Baha' i Gardens in Haifa

From our room at the Dan Panorama in Haifa,  there is a view of some very interesting structures.

These stand as part of the Baha'i Gardens, which are officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I had spotted the entrance to the gardens while hiking by and learned that there was an English tour at noon today.  So, I made that my top priority for the day, despite the obvious haze in the sky.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but when we arrived, we could barely see the skyscrapers in Tel Aviv as we drove by.  We soon learned that the area has been experiencing a lot of dust storms, which are exactly that…..dust. Not so great for an asthmatic, but I was sure to bring my inhaler.

We had couple of clear days, but it was obvious when I awoke this morning, that today was not going to be one of them.  But, that certainly didn't stop me from setting out to see the gardens.

Let me offer a brief explanation about this place.

The Gardens are considered to be a holy place of pilgrimage for followers of the Baha'i Faith.  The premise of their faith is that all religions are united and stem from God equally.  It is believed that all significant religious leaders (Mohammed, Christ, Buddha, Moses, etc. and Baha'i Allah) are messengers from God sent at different times of history.
The gold-domed building is a shrine which holds the remains of the Bab, who was a herald for Baha'i Allah.

I was sure to be at the gate way before noon, as I did not want to miss the opportunity to walk through the gardens.  While waiting, I met a very lovely young lady from Australia, who is a lawyer, but took 10 months off to tour the world.  She certainly had some interesting stories to share while we waited in line.

When the gate opened, I was surprised to see how many people had congregated.  Were there really that many English speaking tourists in the area?  Where had they been hiding?

One woman asked, in Spanish, if she could have a Spanish tour.  The sign outside distinctly spelled out that today's noon tour would be in English.  Come to think of it, the sign was written in Hebrew, Arabic and English…not Spanish…so perhaps she was confused.

But as I stood in line, I heard people speaking in a vast array of languages.  Very few were actually speaking English.  The group was so large that it had to be split into two with different tour guides.

First, we were given the rules:  no food, no gum, no drinks,  cell phones must be turned off.  Since it was  a shrine, modest clothes were a must. And, absolutely everyone must stick with the tour.  There were to be NO wanderers!!

 There were 700 steps and we were free to take photos, but it was suggested that we not attempt to photograph while walking down the stairs.  That seemed reasonable.

The gardens were amazing, laid out on this terraced area of Mt. Carmel.

The curved shrubbery added a distinct charm between gardens.

and the array of colors with cedar really accented the hills.

About half way down,  we stopped to take some photos.  Here you see an administrative building that holds the religious archives for the faith.  That, of course,  impressed me. It was built in the 1950's to model the Parthenon and we were told that every religious document from the foundation are enclosed in the building.

At this point, the guide gave us some interesting details.  There are 2200 lights along the paths in the garden, and they are lit every night as soon as the sun begins to set.  Before the Bab was tortured to death, he had been held in a prison without light for 3 years.  As a result, the garden was planned to always be lit, either by day and the sunshine, or by night with the lights, so that the Bab would never have to experience darkness again.

There was also a lot of water, some cascading down the recessed sides of the steps and some spraying in numerous fountains in the gardens.

The guide told us that water was significant to the faith, because without water - there is no life.

As you look down the hill, you may notice that the gardens are set out symmetrically.  We were informed that symmetry symbolized equality.  And, since the faith believed that all religions are equal under the eyes of God, that was the purpose of the preciseness in this part of the garden.

As we got to the bottom though, I did wonder about those cedar trees in front of the shrine

It doesn't seem symmetric to me.

It was at this point that the tour guide informed us that we would be continuing down to the bottom and that we needed to exit at the gate.

Let me just say that this was NOT in my plans!  Someone then asked about walking around the paths, and it was then made clear that the only way to see the gardens was by tour.  This could explain why the guide became annoyed when a couple went walking down one of the pathways while she was talking.  The rule about sticking with the group was now making sense.

 I honestly had not realized this, and had originally planned to go back another day and just walk around without the tour.

And now it became clear to me just why there were so many Non-English speaking people on the tour!
They just wanted to see the gardens!  I would consider this for another day, but my luck would have it that the guide would ask me something in Arabic, and I'd have to fake being mute.  Probably NOT a good idea.

So, I was a bit disappointed that I had not taken more photos while on the tour, but that paled in comparison to my sudden realization that I would have to once again make  my way up that hill to the hotel.

But we weren't being rushed out, so I spent some time admiring the gardens at the base of the shrine.

The desert garden was definitely interesting.

and I loved the combination of colors

and these rows were certainly unique.

At the very bottom, I could get a closeup shot of the shrine.

As I headed towards the exit, I watched these two very entertaining women attempting to photograph each other at the same spot in the gardens.  They were a bit rolly polly, and kind of waddled when they ran, and they were certainly having a grand time.

I asked them if they would like me to take a picture of the two of them together.  (remember…this was the English speaking tour.)  Neither understood me.

So, I motioned with my camera.  Well…….you should have seen their faces light up!

 The one woman handed me her point and shoot, and began running around the flower garden.  Her friend was about half way around, when she came running back, and hurriedly handed me her fancy camera, pointed to the button, and quickly ran to join her friend.

I photographed them with each camera, and, if you ask me, the photos came out great!

The next thing I knew, one of the women spotted my camera and wanted to take my photo.  Well, how could I refuse that offer?

So, she took this:

I thanked her and went to take my camera, but this woman was clearly ready for a photo shoot.

She placed me next to this plant, pointed the camera at me and said "Cheers!" OK, so I went along with it.

Then, she grabbed my arm and stuck me in a different place so that the shrine would be behind my head.  (I've cropped the photo so that you can actually see the shrine.)

This time she said "Cheese". 

And she would not take the photo until I actually said Cheese, which explains my facial expression.

This lady was a real hoot, and would probably have gone on for quite some time as she seemed to really be enjoying this opportunity to show off her photography skills.

I sensed an Eastern European sound to their speech, and, on a whim, asked "Kde ste?" Which means "where are you from" in Slovak.  Well, she understood me and said "Rusyn", which I knew to be Russia.

Unfortunately, that was about the limit of my communication abilities with her.  We smiled at each other and waved good-bye and I went off on my journey to climb the mountain.

And, obviously, I made it to the top.  But, I've got to say……it wasn't easy!

Haifa and THE Mount Carmel

I don't know if I mentioned it, but we are staying in a hotel in Haifa, high on a hill, on Mt. Carmel.  Since we live near a town named Mt. Carmel at home, I never gave much thought to the religious significance behind the name. Today would show things in a whole new light.

Today is Ash Wednesday,  when I would generally go to Mass and receive the blessing with ashes on my forehead.  But I wasn't having much luck finding a Catholic Church in the area that had any web information regarding Lenten schedules.

So I decided to walk the 2 + miles to the Carmelite Monastery named Stella Maris, located a bit downhill from out hotel.

At first, I was a bit confused as I continued to walk downhill in search of this shrine.  The literature stated that this shrine featured spectacular views over Haifa.  Shouldn't I be climbing up in elevation instead of going down?

 Suddenly, I realized that with our hotel on the top of the peak of the mountain, the chance of finding better views was going to be pretty slim.

It took me quite awhile to find the church, as the only entrance was near the peak of the cliff overlooking the city of Haifa.  When I spotted the Stella Maris lighthouse, I knew that I had to be close.

Just across the street stood my intended destination.

The front doors were open, so I entered the vestibule and was immediately greeted by a monk.  I said hello and asked him if the church would be distributing ashes during the day.  He motioned to me to wait while he went to ask.  In the meantime,  I stood in the vestibule and admired the beautiful interior of the church.

Above the altar sits a lovely Madonna, carved from cedar of Lebanon. 

Below, stands what looks like a cave, and when you walk down into that area, you will see a statue of Elijah adorning a lower altar.  Of course, I was intrigued.

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In the meantime, the monk returned, this time with a silver dish filled with Ashes..   I suddenly realized that he had brought the ashes in answer to my query, and before I knew it, he was making the sign of the cross on my forehead!  Ok, so this wasn’t what I had expected, but it certainly served the purpose as far as I was concerned.

There would be no Lenten services at the church today, and Mass is limited to one per day, generally spoken in Arabic.

I thanked the man for his help, and sat in prayer for few minutes.  As I was exiting the door, the monk appeared again as he was eager to share the history of the church.  He explained that the cave is believed to have been inhabited by Elias, known as Elijah.  He went on to mention that there was a second cave claimed by the Jews in the city.  But, that involved climbing down a steep hill, and that wasn't on my agenda for the day.  This "cave" was just fine by me!

The monk went on to talk about the Carmelite order, explaining that they were originally monastic hermits and they had come to this area in emulation of Elijah the Prophet. 

And THAT’s when it hit me…..I was standing on THE Mt. Carmel, the one we read of in the Old Testament.  The place where Elijah the Prophet lived and died.  This monk, who is originally from India, began to share his awe at being in this place “where it all started”, as he put it.  And I could feel it myself.

We went on to study an unusual monument in the shape of a pyramid.  

It is devoted to the many French soldiers who had been injured and left here when Napoleon retreated after his unsuccessful siege of Acre in 1799.  Those left behind were mercilessly slaughtered by the Turks.

The inscription, written in Latin, translates, “Mighty are the fallen in Battle”from King David’s lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. 2 Kings 1:  25.  I found it interesting to learn such a correlation. 

By now it was time to say good-bye to my new found mentor, and he bid me farewell with a smile.  I crossed the street, at his suggestion, to take in the views that are mentioned in the tour books regarding this area. 

The view was certainly beautiful, and I decided to reroute my way back to the hotel so that I could enjoy the vistas.

With map in hand, I set out onto Stella Maris Drive which looked like it linked up with a cross road that would take me back up the mountain.

Along the way, I spotted something moving along the bushes on the cliff.  Believe it or not…they were sheep! Look carefully, and you'll spot them near the lower right of the photo.

Considering how metropolitan this area is, that was the last thing I would have expected to spy!  They were scurrying off at pretty fast speed, that's for sure.

As I continued along the drive, a floral scent kept wafting by as I walked,and I soon realized that it was emanating from these yellow flowers.

The scent was quite similar to that of honeysuckle, and it was quite pleasant to smell.  You know the saying…..you've got to stop and smell the flowers.  And, actually, it was nice having the break!

As I continued to look up at cliffs, I began to wonder if I would have to reverse my path in order to reach my hotel.  Things were not looking promising.  2-D maps just don't give a sense of height! 

Eventually I spotted steps leading up a very sharp hill.  I found  myself chanting, "I think I can….I think I can", huffing and puffing on the way up.  I was waiting for that exciting moment to congratulate myself, when I realized that I still had a LONG way to go.

I turned up yet another road and soon found myself in the Garden of Sculptures.  Now, this was quite a surprise!

 There was a donkey

and a horse

and a woman with 4 children hanging on her (ahhh…..the memories of those days past)

and this lovely figure of a woman delicately holding a bird.

But this one took the prize:

That's SOME fish she's holding, don't you think?

Believe me, at this point, I needed the comic relief!  

A right and a left and another left, and some climbing up yet one more hill and finally!  I spotted the Promenade!!

Whew!   Knowing that I was near my destination, I couldn't resist stopping to catch my breath and admire the view.

Didn't I tell you that it would be hard to beat the vistas from the top of Mt. Carmel?  I'm thinking that I should write Mr. Frommer and fill him in on that detail!

But, with such a beautiful day to get out and enjoy, I don't even mind that my intended 4 mile hike ended up being 9  miles!  It beats being in cold, snowy Pennsylvania any day!

I don't think anyone will be arguing with that!

Shalom, My Friends

Believe it or not, we managed to escape the snow!  There was some worry on our part when we heard the impending weather forecast that was predicting yet another tremendous snowfall Sunday through Monday.  Since our flights were scheduled for Monday afternoon, we decided to change our plans a bit and reserve a hotel room near the airport so that we did not have the worry of driving to the airport.

As it happened, not a flake of snow fell in Newark, and we had no problems boarding our flight to Israel.

And here is proof that a little sunshine can hide the fact that one has only had a few hours of sleep.

Not too bad, I suppose.  It was great to feel the warmth of the sunshine after leaving such frigid temperatures behind!

For those of you who do not know, Marty's job has changed venues.  He said good-bye to Scotland in October and was assigned to Nazareth, Israel, making his first visit in November, and a second in January.  He asked me to accompany him on this trip, and after some serious thought on my part, I agreed to come along.

My touring strategy will be far different than my Scotland adventures, and I just may lay low in our hotel on some days.  It certainly offers a beautiful view of the sea from our room.

Our hotel is in Haifa, but we decided to stop in Caesarea on the way from the airport since that opportunity will not avail itself to us anytime for the rest of the trip.

We weren't sure what to expect, because when we landed, there was a condition referred to as a "dust storm" throughout the area, and all of the buildings looked like they were hidden in a fog.

Luckily, by the time we reached Caesarea, the skies had cleared.

Our first stop was the Byzantine Street, which is actually part of a forum.  The street is lined with marble, and the statues are from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, brought here from the Roman forum when the street was built.

We headed over to Caesarea National Park.  This features the City of Herod the Great who set out to construct a port to rival Alexandria.  He built the town as well as a harbor, naming it after his benefactor, Augustus Caesar.  It was once one of the grandest port cities on the eastern Mediterranean.  

Beautiful, don't you think?

Stone walls and Palm trees stand stately in this historic town.

Walking through the gate transforms you back in time to the time of Herod the Great.  And, although this city was claimed by different groups over time, the ruins continue to give us a glimpse of time in that era. 

Near the entrance stands the foundation of the Crusader Church of St. Paul from the 1100's.

This Citadel is from the original Crusader City

Sarcophagi were easily spotted on the grounds, and here is an example of an unusual one.

A Hippodrome with a field for Chariot Races still stands

One can almost envision the chariots rounding that bend.

Roman villas once stood among the Mediterranean seaside, and many features are still standing. 

Here you can see some  mosaic floors.

And remnants of a Roman Bath.

 Here stands the palace where St. Paul was brought from Jerusalem, in chains, to stand trial for heresy.

And there is a Roman Theater which was constructed in the time of Jesus and Pointius Pilate.   This is an entirely separate structure from the Hippodrome.

And a larger than life Chariot Statue stood near the Hippodrome. 

One can almost imagine Ben Hur behind the reins!

I actually have a lot more to share with you, including many lovely photos of Haifa,  but with only a few hours of sleep on the plane, I'm going to call it a night.

I'm fairly certain that I'll have more tales to share in the days to come.

But for tonight, I bid you…..Shalom.!