Epic times in Northern Israel--Day 4

It was with a heavy heart that we finally left Nazareth--the beautiful, lively city was easily the best we had visited so far. We drove north-west to the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where we first visited the ancient city of Akko (also spelled Acre). Like many other sites already discussed, Akko has a long history stretching through several empires (though most of the monumental buildings are the contributions of the Crusaders). When we reached Akko, we were significantly poorer than we were when we had left Jerusalem, so instead of paying to enter a few of Akko's numerous museums, we wandered through the old city bazaars and churches. We were lucky to catch the head of an Arab-Christian Palm Sunday procession (pictured below). We also ate at Chummus Said, praised by my guidebook (and by the group next to us in line) as the "best chummus in all of northern Israel." Having spoiled ourselves many times at Chummus Lina in Jerusalem's Old City, we were unimpressed.

From Akko, we drove around the bay to Haifa, one of Israel's largest cities. Due to time constraints (our next destination was a national park which closed at 5 p.m.), we did not have time to explore Haifa very thoroughly, but we hit the major highlights. Chief among these highlights were the exquisite Baha'i Gardens (pictured below). Baha'i is a monotheistic religion founded in Persia which preaches the spiritual unity of all mankind--Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, and others are all valid divine messengers who preached similar messages of unity and morality. Many of the most important leaders of the Baha'i faith are buried in Akko or in Haifa--Haifa's Baha'i Gardens therefore serve as the "Vatican" of this religion. Visitors are subject to limited visiting hours and a strict code of conduct while admiring the garden (the central Shrine of the Bab--third picture below--is off-limits to non-Baha'i visitors).

We enjoyed a scenic drive through upper Haifa, along the ridge of Mount Carmel. Below is a picture of the city with the sea in the background.

Our last stop in Haifa was to the Carmelite monastery and church (the name of the Carmelite Order is taken from Mt. Carmel, where the order was born). The beautiful, domed church was built atop a cave (preserved beneath the altar, see picture below) in which the Old Testament prophet Elijah is said to have lived.

From Haifa we proceeded southward to Caesarea, the ancient (artificial) port city originally constructed by Herod the Great in the decades before Christ. In its infancy, Caesarea served as Israel's most important maritime city--in the 60s CE, however, strained Jewish-Roman relations in the city resulted in the expulsion of the Jews, an event that ignited the Great Rebellion and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Caesarea passed into Roman, then Byzantine, Muslim, and finally Crusader hands. It was ultimately destroyed by Muslim conquerors. In modern times, Caesarea is an important ongoing archaeological excavation and national park.

Caesarea was similar to Bet She'an--visitors are free to roam about the impressive archaeological remains. Herod's harbor is still visible above the water (first picture below). Roman-style mosaic floors (second picture) are visible in the nobles quarter near Herod's palace. The site contains a (still-operating) Roman amphitheater as well as an arena for chariot races and gladiator battles (third picture below). The final pictures show the remains of a Byzantine church, as well as one of Caesarea's gates.

After an exhausting--but EPIC--four day journey to northern Israel, we returned to Jerusalem. Lucky for us, our spring vacation is not nearly over... we look forward to Passover and Easter in the coming days!