I'm attempting to play catch up here, since I'm a day behind in my posts and there have been so many interesting and exciting adventures to share.
I have mentioned before that the Israeli work week falls Sunday through Thursday. I find that to be a bit disconcerting because Sunday is the one day of the week that Marty and I attempt to hold sacred by attending Mass in the morning and, on most days, spending the day doing something different than the daily routine.
That being said, Saturday here, was technically, our Sunday, which would have begun with morning Mass. But that was not an option for us. When I visited Stella Maris on Wednesday, I verified with one of the monks that there was, indeed, an English Mass at 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Latin Church, in the German Colony of Haifa, the community located at the bottom of the hill from our hotel.
So, we had our day planned out to be back in plenty of time to take the local subway transit down the hill, attend Mass, have dinner in the German Colony, and then return up the hill via the Carmelit subway.
We set out early in the day, with Marty behind the wheel, to the other end of Mt. Carmel, to Muhraka (Muhraqa). The drive was relatively uneventful…... until we made the turn onto the road that leads to the Carmelite monastery.
We found ourselves driving right through an outdoor Arab bazaar.
There is no description that can do the experience justice. However, it may explain just why every rental car that Marty has driven in Israel has been covered with dents.
Once we maneuvered through the chaos, we were at the monastery in short time, and had the place pretty much to ourselves. Walking through the entrance takes you to a plaza that features a large stone statue of Elijah with his sword raised.
The name Muhraka (Muhraqa) means "place of burning" in Arabic, as, according to the Bible, fire came down from the sky to burn Elijah's sacrifice at the time of his battle with the prophets of Baál.
Inside the church stands an altar that is positioned on 12 stones, signifying the 12 tribes of Israel.
But this was about all that we were able to see.
Notice that Marty is wearing his new Loaves and Fishes shirt that he bought yesterday.
Among the rocks on the hill, these unusual red flowers were peeking out.
Simple….but beautiful, all the same.
We heard the tour busses rolling in, and we decided that it was time to get back on the road. The drive down the entryway to the monastery became a bit more challenging as we found ourselves having to make way for the tour busses which were arriving in droves.
And, as I write this, it is obvious to me, that those busses did NOT maneuver their way through that Arab bazaar, as we were barely able to squeeze through the pandemonium with our little car. We both breathed a sigh of relief when we made it safely to the highway on our way to Akko also known as Acre.
This ancient city is located along the Mediterranean coast, north of Haifa, and it is where we ate dinner on Friday night on our return from our tour of Galilee. It is one of the oldest continually habited cities of the world, dating back 5000 years to the Phoenicians.
The city is mentioned in the Bible several times: In Judges 1:31 as belonging to the territory of Asher. Later King David conquered this city and his son, Solomon, inherited the kingdom.
It is also referenced in the New Testament under the name Ptolemais in Acts 21:7. The Apostle Paul arrived by sea and met with believers of Christ here.
Centuries later, King Richard the Lionheart made this the capital of the crusader kingdom in the Holy Land.
Arriving here was relatively east, but parking was a bit of a challenge, as, unbeknownst to us, the streets feature one huge Turkish bazaar which is obviously a hopping event for many in the area.
After creeping through the town in search of parking, we made our way back out and settled for a lot outside the walls of the city, with an interesting photo opportunity right across the street.
We were just in the nick of time, as there were only a few spaces left when we entered the lot.
The Old City of Akko is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our first stop was the Visitor's Center so that we could get our bearings and seek out information on the Crusader City tour.
We purchased the basic ticket, which included the Fortress, Templar Tunnel, Okashi Museum and The Treasures in the Walls Museum. The woman behind the counter included a map of Old Akko for 3 shekels.
The tickets included an audio guide in English, so we exchanged my driver's license for 2 listening devices, and had 2 hours to return them. That seemed reasonable, so we headed to the entrance of the Fortress with tickets in hand.
The inside information was quite fascinating. Much of what we were walking through had been standing under layers of dirt for centuries. The preservation was outstanding.
We were walking through what was once the Crusader Fortress here
This chair was unique
and the dolls were certainly interesting
There was a display of unusual musical instruments
and some beautiful pieces of pottery.
I have mentioned before that the Israeli work week falls Sunday through Thursday. I find that to be a bit disconcerting because Sunday is the one day of the week that Marty and I attempt to hold sacred by attending Mass in the morning and, on most days, spending the day doing something different than the daily routine.
That being said, Saturday here, was technically, our Sunday, which would have begun with morning Mass. But that was not an option for us. When I visited Stella Maris on Wednesday, I verified with one of the monks that there was, indeed, an English Mass at 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph Latin Church, in the German Colony of Haifa, the community located at the bottom of the hill from our hotel.
So, we had our day planned out to be back in plenty of time to take the local subway transit down the hill, attend Mass, have dinner in the German Colony, and then return up the hill via the Carmelit subway.
We set out early in the day, with Marty behind the wheel, to the other end of Mt. Carmel, to Muhraka (Muhraqa). The drive was relatively uneventful…... until we made the turn onto the road that leads to the Carmelite monastery.
We found ourselves driving right through an outdoor Arab bazaar.
There is no description that can do the experience justice. However, it may explain just why every rental car that Marty has driven in Israel has been covered with dents.
Once we maneuvered through the chaos, we were at the monastery in short time, and had the place pretty much to ourselves. Walking through the entrance takes you to a plaza that features a large stone statue of Elijah with his sword raised.
The name Muhraka (Muhraqa) means "place of burning" in Arabic, as, according to the Bible, fire came down from the sky to burn Elijah's sacrifice at the time of his battle with the prophets of Baál.
Inside the church stands an altar that is positioned on 12 stones, signifying the 12 tribes of Israel.
Climbing out on the roof of the church would have offered views reaching nearly to the other side of Israel, but, once again, the dust prevailed, and such was not the case.
The floor on the roof has a schematic which shows the direction of the various cities in Israel that one would be able to spot on a clear day.
But this was about all that we were able to see.
We walked around the grounds for a bit
and even ventured along a trail that runs around the base of the monastery.
Among the rocks on the hill, these unusual red flowers were peeking out.
And, as I write this, it is obvious to me, that those busses did NOT maneuver their way through that Arab bazaar, as we were barely able to squeeze through the pandemonium with our little car. We both breathed a sigh of relief when we made it safely to the highway on our way to Akko also known as Acre.
This ancient city is located along the Mediterranean coast, north of Haifa, and it is where we ate dinner on Friday night on our return from our tour of Galilee. It is one of the oldest continually habited cities of the world, dating back 5000 years to the Phoenicians.
The city is mentioned in the Bible several times: In Judges 1:31 as belonging to the territory of Asher. Later King David conquered this city and his son, Solomon, inherited the kingdom.
It is also referenced in the New Testament under the name Ptolemais in Acts 21:7. The Apostle Paul arrived by sea and met with believers of Christ here.
Centuries later, King Richard the Lionheart made this the capital of the crusader kingdom in the Holy Land.
Arriving here was relatively east, but parking was a bit of a challenge, as, unbeknownst to us, the streets feature one huge Turkish bazaar which is obviously a hopping event for many in the area.
After creeping through the town in search of parking, we made our way back out and settled for a lot outside the walls of the city, with an interesting photo opportunity right across the street.
How would you like to have that in your front yard?
The Old City of Akko is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our first stop was the Visitor's Center so that we could get our bearings and seek out information on the Crusader City tour.
We purchased the basic ticket, which included the Fortress, Templar Tunnel, Okashi Museum and The Treasures in the Walls Museum. The woman behind the counter included a map of Old Akko for 3 shekels.
The tickets included an audio guide in English, so we exchanged my driver's license for 2 listening devices, and had 2 hours to return them. That seemed reasonable, so we headed to the entrance of the Fortress with tickets in hand.
The inside information was quite fascinating. Much of what we were walking through had been standing under layers of dirt for centuries. The preservation was outstanding.
We were walking through what was once the Crusader Fortress here
Although we made every attempt to follow the tour signs, we found ourselves very confused by our location several times on the tour. In the hall of pillars, I spotted this flag which reminded me very much of Dr. Seuss's book "One Fish, Two Fish".
Don't they look happy?
Obviously, something happened when a third fish was added.
Don't ask me what the significance of these flags are because I haven't a clue. To begin with, I got the audio guide with the numbers that kept sticking so it took me 3 times as long to get to the prompt.
In addition, we had enough trouble just trying to figure out which way we were supposed to be going, as the numbers suddenly did not increase in chronological order.
Then, it hit me! Hebrew is written from right to left, opposite of what we are used to reading. The courtyard entries progressed counter clockwise from 6 to 12, at which point we needed to walk back to 6 , where they continued clockwise no, to 12.
If you find this confusing….you should have been living the experience!
One of the interesting features in the Hospitaller compound was a highly advanced drainage system that was used to drain sewage from the compound.
There was a latrine that held 35 stone seats, arranged in four rows.
Personal hygiene was attended to by using grass and straw. Now….how did they know that?
I haven't a clue…..nor do I plan on figuring it out.
We finally made our way to the tunnel that leads down and out of the Knights Hall and soon found ourselves in a Turkish Bazaar. That was quite an experience, and there were tunnels filled with vendors selling their wares.
Because of the numerous renovations to the building and the number order confusion, we found ourselves nearing the time of returning our audio guides, so we made our way through the maze of streets back to the information center to reclaim my driver's license. I can see now why they insist on holding such a valuable item. One would easily toss the audio guide as the exit was nowhere near the entrance.
You would think that there would just be a simple collection at the exit.
But then again, there are a lot of simple solutions to many things here that are obviously lacking.
Our ticket had included the admittance to four exhibits, so we began our search for the Templar Tunnel.
After once again attempting to follow the posted signs for the exhibit to no avail, I realized why the woman at the ticket office included the map for 3 shekels. I'd like to say that the map led us to the entrance, however, it did not.
We did stumble upon the Okashi museum, which took us all of 3 minutes to walk through. Marty thinks they just throw that into the ticket because no one would bother to pay to go in otherwise.
Exiting the museum, we were still on our search for the Templar Tunnel. I cannot tell you how many times we retraced our steps, and I'm quite certain that the three Arabs relaxing on a bench were taking bets on how many times we were going to pass by them.
But, finally, we found the entrance, and were soon walking down the steps to a landing that led to a very low tunnel. It had a wooden floor, elevated over running water on each side, so it was obvious that we were pretty far under the city. It was illuminated, but we had to hunker down in order to walk through it.
This is no easy feat for a woman with a fused spine, but I managed to make it through the low spots, which suddenly opened up to a much higher ceiling.
Along the way, there are projected animated screens that show what life would have been like during the Crusader period. The Templars were a military-monastic order who aided pilgrims who came from Europe to visit the Holy Sites of Israel.
The tunnel is 350 meters long and it leads from the Fortress to the Port, which is why we had such difficulty locating the entrance.
By this time, we needed a break, so we headed back to the restaurant where we ate dinner the night before, but not before taking some photos along the exterior wall.
There is a church, St. John's along the water's edge, but I'm not sure if it is open since there was no sign anywhere to be seen.
And here is the lighthouse.
When we arrived at the restaurant, it was bustling with activity as crowds people were enjoying their main meal of the day. Quite a difference from the evening before.
Feeling rejuvenated, we went off in search of the final exhibit that was included in our ticket. The Treasures in the Wall. When we arrived, it was officially closed, but the man in charge welcomed us to take a quick peek through the place.
This place was fascinating, located beneath the walls of the city.
It featured a variety of wares from over the centuries, some of which I found to be quite fascinating.
Who knew that our Western Games had similar ones in Israel?
and some beautiful pieces of pottery.
I'd say that the name of the place, Treasures in the Wall, described the experience to a tee.
And how lucky were we that the proprietor let us take a quick look inside?
All in all, we had a fabulous experience in Akko. We had toured the walls
taken in some beautiful sights
and Marty even found a friend!
But it was time to head back to Haifa so that we could relax a bit before heading down to the German Colony for Mass.
Marty had been told that the Carmelit transit would be operating after sundown according to the Jewish custom of Shabbat. It is closed from Friday night through Saturday sundown, but opens again after sundown until midnight on Saturday. The concierge had told him that we would be on our way by 6:25 and that it took only 4 minutes to make the trip. We then had to walk several blocks to get to the church, but we felt that there was plenty of time.
So, we headed to the station which is only over a block from our hotel. At around 6:35, the station lights went on, and we could see the escalator running up from the tunnel. But the gate was still closed and locked, and there was no sign of an attendant.
By 6:45, we knew that it would be virtually impossible for us to make the trip in time, and with no sign of it actually opening, Marty hailed a taxi and asked him to take us to St. Joseph Latin Church in the German Colony. We gave him the address.
The driver asked us if we were Catholic, and we said yes, and he told us that he was Catholic as well. He went on to say that he did not think that the church would be open tonight.
I felt fairly confident, having had the assurance from a monk on Wednesday, so I didn't let his comment sway my opinion. Somehow, he managed to make it down the hill, which involves weaving back and forth along a road, just about a minute before 7:00. He stopped outside a church and we noticed that there were lights on inside. We thanked him and ran into the church, through the doors, to see that the service had not yet begun.
We sat down in a pew, and looked at each other in confusion. There were icons hanging all along the wall, no sign of a tabernacle, and there had not been holy water fonts when we came through the door.
I asked Marty if he had noticed a name to the church when we came in, and he said no, and he proceeded to begin to walk outside to check out the name.
At that point, a bell rang, curtains in the middle of what appeared to be a sanctuary suddenly flung open, and standing behind the curtain was the back of a priest, in red vestments, who then began to chant some woeful message.
At this point, Marty and I ran out of the church as fast as our feet could take us. Upon exiting, I saw the sign, St. Elias.
Obviously, we were in the wrong church. Wait….didn't the taxi driver tell us he was Catholic?
Well, as luck would have it, the Catholic Church was only across the road and down the block, at the location that we had actually given the cab driver!
People were still hustling in, even though it was obviously after 7:00. We immediately knew that we were at the right place, and proceeded to find a pew.
It was obvious that we were not the typical attendees as the church was filled with people from the Philippines. In fact, I do believe that we were nearly the tallest people in attendance.
And, their version of "English"was with a very strong accent. The priest, however, had an Australian accent which we found very easy to understand.
As is typical in Philippine communities, the music was lively and the crowd was enthusiastic. Both of which we welcomed!
After Mass, we headed to the German Colony for dinner. After walking several blocks to the Carmelit, we headed down the stairs only to have an attendant tell us that it was not working.
So, once again, we found ourselves hailing a cab for the return trip back up the hill.
I'd say that was quite an unexpected adventure, for sure.
I leave with a photo of the lovely Baha' i Gardens taken at night, from the bottom, looking up.
Quite spectacular, don't you think?
Your last photo IS spectacular! And I really loved the pic with the bright red flowers, too. Glad you found Mass when you were looking for it. Maybe your reward for persistence was the easily-understandable Australian priest. :-)
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