update: part 2

Friday:

On Friday morning, I woke up and then called Kerry to wake him up, and we headed out on an adventure to the Bahai gardens. I also packed my bags to go straight to the train station before Shabbat started. I’m still not used to having the weekends on Friday and Saturday, but it’s starting to grow on me.

We hopped onto the 37 bus, and rode up the Carmel. We got off around the Carmel Centre, then walked along the panoramic scenery street until we got to the top of the Bahai Gardens. I was so excited to finally see the gardens. When we got there, I was awestruck. It is absolutely beautiful! We entered the top gates, but we were only allowed to go down two levels. I was a bit disappointed that we weren’t allowed to actually enter the whole garden and walk around. We arrived there around 11:00 am, and the only way you could walk down the gardens was if you payed for a tour, and just my luck, the last tour was at 12:00pm, which would have been too late for me ( I would have missed the last train before shabbat..) So, we took some pictures, enjoyed the gorgeous view, and then carried on our little adventure.

We walked back to the Carmel centre through two parks. The first was called the Dan Panoramic park I believe- it wasn’t anything special. The second park we walked through was where the zoo is. We didn’t have time to go to the zoo, but maybe I will go one day  next week after work. There was also a pretty carousel, and naturally I got quite excited, but it was closed. Oh well!

We carried on in hope of having some sushi for lunch, but our usual spot wasn’t open yet. We carried on walking around, browsing some shops and some bakeries, and then decided to go to Greg, a coffee shop chain in Haifa. Boy, am I happy we went there! I experience my very first Shakshuka! It was awesome. After we were done our lunch, I bought some freshly baked sweet rolls from the bakery ( they literally just came out of the over- the smell was too divine), and then caught the bus directly to Bat Galim train station.

I caught the train to Binyamina, where I switched over to another train, and headed to Netanya. At the station, after going out of the wrong exit then having to jump the gate, I met up with Alec Saul, one of my father’s good friends from South Africa. He was so sweet- he told me that he would be wearing a green cap and red socks with sandals so that I would recognize him. It was really nice finally getting to meet him. We caught the bus to the bus station, then walked about 45 minutes to his apartment. We walked through the Shook, and it was quite hectic- everyone was buying things before Shabbat started.

Once we got to his apartment, I met his sweet wife Guti. Apparently, she lived one street away from my grandparents in SA on Aida street for many years. I showed her some pictures of them, and she said she defiantely recognized them from their shul. What a small world! And, to add to that, it turns out that the first house that Alec and Guti bought in SA was from my Uncle Cyril! I mean, talk about coincedince.

I spent the afternoon with Guti and Alec in their apartment, doing sudoku and speaking on skype with my father. I then met their religious grandson Rafi, and their daughter Ava ( Rafi’s mother). They reminded me a lot of my family- the way they interacted and everything. They also played chazzones music and had many Judaic pictures and lots of books on the walls. It reminded me of home.

After Rafi came back from shul, we all sat together and had Shabbat dinner together. It was really nice taking part in their Shabbat dinner. They were all so nice to me.

 Once we finished eating, I got picked up by my mother’s lifelong friend Marcie, and her little doggy Honey. She lives in a little village/moshav right outside of Netanya, as does her Mother and brothers. We stopped by her mother’s beautiful home to say hello for a little before we went to Marcie’s. I spent the night at Marcie’s lovely little home. She has decorated it so beautifully- full of beautiful things, intersting odds and ends, and I got such a warm and welcoming feeling when I was there. She really is the best.

After getting all cozy and ready for bed, I passed out from a long weeks worth of work, and had a wonderful sleep.

Saturday:

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go. I started the morning off with a welcoming shower, and then had a delicious breakfast with Marcie. I then packed up my things, and as we were heading out, marcie picked a fruit from her backyard tree and told me to try it- I can never remember the name- sort of like louquat? similar to sounding like kumquat.. The fruits actually look like a kumquat, but they aren’t citrus- they’re similar to an apricot, but juicier, and you can peal their skin. They are SO good!

We left Marcie’s with Honey, and picked up Rona (Marcie’s mother), and then headed to their village’s farmers market. It was nice to see the whole village come out- it was full of people, food, music, goods.. It was a lot of fun.

We dropped Rona back at home, then headed North to the Druze village Dalyat Ha Carmel. It is right next to the Druze village I went to with Maya and shira a couple of weeks ago ( Isifiya ). We took the scenic route through the Carmel Mountains- it was absolutely beautiful. You could see the hundreds of years old olive, cyprus, and eucalytpus trees. It felt as if you were in biblical times going through the moutains.

Once we got to the village, we walked around all of the shops, where they sold all sorts of scarves, jewelery, and other goods. It was really packed with people, so we decided to leave and head towards Akko.

The roads were surprisingly quiet today. Marcie said she thinks everyone is getting ready for Pessach, cleaning and cooking.. When we got to Akko, we headed straight towards the Old City. I was really happy that we went to Akko, seeing that there is so much history there. There was a time where the Roman empire (including Napolean), the Ottoman empire, the Greeks, the British, and now the Jewish, Arab, and Christians all controlled it. It is one of the oldest port cities in the country. When you walk down the cobble stone streets in the Shook it feels as if you’re in ancient times. It reminds me a lot of the old city in Jerusalem. The shook itself was all Arab though. The first thing we did when we were walking towards the old city was stop at a local bakery and get traditional Knaafeh- the goat cheese and saffron syrup soaked dessert. It was so good, but so sweet. Marcie said it was one of the best ones she’s ever had, meaning it must have been a real good one.

We then walked through the streets, and we stopped again to get freshly squeezed sugar cane juice- Marcie got quite excited. We shared 1 drink in 2 cups- I really didn’t like it. I took one sip and knew I wouldn’t finish it. Marcie had the same reaction, so after two sips we put our drinks down and carried on our walk. We walked through the streets, passed all the vendors, and stumbled upon one of the most famous Turkish coffee vendors in the world I believe. His store was full of spices and ancient grinders, and the famous man himself was behind the stall serving customers. He seemed quite full of it, if you ask me. We took some pictures, then were asked to leave, since we had Honey with us, and we gladly did so. We carried on walking passed the sweet and spize vendors, the scarves and Nargila stands, the fish and vegetable stalls, and just embraced the whole atmosphere. There was such a happening buzz there, lively and full of people. I really love going to the market- it just feels so authentic and so much more interesting than globalized shopping malls.

We walked and walked, and stopped to buy some nougat with dried fruits. We walked along the walls of Akko which were against the sea front, and carried on until we stopped for an authentic Arabic lunch. We got freshly made, warm, delicious Hummus, and a kebab with salad. We were still quite full from the Knaafeh, so we ate as much as we could and then gave some to Honey, and then took some of the left overs for the stray cats in the streets ( I know what you’re all thinking, and yes, of course I would!! )

We walked back through the market place to the car, and found that we left the lights on. We were a bit worried that the car wouldn’t start, but thankfully it did. We left Akko towards Haifa, where we got a bit lost, but eventually ended up right near Wadi Nisnas and the main street of the German Colony, which is the one part of Haifa I actually recognize. Marcie dropped me off, and came into our little grimy apartment. I kept describing her just how bad our apartment was, so I insisted she saw it for herself. The second she walked in she laughed and gave me a hug.. enough said!

After a long and wonderful day, I am ready to hit the sack. I have the only key for the apartment, meaning, I have to wait up until one of my other roomates come back, which doesn’t look like it will be any time soon. Sigh.

Tomorrow we are back on the ambulances, and I plan to go visit my Uncle Benny in Afula. It will be a long day!

I think I will go take a nice warm shower now.

Lots of love

SjjT xoxo

March 20, 2010. Israel- During MDA.