And I do mean up...and up...and up and down...and down...and down. Today I think we ascended or descended most of Haifa, starting with a hike up to the top of Mt. Carmel.
Haifa is a very congenial town, with the modest areas down near the harbor (where we are staying). As you go uphill, where it's cooler, the neighborhoods get increasingly affluent. And greener. Bougainvillea grow tall and lush in this climate:
Guided by Google Maps, we set off for the Bahai Gardens and the shrine of the founder of the religion, and soon found ourselves going the long, long way. A passerby told us it was too far to walk, but we eventually arrived and--by amazing good luck--arrived at the right place at the right time. The gardens and the shrine are incredible, for both the landscaping and the extraordinary views:
After the gardens, we walked down, down, down to the street you can see running from the shrine to the harbor. We were looking for lunch, but that main thoroughfare was too fancy for the likes of us, so we turned into the Arab quarter and--joy!--found a great Middle Eastern food joint that served amazing hummus, babaganoush, salads, etc. We pigged out, with great enthusiasm!
My friends who are tired of hearing me whine about the cold will be happy to hear that I'm hot (and happy). Our AirBnb rental is simple, but in the center of everything:
It was a great day. A perfect introduction to the trip. Tomorrow we--tremble--are going to rent a car. After seeing the driving--and even worse, the parking--in this town I'm madly screwing up my courage now.
What beautiful vistas! You are going to be in great shape, Marsha ��. Hope the driving goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteAdore the bougainvillea picture!
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