Daliat-el-Carmel, Ein-Hod, and Haifa, April 28

Just a bit before noon we took off for Ein Hod, but then on the way Ben decided to go to Daliyat El Carmel first because he wanted falafel for lunch. This place is Israel's largest Druze village in the mountains outside Haifa. Ben had been there before and seen the Druze in their traditional dress, had bought hand-made goods from them and eaten great food at their stands.The Druze are Arab who practice a secret religion. They wear black and white, and the men wear pantaloons. Well, we took off only to find that in the mere 34 years since he had been there, this isolated village had become totally developed and surrounded by a Arab area with tons of residential areas and lots more commercial areas. The old town itself has pretty much disappeared in he mix, and Ben was very disappointed and never got his falafel. We did see some Druze, however.

By this time it was about 1:00 in the afternoon, and we were pretty hungry. We went quickly to Ein Hod, which is an artists village also in the hills outside Haifa. There are about 135 families with homes in this village, and they all have to be artists to own a home there. We first got a bit lost and thought that this village might also be a bust, but then we found the right entry and hurried quickly to Abu Yakov, which is a very, very informal restaurant at the top of a stone amphitheater. I was a bit nervous about the food at first, but Ben convinced me to try, and I was really glad I did. We had a view from the hill out to the Mediterranean and ate the best Middle East food; Hummus, Eggplant, salad, pita, avocado, and shish kabob. It was truly delicious! After our very late, very large lunch, we walked around the village and then left to go to Haifa.

Ben went to graduate school in Engineering at the Technion in Haifa, so he was eager to revisited the places of his youth. The problem again, however, was that everything has changed! We drove into Haifa and up the the Technion and into the Technion, and Ben could not find the places where he had studied. After trying a few places, we gave up and went to our hotel, the Colony Hotel, which is right at the base of the Bahai Gardens that we planned to visit on Thursday. It is a really lovely hotel with a big, beautiful room and a jacuzzi! We were very happy. After settling in, we took a walking around the very hilly town and ended up at the Bahai Gardens, only to read that because of a religious holiday, the gardens will be closed tomorrow! Drat! We decided to drown our sorrows in a good glass of wine and some delicious desserts at the restaurant across from our hotel. We have plenty of other activities to choose tomorrow!

Caesarea, April 28

Today we left the home of Raquel and took off for Caesarea, which is about 30 minutes north along the coast. Caesarea is one of Israel's major archaeological sites. In 22 BC, Herod the Great built a city and port over he site of an ancient Phoenician port and dedicated it to Augustus Caesar, his mentor. Flavius Josephus, the first century AC historian, wrote about the site and especially the port that had never been developed at that size before. The site had a long history after Herod, who built a Roman Theater, an Amphitheater for chariot rides and other games, a grand palace going out the the sea, and the port, all in 12 years. To the far north of the site, later leaders built a long aqueduct to supply the area with fresh water, and part of it still stands today. After Herod's death in 6 AD, Caesarea became the seat of the Roman procurators and became a Roman colony for 600 years. The city was then taken over by the Byzantines until the Crusaders came and took over in 1101. The city then became Muslim some time after that. It is only since the 1960's that Israel started excavating the location. We walked around the whole area for a little over two hours. It was just amazing to see all the ruins from Herod's time and then at the different steps since then. It was a great visit!

Tel-Aviv port and Dinner, April 27

From center city we drove to Tel-Aviv Port - we have a borrowed GPS, and I am getting pretty good at using the little maps in our Fodor's Guide! It is north of the city and is not a big port, but it has all been renovated and is quite nice and apparently lively at night for twenty-five year olds. They have created a very wide, wooden board wake and is build to be in waves like the water. It is just beautiful. There are lots of shops and restaurants in the area, and there were tons of people walking and running. Outside the actual port are lots of parks and gardens and a rowing school along with the University of Tel-Aviv.

We drove from the Tel-Aviv Port to Herzliya on the beach to meet Ben's cousins, Raquel and Ela, for dinner at a cafe right on the beach. It was just beautiful though it got a bit chilly by the end. Then home to collapse in bed!

Tuesday Lunch and Farmers Market, April 27

We then drove from Jaffa to Ramat Gan to visit Ben's aunt and uncle, the brother and sister-in-law of his mother. They live in the apartment in which Ben was born. Ben's grandparents owned the apartment, and when Ben was born, his grandparents, parents and he lived there until he was two and a half, and he and his parents moved to Venezuela. The apartment has three small rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a hallway that functions as a dining room, and a balcony. Ben's uncle was an idealist when young, and he moved to a kibbutz right near the Gaza strip and raised his children there and all. He had lots of good stories to tell about the kibbutz, which was quite socialistic at the time but has now changed. We were offered tons and tons of food just in case were were starving to death. Ben's cousin, Yair, also came to visit.

After lunch, we went back to Center City to visit the Carmel Market and the Nahalat Binyamin Pedestrial Mall. The market has lots of clothing and stuff, but then the fun part is all the fruits, vegetables, and fish and meats and spices! It is huge. At the pedestrian mall there were lots of nice crafts, and we did buy a cut sculpture that holds salt and pepper.

Jaffa, April 27

Tuesday, April 27, 2010: We started the day with a trip to Jaffa or Yafo, which was the Arabic port that became the beginning of Tel Aviv a little over 100 years ago. It still is a small port with fishing boats, but what is most impressive is the old city with very old stone walls along the hill over the port. We parked the car and walked through the big flea market and then walked past the mosque with its high minaret and then up the hill to the town. Many of the old buildings have been restored, and there is still excavation going on. There are many shops and restaurants and art galleries built into the old buildings. It is very lively and full of people, both natives and tourists. It is perhaps the oldest port in the world. According to the Bible the cedars used in the construction of the Temple passed through Jaffa on their way to Jerusalem; the prophet Jonah set off from Jaffa before being swallowed by the whale. We went to the museum of Ilana Goor, who is a pretty famous sculptor of Israel.

Monday, April 26th, Our first full day. We began the day with business; that is, getting Raquel to help us with hotel rooms in Haifa, Jerusalem, and Eilat. We had partial success; we need to try again for Jerusalem.

We then took off for Tel Aviv, driving to the Azrieli Towers and parking our car there. It is a group of three very tall building in the Center City of Tel Aviv, one round, one triangular, and one square that constitute a shopping mall office

complex.

We went up to the observatory on the 49th floor of the square building and looked out over the panorama of Tel Aviv and then the Mediterranean. One interesting fact that

I learned right away is that there are lots and lots of members of the Israeli army - kids really - all over Tel Aviv; some with desk jobs are without guns; the others carry automatics. And you need to stop and have security guards check your

purse and bags before you enter any shop or shopping mall.

From the Azrieli Towers, we took off on foot for Center City, through what Ben told me no other tourists ever see, that is, old neighborhoods that he remembers from 34 years.

It was interesting but not worth a photo. We did stop for lunch to eat falafel, that Ben

has been dreaming about since we began planning this trip. He declared this falafel to be very good but not the best. I thought it was delicious! Then Ben was sure he would know where to turn to get us to the proper location, but he missed it totally, and we walked a half a mile extra before I figured out that we were going too far. So far, he hasn't been the perfect guide! His claim is thathe was looking for two tall buildings as his guide, but we came at the from the wrong direction, and so he missed them.

We did get to Bialik Street, which is a small street for artists.

We first visited the Rubin Museum, one home of one of Israel's major painters, Reuven Rubin (1893-1974). His art is very nice and does remind one of Chagall, and the top floor held his studio. We then walked further along Bialik Street until we came to Bet Bialik (Bialik House), the home of Chaim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934), who is considered the father of Hebrew poetry. It has been restored and looks beautiful, so we took a picture.

Just beyond the house is a nice circle with a fountain with very nice water lilies.

After these visits, we walked south and east and found a turkish market that seemed to be miles long, filled with people. Ben bought some kitchen equipment there, of course, for his cousin, Raquel.

We then went walking east to find Rothschild Boulevard and to find the examples of Bauhaus architecture. It is a very nice boulevard with a middle pedestrian and bicycle way with nice residences and restaurants along the sides.

We found what we think are examples of Bauhaus architecture as wellas a cool statues on the balcony of one house.

We then walked up to Habima Square where there are the Mann Auditorium that houses the Israeli Philarmonic Orchestra, the Habimah National Theater that is under major renovation, and the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion that houses contemporary art. It is a very nice cu

ltural park.

We then walked back to the Azrieli Towers to meet Ben's cousins, Ilana and Rani, for coffee and a very nice visit. They had been to visit us in Philadelphia many years ago, and they will take us around northern Israel beginning on Thursday.

Then we came back to Raquel's home to find Avi and baby Adam, Uncle David and Aunt Ruthie, and Raquel. It's nice to come home to lots of nice family and a meal waiting for you. That's all for today!

Arrival at Ben Gurion and Family Welcome

Ben and I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday after a very long, very squished 12 hour plane ride. We passed by the business class section with great envy. Next time, we spend the money for business class! On the plane, the flight attendant told us that Ben's brand new I-pad would be confiscated in Israel because the signal has not yet been approved. We were a bit nervous! Well, after lots of security in the U.S., it was easy as pie in Israel. Ben thought that the airport was incredibly new and beautiful, which it is, but I commented that since the last time he was here was 34 years ago, he might imagine some things being new!

Ben's cousin, Raquel, and her son, Avi, met us at the airport and led us to Raquel's house in a norther suburb of Tel Aviv. It's a very large, new house. She runs her own business from her home. She does executive search and organizational consulting. So her office space is in the lower level of her home you really cannot call it a basement. She has one large office there and two smaller ones with tons of technology. Then the first floor is a very nice space with kitchen, dining room, living room and a very nice patio and garden. The second floor has the master bedroom and bath and then two guest bedrooms and a bath. Very nice!

Once in Raquel's home, we were welcomed by Ben's aunt and uncle and cousin, Ela, and her daughter, Emily, who is 15. They were all very warm and welcoming with lots of conversation in English, Hebrew, and Spanish. It was great fun. We gave out our gifts to the family, and then we all sat down to dinner. The family is very noisy and warm!

It is now Monday morning, the second day of the work week in Israel, and we will set out soon for our visit to Tel Aviv.