Relaxing in Haifa

On Tuesday evening, while I was sitting in the clinic, storms came rolling into Haifa for the first time since we've been here.  The winds were so strong that the blinds on the interior of the windows were rattling.  I could sense that this type of weather pattern wasn't quite normal, as everyone on the staff would turn and stare at the window in worry when a burst would suddenly attempt to blow it open.

Needless to say, their worry was not much comfort to me.

When I had walked into the building, the sun was shining brightly without a cloud in sight.

Once the fur fashioned, smoky, nurse entered the room, the wind storm began, frightening her as the window shook furiously from the wind.

What had happened?  Was it an omen?  

(Don't think that the thought didn't go through my mind.)   

Perhaps my meteorologist friend, Ernest,  has an explanation, as I am totally unfamiliar with weather patterns in the Middle East.  What I do know is that the strong winds continue, bringing on and off rain with them. And we've seen some lightening in the evenings as well.

One just doesn't know what to expect when looking out the window.

Will it be hazy?

Will it be visible?

Isn't that crazy?  Believe me, after enjoying views every morning, I was certainly very surprised to see THIS out the window.

And then, there was Monday, the perfect view of our stay:

Earlier in the week I was watching the many ships in the Mediterranean, wondering just why they were there

I haven't quite figured out why they sit in the harbor.  Some move now and again but others don't.

And, today, there seem to be more of them.

Don't worry about those clouds.  Although they look  quite ominous,  they have already passed, dumping a lot of water on Haifa, and I see blue skies and sunshine rolling in.

Yesterday, I was kind of surprised to see a submarine partly arise from the water before slowly submerging.  It's lurking out there in the sea, somewhere, as I spotted it earlier in the week while eating lunch.

More than likely it is there to protect the port of Haifa.  One thing that is quite obvious here is that there is security everywhere.  Every hotel, store, bank, public building has a security guard that you must pass in order to enter the building.  This includes the Carmelit transport as well.  These guards, male and female,  carry wands, and have the right to ask you to open your bag for a check. 

They don't make small talk, but, on the other hand, they are not obnoxious.  They just matter-of-factly do their job.  I don't find it the least bit annoying, and I am quite happy that they are nearly everywhere.

As I sit here writing this while gazing out the window, I have a sudden realization:

That grassy hill that you see, is part of the Natural Reserve that has been designated by the Baha' i Gardens.  

Do you remember me mentioning that the Baha'i members are excited to know that the wild boar is repopulating in the reserve?

Perhaps if I watch closely, I'll spot a wild boar or two!

Or not.  I think that there must be more exciting adventures waiting for me than spotting boar.

Yesterday there were several breaks in the weather, and I was able to get out and about for a short walk.  I stayed relatively close to the hotel, since I never knew if the clouds would burst, and I didn't want to get caught in windy, rainy storm.

But, first on my list was to buy a new camera card.  You probably won't be too surprised to read that I have no more memory on the card in the camera.  So, I headed to a store nearby, bought a new one, and I was ready to go.

Just down the street, near the zoo, I was surprised to find this

The house looks nearly perfect…..except there is no roof.  And something tells me that with the construction of that high-rise so close, this house is not going to be standing for much longer.  It seems like such wasted beauty to me.

Walking along, I thought that I'd take some photos to give you an idea of what some of the streets look like here.

There are many apartment complexes, but an equal amount of beautiful family homes hat have outstanding views since they are constructed on the top of Mt. Carmel

As you can seem Spring is entering here in glory.

And, it may be hard to believe, but the streets can be so steep that even the Dan Panorama can disappear from view.

Yesterday was Marty's birthday, so when he returned from the office and finished his hour and a half teleconference call from the hotel room, we were finally free to grab some dinner.

We decided to go back to Voila!  We had such a fabulous "fondue for two"there the other night, being the only customers in the place, that we wanted to enjoy yet another meal there.

The place had quite a few customers, but plenty of room for more.  We were seated upstairs this time.

We really enjoyed the aura of this place.  

Unique paintings, gorgeous chandelier

unusual delectable food choices

all while entertaining French music is being played in the background.  Well,  actually, it is music that sounds like someone is singing with a strong French accent.  Words are in English. But extremely enjoyable!  What fun!

I mentioned that it was Marty's birthday, and the waitress came out with a dessert of warm dates decorated with a swizzler.

Now THAT was fun!

And, the dates were Fabulous!

Can't you tell?

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!

Monday: A Beautiful Day in Haifa

When I awoke to this view this morning

I knew that it would be the perfect day to re-tour the Baha'i Gardens.

Conveniently enough, there was a tour, in English, at noon.  Since the tour is free, as the Baha'i faith does not collect any fees according to their religion, could I really pass on this opportunity?

I think not.

This time, the group was much smaller, and the young man giving the tour was much more dynamic than my previous tour guide.

His first words were:  "You certainly picked the best day to see the gardens.  It hasn't been this clear for nearly a month."

Now, how lucky was that?

I'm fairly certain that I have not seen those mountains in the distance since we arrived.

Everything seemed so much sharper, and the water seemed so much bluer, don't you think?

So……I took a lot of photos.  But really, when would I get the chance to see such beauty to share?

As I mentioned, our guide today was so much more informative than the woman I had the other day.

We learned that from top to bottom, the 1000 steps cover 1 kilometer in length.

All of the water that runs down next to the stairs and flows in the fountains is recycled from top to bottom so that none is wasted.

Believe it or not, the terraced grass is maintained by regular lawn mowers.

But, it takes 3 men to operate the mower.  One man pushes the mower, while two other men hold onto ropes to keep the man and mower from falling down the hills.

Do you remember this building that resembles the Parthenon?

Well, there is no particular reason behind the structure, other than it is beautiful.  We learned today that there are actually 6 stories built into the ground under that building, that holds the archives for the Baha'i Faith.  The purpose behind that is to keep the gardens beautiful, and it is believed that a tall structure would detract from the beauty rather than to enhance it.

All members of the Baha'i Faith are encouraged to come to Israel and make a pilgrimage to the Baha'i Gardens.

Unlike tourists, who are only permitted to see the grounds, via tour, from top to bottom, pilgrims are expected to make their pilgrimage by walking the steps and trails from the bottom up.

That would explain the many people that I saw entering through the bottom and working their way up to the top.

The grounds on either side of the gardens have been set up as natural wildlife preserve.  The people who tend the gardens are excited to see brown areas in the gardens, because that apparently indicates that the wild boars are returning to the area.

I couldn't help but wonder about those sheep that I saw walking along the cliff, not far from the gardens.  I guarantee you that they were NOT wild boar.

But, now I'm wondering if they were dinner.  Are wild boars vegetarian?  Let's hope so!

I so thoroughly enjoyed today's tour so much better than the other day.  I decided to head to the Visitor Center in the German Colony to see if I could find a map of the 1000 step routes that I had read about online.  I knew from my ventures back up the hill that there were steps interspersed here and there, but it was only by chance that I was able to locate them.

On my way to the center, I spotted a set of stairs and descended them to get closer to the road on my way to the German Colony.  As I rounded the bend, two women approached me and asked me if I knew whether or not those steps would lead to the road that took them to the Baha'i Gardens.

I asked them if they were pilgrims of the faith, and they said yes.  Now, what were the chances of that happening?  I had only heard of this duty while taking the tour, and here I was helping two of the pilgrims find the gate that would lead them to the start of their intended journey. They thanked me and headed up the stairs.  

I had no trouble finding the the visitor center, and for 4 shekels, I was given a map with the 1000 step routes that I had been looking for.   

The woman handed me the map saying, "These steps are recommended only for walking down…..never for walking up."  

Really?  Little did she know where my feet had taken me last week.  I was living proof that it could be done.  And I'm fairly certain that my journey was far longer than the ones drawn on the map.

After exploring the German Colony, which, in itself has quite a fascinating history, I decided to make my way to the Carmelit and attempt to actually take it to the top.

I knew to look for the building that resembled a space ship.  You can see it in the distance.

Once there, I entered the gate and walked down the stairs where an attendant greeted me.  He was a large, scruffy looking, older man.  Now, it would be obvious that the only people walking into that place would be those wishing to use it.  He asked me if he could help me, and I said that I wanted to buy a ticket to the top.

He asked me if I spoke any Hebrew, to which I said that I was sorry but I only spoke English.

Then he asked me where I was from.  I told him I was from the United States.

He wanted to know WHERE in the UNITED STATES!!

By this time, I was getting a bit nervous.  I managed to eek out, "Pennsylvania".

He pointed to me and said,  "I've been to Brooklyn!" which brought a chuckle from me.

Then he walked over to the machine to help me purchase the ticket.  I told him that I wanted to pay by credit card, and he looked a little skeptical.

I handed him my card, he swiped it, looked at the machine and said, "this is GOOD!" Then, he handed me back the card and then gave me the ticket.  I still had my credit card in my hand when he said to me, 

"PUT THAT AWAY…..you can't be too careful."  I did as he said.  Then headed off with the ticket.

He called out " Good Luck!"  At that point I had to laugh and say, "Thanks!"

I made it to the top without a problem.  The ride up was rather interesting though.  If you've ever been on  the Pittsburgh incline this would be similar, except only one car goes up and down.  The pitch is pretty much the same, but this is underground.  And, as the car travels up the track, you can see that you are only inches away from rock on either side.  Since the entire experience is underground, I wonder why they even have so many windows.  There isn't anything to look at, that's for sure!

Once to the top, I decided to head to the hotel and grab some lunch at the hotel restaurant.  The maitre'd seated me at an excellent viewpoint where I could continue to enjoy this fabulous day.

Really, it was a picture perfect day…even to the end.