Day Trips

Since it is still spring break here at Haifa University, I have been going to a few more places around the northern area of the country that I have yet to see. On Monday, I traveled with Debby to Old Akko, a beautiful port city. Akko is mostly inhabited now by Muslims and Arabs, and is a huge tourist attraction because of its ancient buildings and breathtaking landscape.
Debby and I first went to look at the Al-Jazzar Mosque, which was built in 1781 (according to my trusty guidebook), but were not allowed in because we were considered "naked" in only shorts and t-shirts. Luckily, many of the sites in Old Akko are close to each other, so we kept walking until we found the Citadel, which proved to be the main attraction of the day. This massive structure was built and rebuilt for many years, with tunnels and grand hallways. Part of the Citadel was actually used as a prison for Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky in the 1920s. The size of the Citadel was unbelievable - even more still that it stands to this day.
After viewing the Citadel, Debby and I decided to take a taxi to Rosh Hanikra, which is a beautiful area near the border of Israel and Lebanon. We took a cable car ride down the side of the white cliffs overlooking the clearest water I have ever seen, which ended at the Grottos which developed in the sides of the cliffs. At this point, it was getting late, and neither Debby nor I had eaten all day (the only Kosher for Passover food we saw was in a vending machine), so we decided to head home to the University.
The next morning, Debby's Israeli roommate Keshet invited us to spend the day with her family in the Carmel National Park, near Haifa University. Since it is Passover break, most children have no school, and work hours are much more flexible. Keshet and her parents picked us up at the University, and we met up with two other families at the park for a Passover picnic. It was so nice to be around families again, and Debby and I were able to use some of our Hebrew to talk to everyone. We ended up staying for hours, relishing in the ability to relax in the park on a Tuesday afternoon. If there is one thing that I have learned from studying in Israel, it is how to relax!
Unfortunately, the past two days have been a lot cooler and even rainy, so I haven't done much touring. However, spring break has left me in a very 'sieze-the-day' morale, so I will hopefully be planning many more day trips to come!

Lots of love,
Elyse