Joanne and I woke up to a sunny Sunday morning in Haifa - a beautiful day to celebrate Jo's 25th birthday! We were a bit uncertain of what the day ahead would hold, but after chatting with the hostel's helpful front desk attendant, we decided we would take a bus to Akko and explore there.
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| HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO! breakfast in Haifa |
I would have liked to take the tour of the gardens, but we had to prioritize! Our trip to Avis to drop off the car was the easiest and most successful navigation of the trip - primarily because it was right next to the bus station that we'd struggled so much to find the night before. However, keeping in line with the rest of the trip, things didn't go completely smoothly...
We rolled into the Avis lot 20 minutes before our deadline - only to be told that our gas tank "wasn't full enough." Though we had stopped to fill it just before reaching Haifa the night before, we must have driven around aimlessly enough to run the tank down just a tad. Grudgingly, we drove off in search of a gas station, which was not nearly as easy to locate as their directions implied. After more driving around aimlessly, the gas station attendant saying, "That's it??" after she squeezed in like 4 liters, potentially running a few stop signs (I didn't realize that's what they were at first!), and saying a lot of bad words, we made it back to Avis.
Educational Moment - Israeli Rules of the Road: Above is an Israel stop sign. Since the English, Hebrew and Arabic alphabets are all completely different, they apparently decided to go the sign language route. It took me a minute to catch on. Also - gas is really expensive in Israel. Most stations had it around 7.23 shekels per liter... which we roughly converted to between $7 and $8/gallon. Ouch. Lastly, everyone honks their horn at everything all the time in Israel.
From Avis, we could walk across the parking lot to the bus station, which was incredibly convenient. We didn't have to wait long to catch a bus due north to Akko, or in English - Acre. Akko is another beautiful port city along the Mediterranean Sea, and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Israel. The city's history can be traced back 4,000 years to when Akko was first mentioned in Egyptian writings.
Akko has fallen under the rule of many different groups throughout the years, as its location makes it a place worth fighting for. Joanne and I visited the Old City, which is home to ruins of many of these different groups; however, some of the most substantial sites we saw belonged to the Crusaders.
In 1104, King Baldwin I led the Crusaders into Akko, where they conquered the port city and made it their principal link to home. The Crusaders thrived there, at one point having 40 churches and monasteries and a population of 50,000.
After the Crusaders were driven out of town, what remained of their vaults and halls fell by the wayside, and when the Ottomans later seized Akko and decided to build a citadel in the 18th century, they did so upon the rubble-filled Crusader ruins. Archaeologists are still working to uncover all of the ruins from the Crusader heyday. Thus far, six vaulted Crusader Vaults and Knights Halls have been discovered.
After we'd finished roaming through the Knights Halls, we headed into the Arab shuk (market). I wasn't there to buy anything -- and without the rental car, Joanne and I were backpacking, so we didn't want anymore to carry anyway! -- just taking in the sights, smells, sounds.. the whole experience.. was enough.
After "window shopping" our way through the shuk, we set out in search of lunch. One particular shop in Akko - Humus Said - is said to have "the best hummus in all the land." Obviously Jo & I couldn't leave without trying it!
The line was long at the bustling little hummus shop, but the employees of Humus Said have it down to an art. In no time, we were seated and our hummus was on its way.
I regret to inform you, this was not the best hummus in all the land. At least not according to this American hummus critic. But hey - it's the experience that counts, right?
From there, we ventured back through the shuk and to the Akko Port along the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea. The sun was shining on the blue water, and the gusty winds made the water rough, causing the waves to crash against the city walls and make my heart melt. Mark my words: Someday I will live near the water. Preferably a sea or ocean as beautiful as this...
After taking in the view and the salty sea breeze, we headed back to the shuk to pick up some fresh persimmons and strawberries, and then plopped our tired, achy bodies in a cab to go to the bus station. Note to self: PACK LIGHTER if planning to backpack around a city all day!
The first bus took us back to Haifa, where we caught another bus back to Jerusalem. I used the nearly-three hours on the buses to catch up on my travel journal and nap.
Back in Jerusalem, we met up with a group of Joanne's closest friends to go to a nearby sushi restaurant to celebrate her birthday! Jo has a great group of friends, and we all had a wonderful time hanging out and celebrating the lady we all so dearly love :)
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| Birthday ice cream with |
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