A Nerdy Day in Haifa

The weather predictions of late have indicated rain and showers, so when the sun was shining and the skies were blue, how could I resist getting out to enjoy this lovely day?

Since I had been feeling under the weather these last few days, I resigned myself to the fact that hiking for miles was not in my best interest.

But now that I had managed to successfully ride the Carmelit,  I no longer worried about having to make my way back up the cliff to the hotel.

So, with the 1000 steps map in hand, I set off to follow the path to Madatech,  the National Museum of Science, Technology and Space.

I found the first set of steps easily enough.  They led to a road where I could easily spot another set, making my way down to the Hadar district of Haifa.

I was feeling optimistic when I soon realized that the lines on the map did NOT line up with the steps in real life.  But I knew the general direction of where I was going,  so I wasn't worried about getting too off track.  It was a beautiful brisk day….just perfect for walking.

I found the museum without too much difficulty, of which I can owe only partial thanks to my 4 shekel map.

This unique building that combines the basics of local, European and Middle Eastern architecture, was designed to be the first university in Israel that would focus on technological studies in the German Language at the request of  The Assistance to German Jews Association.

However, the language that would eventually be used here was Hebrew.

The cornerstone was laid in 1912 and from that point, the building was occupied by the German army, was used as a hospital by the Turkish army, and occupied by the British army until 1924 when the studies began here, until 1985, when the studies moved to a different location and the building was designated to be the home of this fabulous museum.

The first floor exhibition had some general history on the printing press, not much different than what you'd see in a typical museum, but I was impressed with this original manuscript that was printed on a press in the 16th century.

But the most fascinating part of this first floor was the exhibition devoted to Leonardo Da Vinci's genius in the field of mechanics and hydraulics.  The models on display were all constructed from Da Vinci's drawing without alteration.  

Since the drawing were clear and the mechanisms correct in principle, the only modification to make the models work efficiently was to use current materials.

I had not seen an exhibition of this kind anywhere in the past, and it was fascinating to see how this Israeli museum had brought Da Vinci's ideas to life.

Here you see his drawing for a lifting device.

And here is the recreation:

In addition, the room was filled with interactive items so that one could understand the principles behind the motion.

Here is his drawing of two different toothed wheels with different diameters.

and here are the recreated "hands on"devices 

Other items of interest were the military drum, driven by the wheels of its carriage

and Da Vinci's idea of a Parachute

In his notes he makes claim that if a linen curtain is stiffly held open, anyone can jump from any height without any risk whatsoever.

You can count me out on testing this invention for accuracy!

The Da Vinci exhibition was only a small part of this amazing museum.

There was a huge outside area which showed principles from numerous scientists  over the years.

Here you see a bench that is entitled the π bench.  

the value of which was determined by Archimedes,

who was also responsible for the buoyancy principle.  Here you see a statue of him sitting in a tub holding a crown.

Archimedes had been asked by King Heron II to determine whether or not his crown was made of pure gold instead of cheap metal.  Archimedes noticed one day, while getting into the tub, that the water level rose and his body became lighter.  He then realized that he had found the solution to the problem: if he dipped the crown into a container of water, the amount of water displaced would give the volume of the crown.  Weighing the crown, and dividing by the volume would give the density.  He was so excited about his sudden realization that he leapt out of the tub, and ran through the town, naked, yelling "Eureka" which translates "I have found it".  

Apparently Archimedes was able to determine that the crown was actually cheap metal, and not gold, as the king had suspected.  It was NOT a good outcome for the goldsmith.

Moving on, there was an example of an Archimedes screw, a large screw whose side curves upward which propels water upward as it is rotated.

It was at this point when a large group of children came barreling into this area, along with a teacher and a couple of aides.  It was obvious that this man was attempting to teach some basic principles of physics, and I found myself laughing as he put them to work.

He sent several girls into the "globe"of a contraption

and then placed a boy at each of the three ropes.  It was obvious that he was asking them to try to lift the girls.  They were tugging their hearts out, and the remainder of the class was cheering them on.  I couldn't help but laugh out loud.  They were having so much fun.

Then, he moved the boys, and had the same three pull on the furthest rope from the globe.

With all three working together, they were able to lift the other side.  There were shrieks of delight from all.

Now, how much fun is that?  What a terrific way to teach scientific principles, don't you think?

Before I headed inside, I took a photo of what appears to be a fighter jet, but I could not find any explanation as to its significance.

Making my way up the stairs, I found myself walking through many hands-on displays that ranged from "green"technology, to the explanation of DNA, make-your-own-pretend-creature. to personal hygiene, healthy foods to eat, and how to brush your teeth:

The giant mouth really made me laugh.  It reminded me of a past dental hygienist who would pull out a set of choppers and a giant toothbrush, to show the "proper"way of cleaning teeth if she felt that I had too much tartar on my teeth.  Although she probably meant well, I found it a bit juvenile, but seeing this made me wonder if she wouldn't like her own set!

Walking down the hall, I soon found myself looking at a sign that was calling my name:  Matter of Chemistry.  There was no English translation, but I didn't need one.

 There was the Periodic Table of Elements

A device for determining the acidity of solutions

and various distillation columns

Very impressive, to say the least.

Some other interesting rooms included toys from the past.  I found this guy to be amusing.

A hall of mirrors, where I was able to take my photo without one seeing the camera in my hands.

It kinds of looks like one of those "head"sculptures on top of a column, now that I really look at it.

Creepy.

There was a collection of model cars who had belonged to a man named Ishay Shneydor.

Each model on display were of cars that were actually manufactured.  Here you see 200 of the 1500 that this man had in his collection. 

And what's a Science Museum without Einstein?

He and his wife visited this museum and planted palm trees outside the front of the building.

And I would be remiss if I did not mention this plaque that recognizes the Lempel-Ziv Data compression Algorithm  developed onsite in 1977.

Who knows if you'd be reading this blog if it weren't for the efforts of the two men mentioned?

By now, I decided that I really had seen enough, so I made my way to the Carmelit and headed back to my hotel.

Now, I'm going to briefly change gears here from my usual posting style.

I tend to keep my blogs upbeat and entertaining (at least I hope they are) because my opinion is that no one really wants to read about my problems.  But I've had a medical issue plaguing me since we arrived in Israel, and yesterday, after 7 days of treatment with various over the counter meds, it was quite obvious to me that I needed to see a doctor, because I was not getting any better.  

I inquired as to whether or not there was a clinic nearby  and the receptionist told me that the hotel did have a physician who would come to the hotel, but that it was rather expensive.  I wasn't so much concerned about the cost, but I knew that I would need a bacteria culture grown, and we both agreed that a clinic was in my best interest.

She told me that the clinic closed at 5:00.  It was now 4:15, so there was no time to call Marty who works more than an hour away.   So, she called me a taxi, and told the man where to drop me off.  

In the meantime, I insisted that she write the address in English so that I could know where he was taking me.  

There was some confusion as to which taxi I was to take because the security guard and a different driver were trying to get me into the wrong cab.   At this point, I went back inside, in tears, frustrated that I had not taken the time to learn at least a little Hebrew.  (My husband had told me not to worry….everyone spoke English…..sure.)

By this time, the correct cab driver had arrived, and he drove me the 20 minutes to the clinic.

Actually, the address that I had been given was incorrect.  I went inside the building, showed them the paper, and was directed into the building next door.

It was beautiful on the outside, glass over the entire exterior and a Mitshubishi car dealership on the bottom level.

Upon entering the building, there was a security guard, whom I showed the paper, and he directed me to the 8th floor.  My directions specifically stated 6th floor, but he was correct.  

When I showed up, there was a very nice woman there who spoke English quite well.  She was confused as to why I was there.  I showed her the paper. She told me that I had the correct place, and that they would be able to help me, but the clinic did not open until 5:00.  I was welcome to wait inside.

Now, let me  mention that the inside of this building looked nothing like the outside.  It was obviously very old and worn, and not up to what we would have considered to be medical standards.  But, really, what was I to do?

By now, Marty had called, and I had filled him in on the situation, gave him the address, which doesn't exist on google maps. so he had me turn on an app on my phone that would show him where I was located.

I waited in the lobby, watching three young men attempt to install a security camera in the corner of the room.

Finally, a woman, who spoke no English, took me to a small room where a little man, drinking coffee, sat behind a desk.  I explained my symptoms, and he said that he could help me.  

When I asked if he would be able to grow a culture, he said that they had no way of doing that at this clinic.  Well….so much for that idea.  That was really all that I had wanted to be done in the first place!  Here I was in an old dirty building, wondering if I had done the right thing coming here.  

Then I was handed a plastic cup, and sent down the hall to a public bathroom, to obtain a sample.

Things were certainly not looking better in my eyes.

When I returned, I was taken into yet a different room.  At this time, a young woman came walking into the room, giving me a questioning look.    By this time, it was about 5:10, and since the clinic opened at 5:00, I'd say that she was definitely late, if she was an employee.  

She looked to be Eastern European and she was wearing a short  fur jacket and fur boots, (which I found to be quite odd considering the lovely spring temperature outside) and she had a large purse slung over her arm.  She reeked of cigarette smoke, and looked like she hadn't washed her hair in a few days.

At this time, the woman who spoke English came over and told me that this was the nurse and that she would be taking care of me.  The woman did not take off her coat, nor did she wash her hands.  She took my blood pressure with a machine,  and walked over to test the sample that I had given.  I turned the machine to see my blood pressure and noticed that it was unusually high for me.

Hm…...Wonder why that would be?

After testing the sample, this nurse, without washing her hands, returned and popped a thermometer in my mouth.  

I was given a slip of paper and sent back to the room where the little man was still sitting in the same seat, listening to some sort of program on the radio, drinking coffee.  But, before I could see him, I had to give my passport and credit card to the woman at the desk. 

Wait!  Did I say that my blood pressure was high?

I entered the room and handed over the paper. He looked at the information on the slip, then asked me to jump up on the table.

I was a bit hesitant, as it looked like no one had changed the paper for about 10 years, but I was fully clothed, so any germs that might be lurking would have to make their way through a few layers…..right?

The man began to pound on my back, asking me if I had any discomfort.  He probably got his answer when I nearly went flying off of the table.  He may be little, but he certainly had quite the punch!  

At this point the exam was finished (which was JUST FINE with me!)

He made some sort of comment, asked me if I took any other medications, and I just kept it very simple, as he did not seem to understand what I meant by a daily inhaler for asthma prevention.

Then, he wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic to take.  

I walked out of the room and retrieved my passport and credit card.  The bill was higher than what the hotel doctor would have charged.  And….I still didn't have a culture.

But, I was happy to make my way out of the building to where I found Marty waiting in the car to drive me back to the hotel.

We promptly went to the pharmacy to get the prescription filled.  I was becoming a regular there as I had purchased several items over a couple of days, hoping to be able to solve my issue without seeing a doctor.  When I went to pay, my credit card no longer worked.

I spent most of the evening in the hotel room…..crying.  Not much pleasant company for my husband, for sure.  

Ok, now that I'm done venting, I plan on pretty much sticking around my hotel room today, which isn't too hard to do since rain seems to coming and going in spurts.

Here's hoping that the antibiotic kicks in soon so that I can get back to my gallivanting!