Haifa, Israel (Day 2)

No tour today. After the past two long days on the bus we were happy to do some exploring on our own. By the number of buses – at least under half of what was on the pier yesterday – it appeared many other passengers had made the same decision.

The Bahá’í Gardens From the Bottom

We can see the Bahá’í gardens from our veranda so knew it would be walk-able, albeit uphill much of the way. These gardens, a 2008 addition to UNESCO list, are located in the heart of Haifa, and comprise a staircase of nineteen terraces extending all the way up the northern slope of Mount Carmel. The golden-domed Shrine of the Báb, the resting place of the Prophet-Herald of the Bahá’í Faith, stands on the central terrace.

Shrine of the Báb

Anyway after doing some extensive research on the net to see times of opening etc. off we went. It was a pretty steep climb uphill in the sun but we made it. The gardens are beautiful and it is told there is never a single blade of grass out of place. At the bottom, we were met by security who informed us they were washing the stairs so we could only look from the bottom courtyard, and during normal opening you still can only walk up one flight of the 19 flights or down one if you start in the middle, unless you are on a tour and then you get to walk around a bit more. That explains why we haven’t seen people climbing up or down (basically enjoying the gardens).  We were disappointed and saddened that such a beautiful area is considered to be a potential target of terrorism to the point where it is effectively closed. There was one English speaking tour at noon but leaving from the top of the gardens (accessible via taxi/bus). With no Israeli currency in our possession or ATM we could find, we just took pictures and made our way back to the ship via the German Colony (a section of Haifa) and downtown. The parking situation in Israel is crazy. We witnessed it here as well in some other cities we visited. Drivers just pull up on the sidewalk or into any small space they can find.

No Parking Spot? No Problem!

We did see an outlet mall so decided to take a look. We were met by a security guard who went through the camera case and Norma’s purse. Apparently this is a normal situation here but once again were saddened that the Israeli people need to make this a part of their life. There never seems to be a peaceful day here – even yesterday the Israelis tracked and destroyed a drone which invaded their air space. They are also watching Syria very carefully as they share a border. A quote from our tour guide Shai - "we live for today as we are never sure about tomorrow". Pretty sad way to live. We look forward to sailing to peaceful Cyprus tomorrow (peaceful? Cyprus? an oxymoron you say? we shall see).

Another observation is how dirty it is here. There is garbage everywhere, which is probably why the Bahia gardens are so refreshing. We even witnessed a driver in Nazareth just open his window and throw out a plastic cup onto the busy street. The ditches on the sides of the roads are full of bottles, bags and cans. It would take hundreds of container ships to even make a dent in all the rubble. We wonder if the same situation applies here as in Mexico where the natives throw away their containers because culturally they are supposed to rot.  Unfortunately plastic cups are not coconut shells or gourds. 

Downtown Haifa