, unlike Jerusalem.  I got sunburned for the first time since we've been here. 

Driving back down the mountain we saw several caves.  The most unusual sight we saw was this:   Odd?  I'd say!  When we reached the bottom of the mountain, we saw the cow herder with 30-40 cows.  Evette got out to inform him that one of his cows was WAY up the mountain.  He apparently knew which cow it was & said to Evette "that's what he wants to do.  I can't make him come with me."  Alrighty then! 

Now off to next stop; Akko, also spelled Acre.  Akko is among the world's oldest known seaports.  This historic waterfront quarter includes a mass of stone structures, beautiful archways, mosques, are all a magnificent sight.  Akko has 4000 years of history, full of extraordinary stories about its destruction and rebuilding. It was home to both Alexander the Great and Hercules. Greek conquerors, Syrians, Egyptians and crusaders have also called this tiny Mediterranean fishing village home. Marco Polo, Napoleon and Richard the Lion Heart are thought to have wandered through here. Taken, lost & retaken by Egyptian pharaohs, it became a Phoenician city.  Old Akko is a port surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean and is made up of stone buildings and winding alleys, surrounded by a sea wall. It is mainly run by Arabs, whereas the more modern Akko, situated outside the walls, is run by Jews. Old Akko was actually built eight meters on top of an even older Akko, made up of tunnels, alleys and basements dating back to the crusades. A large section of it is still buried, but ongoing excavations are exposing more of it every year. There is so much history here, if you are interested, check out  www.akko.org.il .  We went on a walking tour & saw Khan El Omdan (the Inn of the Pillars), the Templars Tunnel , the Crusader Fortress of the Knights of the Hospital & the Ottoman-Turkish Citadel of Akko, the Prisoners Hall, El Jazzar Mosque , and many other sections of the Old City of Akko.  The Templars Tunnel was only just discovered in 1994.  A woman who lived inside the Old City walls was having plumbing problems.  When they started digging underground to find the pipes, they discovered this 1050 foot long tunnel that leads from the port in the east to the fortress in the western part of the city.  This tunnel was carved into the bedrock has been open to the public since August of 1999.  The Templars, who were also known as the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, built this tunnel. In the second half of the 12th century they built their quarter in the southwestern part of Akko. To maintain a fixed groundwater level a special water pumping system had to be installed and a wooden walkway was constructed above the water so that when visitors walk they can see the water on either side of the walkway. The water, by the way, is fresh water and not salt water as one might expect.

So, we wandered through the maze of the Old City.  We drank freshly squeezed pomegranate juice that was being sold on literally every corner.  We saw an outdoor wedding where the groom was dressed in white, waiting for his bride.  We saw another odd sight.   I didn't get such a great picture, but I was quite surprised to see this & couldn't get my camera ready fast enough.  Cows walking up steep mountain roads, horses swimming in the Mediterranean, what's next??   

One of the things I found most interesting about this trip is how in the Northern part of Israel, you can go to a hotel, restaurant, tourist area, etc... and see Jews & Arabs appearing to live amongst each other.  This is not something you see in Jerusalem as much. 
 
So, as it is quite hot & humid & I am sunburned, we decide it's time to head back to Jerusalem.  After driving for awhile, we realize we are not on the right route.  With map in hand, Evette navigates me in the right direction.  If we would have continued down the coast as we were driving, we would have come to the Gaza Strip.  As we are driving back towards the center of the country, where we belong, Evette realizes we are now in Netanya, where her cousins live.  So, we make a surprise visit.  It was very nice as Evette has not seen them since she left Israel almost 2 ½ years ago.  They were very happy for us & welcomed me right into the family.  It worked out well, because her 1 cousin is a student at Hebrew University, Mount Scopus, which is only 20-30 minutes from our apartment.  She was getting ready to take the long bus ride back to school, so we happily offered her a ride. 

Hebrew word of the week: b'tayavon = bon appetite

Song quote that inspires me the most:
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inner visions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten Lyrics