Train Trip to Haifa
February 10-12, 2006
After class on Friday morning I caught the train from Jerusalem west to the coast at Tel Aviv and then north along the Mediterranean coast to Haifa. The city of Haifa is the third largest city in Israel after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with a population of 250,000. There is a saying in Israel that goes: "In Jerusalem we pray, in Tel Aviv we play, and in Haifa we work." Haifa is a working city and quite different from Jerusalem in that it is much more secular. Haifa is situated on a point of land that is the western terminus for the Carmel mountain range.
My hotel was located on the top of the mountain in the part of the city known as Carmel. This was the only weekend where I had both Saturday and Sunday free and not wanting to waste two precious days I decided to experience this northwest part of the country. Mount Carmel is synonymous with richness and fertility. Its very name, in Hebrew, means 'vineyard'. Sacred to Jews and Christians alike, Mount Carmel also holds great significance for Baha'is as their spiritual and administrative centre. Near my hotel was the famous Baha’i Shrine in which is buried the remains of Siyyid Ali Muhamad, known as the Báb, one of the two founders of the Baha'i religion. Surrounding the Shrine are the spectacular Baha'i Gardens, begun in 1909 and nurtured ever since.
Elijah, the Old Testament prophet figures large in the past of the Carmel mountains. Carmel was the focal point of Elijah's activity, the cave in which he lived and taught others has since become a pilgrimage site for believers of the three main religions. Today the Stella Maris Monastery stands over the cave and I saw the cave which is built into the altar of the church’s sanctuary.
Not to leave the touristy items completely off my agenda I rode the cable car from the top of Mount Carmel down to Haifa’s welcoming beaches where I spent some glorious time simply strolling the boardwalk and the sandy beach.
On Sunday morning I hired a taxi driver whom I had met on Friday to take me to "Muhraqa" a location some 25kms east at the opposite end of the Carmel mountains range. At this site the prophet Elijah entered into a contest with the prophets of Baal, Baal being the local god of the Canaaite people. Elijah won the contest (and it is a wonderful story to read) and had all the Baal, prophets slaughtered which upset Queen Jezebel who prefer the religion of Baal. At Muhraqa one can look over the Jezreel Valley running southeasterly. On a clear day one can see Nazareth on the opposite side of the valley. My driver returned me to a Haifa train station where I travelled further north to the ancient port town of Akko which is rather unique in Israel because it is a largely Turkish town. It is also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here I toured the citadel, the Templar Tunnel, walked a part of the sea walls and browsed the Turkish Bazaar before catching a south bound train and returned to Jerusalem.
In Israel, Sunday is a very busy day since it is the first day of the work week (not Monday). The trains were full and lively with 80% of the occupants being 18 and 19 year old soldiers, both female and male who are completing their mandatory military service with the Israeli Defence Force. I was a definite minority on three accounts: 1) I speak only English, 2) I am Christian, and 3) I did not have a military issue assault rifle over my shoulder. Still the rides were most interesting with curious questions being asked of me by truly interested young people wondering where I was from, why I was in Israel, and what did I think of Israel.
After class on Friday morning I caught the train from Jerusalem west to the coast at Tel Aviv and then north along the Mediterranean coast to Haifa. The city of Haifa is the third largest city in Israel after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with a population of 250,000. There is a saying in Israel that goes: "In Jerusalem we pray, in Tel Aviv we play, and in Haifa we work." Haifa is a working city and quite different from Jerusalem in that it is much more secular. Haifa is situated on a point of land that is the western terminus for the Carmel mountain range.
My hotel was located on the top of the mountain in the part of the city known as Carmel. This was the only weekend where I had both Saturday and Sunday free and not wanting to waste two precious days I decided to experience this northwest part of the country. Mount Carmel is synonymous with richness and fertility. Its very name, in Hebrew, means 'vineyard'. Sacred to Jews and Christians alike, Mount Carmel also holds great significance for Baha'is as their spiritual and administrative centre. Near my hotel was the famous Baha’i Shrine in which is buried the remains of Siyyid Ali Muhamad, known as the Báb, one of the two founders of the Baha'i religion. Surrounding the Shrine are the spectacular Baha'i Gardens, begun in 1909 and nurtured ever since.
Elijah, the Old Testament prophet figures large in the past of the Carmel mountains. Carmel was the focal point of Elijah's activity, the cave in which he lived and taught others has since become a pilgrimage site for believers of the three main religions. Today the Stella Maris Monastery stands over the cave and I saw the cave which is built into the altar of the church’s sanctuary.
Not to leave the touristy items completely off my agenda I rode the cable car from the top of Mount Carmel down to Haifa’s welcoming beaches where I spent some glorious time simply strolling the boardwalk and the sandy beach.
On Sunday morning I hired a taxi driver whom I had met on Friday to take me to "Muhraqa" a location some 25kms east at the opposite end of the Carmel mountains range. At this site the prophet Elijah entered into a contest with the prophets of Baal, Baal being the local god of the Canaaite people. Elijah won the contest (and it is a wonderful story to read) and had all the Baal, prophets slaughtered which upset Queen Jezebel who prefer the religion of Baal. At Muhraqa one can look over the Jezreel Valley running southeasterly. On a clear day one can see Nazareth on the opposite side of the valley. My driver returned me to a Haifa train station where I travelled further north to the ancient port town of Akko which is rather unique in Israel because it is a largely Turkish town. It is also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here I toured the citadel, the Templar Tunnel, walked a part of the sea walls and browsed the Turkish Bazaar before catching a south bound train and returned to Jerusalem.
In Israel, Sunday is a very busy day since it is the first day of the work week (not Monday). The trains were full and lively with 80% of the occupants being 18 and 19 year old soldiers, both female and male who are completing their mandatory military service with the Israeli Defence Force. I was a definite minority on three accounts: 1) I speak only English, 2) I am Christian, and 3) I did not have a military issue assault rifle over my shoulder. Still the rides were most interesting with curious questions being asked of me by truly interested young people wondering where I was from, why I was in Israel, and what did I think of Israel.
posted by Philip | 1:28 p.m.
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