I step from the scratchy mat to the cool and soft stone floor of the hallway,
I pull my front door and let it softly click closed.

A flight of stairs down,
a few steps more and I’m outside,
carefully treading on the uneven stones of the entrance way.

And then the sidewalk.

I take light footsteps,
hopping over unwelcome items on the ground.
Pavement is surprisingly softer than a welcome mat,
giving my unprotected feet a welcomed gentle and sun-warmed massage.

The bag goes in the trash, I turn around,
and my feet experience the textures in reverse
until they again rest safely on the cool,
clean stone floor of my Jerusalem apartment.

These are a few of my favourite things.

Everything I saw in Haifa besides the Baha’i Gardens because they need their own gallery (see below!)

The Baha’i Gardens get their own gallery

To learn more about what there is to see in Haifa and details about these places, click here.

Where do you think this was taken? (Hint: There is another picture of this bridge in this post.)

In April 2013 I decided to give myself a three day adventure in Haifa. I wanted to see interesting things while making sure to keep within a tight budget.

Yeffe Nof Street (translated to “Beautiful View”). More about it below.

The trip ended up costing me around 400NIS in total (including travelling to/from Jerusalem) and I had a wonderful time.  I found Haifa to be a beautiful mix of urbanity and au naturale. It’s a place where you get to see interesting and pretty things while feeling the calmness of the mountain, the forest and the sea. It was lovely.

This post includes tons of information regarding places worth seeing, including dry details like contact information and entrance fees. It’s based on the extensive research I did for myself before embarking on my adventure. I didn’t find any other resources as comprehensive as this and so, while it is not a complete list (only almost), I hope you’ll find it useful.

The attractions are mainly bunched by area. The bold writing represents details like directions, contact information and price. 

In case you thought otherwise, I’m not responsible for any decisions you make, ever, whether regarding your relationship with your boyfriend or your decision to take my advice. :) In other words, double check, don’t blindly follow and I’m sure you’ll be fine.

Also please stay tuned for a photo album from my trip coming shortly.

Public transportation on Google Maps and Wikipedia as my guide

I can’t tell you enough how amazing it was using Google Maps on my smartphone throughout my trip. It now offers public transportation information in Israel and I used that option many times every day. I also used a regular (paper) map that I got at the hostel and the two together were perfect.

One bus/subway ride in the city costs 6.60NIS. The ticket is a transfer for 90 minutes.

Also, often when I’d arrive somewhere, I’d look up the place online and read about it on Wikipedia. It was a great way to learn on the go!

Port Inn hostel

The main sitting area at Port Inn

I stayed at the Port Inn and would be happy to stay there again. I slept in a women’s dorm room with eight beds. The whole place was comfortable, friendly, clean and neat.

You can go to their site to learn about their different sleeping options.

http://portinn.net/, info@portinn.net, 04-852-4401, 34 Jaffa Road

I paid 105NIS/night (non-Israelis pay less) +10NIS to rent a towel.

Port Inn is not centrally located but neither is it far away. And it’s very convenient getting around from there since it’s very close to one of the subway stations (more about the Carmelit below), close to many bus lines and a three minute walk from the Merkaz Hashmona train station:

Elijah’s Cave

Elijah’s Cave is free to visit.

It’s a little confusing finding it but rule number one is to keep in mind that it doesn’t look anything like a cave. It just looks like an interesting building.

Basically you walk away from the sea, cross over the highway on a pedestrian bridge (you can see it on the left in the Google Map right above), cross another main street and then walk up a bunch of stairs.

The courtyard of Elijah’s Cave

I went inside the building and hung around for a while, drinking my tea and watching the people.

I liked Elijah’s Cave but I can’t say exactly why. Maybe it was the cookie that one of the women gave me. But I think more possibly, it just feels like a place with a unique story. Yes, possibly including Elijah being brought up to the heavens in a chariot from that exact spot. Hey, why not? :)

Inside Elijah’s Cave

Take the cable car or the picturesque stairs up the mountain to the Stella Maris Monastery

The cable car: website, 04-833-5970

It makes sense to take the cable car from Elijah’s Cave up the Carmel Mountain to the Stella Maris Monastery. But Elijah’s Cave put me in an anti-cable car mood. And so when I saw beautiful mysterious stairs heading up into the forest-y mountain, I couldn’t resist. I wasn’t entirely sure it would take me where I was trying to go but it ended up being a gorgeous walk and indeed, I arrived at the Stella Maris Monastery!

How do you find the stairs? Right near Elijah’s Cave is a small gravel road (if I remember correctly). When you are standing on it with your back to the sea, Elijah’s Cave is slightly to your left and  the stairs should be slightly to your right.

On the way up I got to enjoy butterflies, wild flowers:

Climbing stairs that are carved into the stony mountain:

And, of course, gorgeous views of the city and the sea:

A view point on the way up Carmel Mountain from Elijah’s Cave

It was stunning, still and solitude. Highly recommended.

Stella Maris Carmelite Monastary

Stella Maris Monastery inside

04-833-7758, reachable by cable car or bus. Free to enter. The bathroom costs (I think 2NIS). Some information about the monastery.

I read Wikipedia on the monastery while sitting in the chapel. This place didn’t really do anything for me but I found the history explained in Wikipedia interesting.

The San Fransisco viewpoint is also nearby if you’re interested.

Downtown – the German Colony, the Israel Railway Museum, vegetarian shwarma, Mizrahi desserts and more

In Haifa they mean it when they say “downtown.” Downtown is the lower part of Haifa altitude-wise. it is the part closer to the sea.

The German Colony

The German Colony is centered around Ben Gurion Avenue. It’s a fixed up area with buildings from the German Templers from around the mid-1800s.

It creates a very straight line with the Baha’i Gardens which is cool to see but I didn’t find I had much to do there besides walk through and read signs here and there about the history and architecture.

The straight street below is Ben Gurion Avenue.

It’s around a 17 minute walk from Port Inn.

I read that it’s possible to do walking tours of the German Colony and Wadi Nisnas (a quaint area of Arab stores). I didn’t do it this time but would want to. Otherwise I sort of feel like I’m missing the point. The website about German Colony and Wadi Nisnas walking tours, 04-853-5606, extention: 101

The Israel Railway Museum

I had a small list of museums I was considering visiting but went to none of them. But on the last day I decided to choose one to visit and since I love trains, I chose the Israel Railway Museum. It’s a sweet place built in an old train station where you learn about the history of the land through the history of the railway, which is cool. There is also a movie they can show you in one of the cars.

I’m happy I went because you get to see all kinds of interesting trains of historical significance, but I would have gotten more out of it with a guide.

An invitation to celebrate the finishing of the Jerusalem tracks – December 15, 1959

All those trains are part of the museum which has a lovely indoor part (the tracks go inside the building which is a pretty old train station) and an outdoor part. There is also a movie you can request to see which is around 10 minutes long. It ain’t a thriller but it’s a blast from the Israel cinematography past. To the left of this picture, up the stairs, is the entrance to the indoor part of the museum.

Price: 30NIS, תחנת הרכבת חיפה מזרח, רחוב חטיבת גולני 1, חיפה, בסמוך לכיכר פייסל

It’s confusing getting there but once you get to the area there are signs and then the guard at the entrance to the grounds can explain about the whole going over the bridge part (you can see the bridge in the picture above).

Vegetarian shwarma!

My second night in Haifa I really needed a good vegetarian meal. Some friends told me about this vegetarian shwarma place which is a 15 minute walk from Port Inn on the same street.

It’s at 136 Yaffo Road (in an area with lots of other “regular” shwarma places) and it costs around 25NIS for shwarma in a baguette (the option I chose). There are whole wheat options too.

The serving was huge. I ate half of my baguette for dinner and saved the other half for the next day. It was very good but actually I found that I liked it more after it had sat.

Vegetarian shwarma

Almuchtar – Mizrachi desserts

On the afternoon of my last day there, I needed one last adventure and so when I saw an Arab bakery on my way back to the hostel, I decided to give it a try.

Inside, behind glass, there were many huge trays with a wide variety of tiny bite-size desserts. I was curious what kind of fat they used and I found out they use butter. Yum.

I asked her to just give me around 5-6 pieces. She picked them up one by one and explained what she was giving me: Almond flavour, walnut, pistachio, etc.

I took them back to the hostel and ate them there. They were so delicious. Seriously. I’m sorry I didn’t take a picture of them. Or even better, someone should have recorded me eating them because I must have looked like I was in heaven.

Their business card. It says:
Almuchtar
Mizrahi and European sweets
28 HaMeginim Street, Haifa
054-620-8867
04-851-0099

Some other places in the lower part of the city that I didn’t get to

Boat ride - Kishon Fishing Harbour, Sunday to Thursday 08:00 to 16:00, 04 841 8765,  40NIS

The Turkish Shuk – 17:00-23:00, right by the Kikar Paris Carmelit station.

Uptown – the Carmelit subway, Yaffe Nof Street and other views, the Baha’i Gardens, and museums

The Carmelit subway

I had to take the Carmelit while in Haifa because it’s the only subway in Israel. What I didn’t know was that because it takes you up such a steep hill, it’s built as stairs, as are the stations. It’s a tiny little thing, I think two cars long. It’s a surprisingly unique experience, considering that you’d think it’s just like any other subway. There are six stops and from what I could see, it is comprised of two trains which take turns going up and down all day long.

A Carmelit subway station – this is almost the full length of the station.

Check out the Carmelit’s website.

The subway stops: Merkaz HaCarmel (at the top), Bnei Tzion, Metzada, HaNvi’im, Solel UBoneh and Kikar Paris (at the bottom – near Port Inn). The cost is 6.60NIS/ride and the ticket is a transfer for public transportation in the city for 90 minutes.

The Baha’i Gardens

Obviously if you go to Haifa, the Baha’i Gardens are a central part of the visit, if only because you can’t help but notice them almost everywhere you go. There are three main ways to see the Baha’i Gardens (besides from the outside, all over the city) and I made sure to do all three:

1) The tour

On this free tour you get to go right inside the gardens and walk down around nine of the 19 floors. There is one 50 minute tour a day in English and one in Hebrew (there are also tours in Russian). Call the number to find out exactly when it is: 04-8313131. You can also look at the schedule here. There are no tours on Wednesday.

Make sure it’s happening the day you intend to go since sometimes they are closed for holidays and such.

I found the tour to be interesting, learning about the meaning behind the aesthetics of the gardens and the history of the Baha’i religion.

2) Going inside the shrine

Next to the Shrine of the Bab, the Baha’i Gardens

In the middle of the gardens is the Shrine of the Bab. It’s a majestic building and people are welcome to enter one simple room.

This is possible during the hours 9:00-12:00 on regular days (double check ahead of time). You must cover your shoulders and knees to go into the gardens around the Shrine and into the Shrine itself. To enter you’ll need to take off your shoes and you aren’t allowed to take pictures inside.

Going into the shrine is an interesting experience. It’s a little awkward because a Baha’i person accompanies you inside and then solemnly stands on the side as you try to figure out what to do there. You’ll probably find yourself wandering around the small space, reading what you can and then leaving after a few minutes. It’s an experience.

3) Walking freely around three small part of the gardens

From 9:00-17:00 every day, there is a small area on the top and a small area on the bottom that is open for people to walk around freely, without a guide.

The truth is that I went to the gardens every day in order to do all of these things. The first day I saw the gardens from the outside (from the bottom and then the top). The second day I went on the Hebrew tour. And on the third day I went to the Shrine.

I can’t help but respect the Baha’i for founding a new monotheistic religion so recently (in the 19th century) and particularly one that, in Persia (now Iran), at that time, called for gender equality.

Views, views everywhere and they all mean the same thing

I had a list of around three places in Haifa that were recommended for their views, only to learn that they’re all the same place. So don’t worry, you can see them all at once.

Yeffe Nof Street (the name means Beautiful View) is the street that runs perpendicular to the Baha’i Gardens from which is the top entrance to the gardens. Walking along there is very pretty. Above it, parallel to Yeffe Nof Street, is the Louis Promenade. It’s often the same view from a different perspective. I’m not complaining but if you aren’t hugely a view-lover, you might have enough after walking along just Yeffe Nof or the promenade.

Mane-Katz Museum

This is one of the places I thought I’d go but didn’t in the end. The Mane-Katz Museum is on Yeffe Nof Street, which means it has a gorgeous view. It was the home of the artist Mane-Katz where he created his art during his lifetime. The house is now an exhibit of his Judaica collection and his own art.

30NIS entry fee, 89 Yeffe Nof Street, 04-9119372, curator@mkm.org.il

A few other places

Haifa Museum of Art – info here

Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art – details here

Madatech – the science museum

The Sculpture Gardens Gan Hapsalim, (Sderot Hatziyonut)

The Carmel Beach Promenade

I heard there is a beautiful view from Dan Carmel hotel. Not sure if anyone will be able to enjoy it. I didn’t try in the end. 85-87 Hanassi Avenue, Haifa, 04-830-3030

There are some interesting things to do near Haifa. I didn’t get to any of these on this trip. I have understood that there are buses by Egged that go to these places.

Yad Lebanim in Daliyat El Carmel – a memorial for Druze soldiers who have lost their lives protecting Israel.

Isfiya – a Druze village (spelled עוספיא in Hebrew)

Ein Hod – an artists village

Bet Oren Riding Stables (20 min. south of Haifa)

About all the museums in Haifa

A good resource about the Carmel Druze experience

33 attractions in Haifa on Trip Advisor

More info on Lonely Planet about Haifa

About the Carmelin area (Hebrew)

And finally…

In the comments please write about other places you recommend (or don’t recommend) seeing while touring around Haifa. Also, please write if you see any mistakes in the info provided here. I’ve done my best.

Thanks!

So in order to help you eliminate the waste of time, I’ll point you in the right direction.

1. You need the not most up-to-date version of Blackberry Desktop Software (AKA Blackberry Desktop Manager) in order to succeed in this task. So, uninstall the new version if you have it on your computer.

2. Click here in order to access a file you can download of the version you need: 6.1. Download and install it.

2. Go to this page and follow these amazingly easy to follow instructions.

This worked totally smoothly for me. Yay!

Photo by mzacha.

In the comments, please write all items that you see are missing, for domestic and international travel.

Some obvious things, like a wallet, are not included in this list.

I have successfully used this list twice already – once for a Shabbat in Tzfat and once for a three day vacation in Haifa. Both have been happy trips, partially as a result of my good packing job. :)

Happy travels!

Food

• Water
• Thermos filled with hot tea (This is my thing and it’s a pleasure having this when on the road.)
• Tea bags
• Sandwiches
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Snacks

General

• Purse
• Backpack
• Suitcase
• Money
• Two sets of car keys
• Bluetooth headset
• Cell phone charger and cable
• Plug converter
• Book
• Notebook + pen

Outdoor paraphernalia

• Coat
• Scarf
• Hat
• Shoes
• Boots
• Flip flops (actually, for indoors)
• Umbrella
• Bathing suit
• Sunglasses

Clothes

• Socks
• Underwear
• Bras
• Leggings
• PJs
• Two outfits besides what I’m wearing

Note! Make sure the socks and shoes match the outfits.

Cosmetics/Toiletries

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Deodorant
• Vasaline
• Shampoo + conditioner
• Hair gel
• Comb
• Hair elastics
• Towel
• Pads/Tampons
• Sunscreen
• Tissues
• Make up
• Tweezers (in case I meet anyone who needs them)

Travel stuff

• Canadian passport (check the date)
• Israeli passport (check the date)
• Visa
• Foreign currency
• International cell phone calling/data plan
• Maps
• Train schedule
• Print out of attractions, plans
• Hotel information: Phone number(s), email address, address, check in hours

To do before leaving the house

• Wash dishes
• Close/Open windows as needed
• Open closet and cupboard doors to air out (It’s the perfect opportunity to air your place out.)
• Unplug electric appliances and computer
• Shower
• Recharge camera, cell phone, bluetooth
• Throw out all garbage

No big deal, right? You’re on your way!

זה הפוסט הראשון שלי בעברית. ולמה זה קורה עכשיו? כי היה לי רומן והוא קצת שינה אותי.  מה זה רומן? זה קשר שמשנה אותך לטובה. שגורם לך להבין קצת יותר מי את ומה את צריכה ולמה את מדהימה וחכמה ומבינה וטובה ויפה.

אז זה קרה. לא כל כך ידעתי שכאילו דברים באמת קורים, רומן שנמשך שעות בודדות, אבל הנה קרה. וזה שבכלל יצא לנו להפגש במשך היום הבודד הזה זה מדהים. כי לא התאים בכלל שנפגש. לא לי ולא לו. אבל הבנו שכדאי, או סתם רצינו משום מה, אני חושבת שטיפה הבנו שיש משהו בינינו. אז הוא בא לירושלים מרחוק ואני נפגשתי עם חילוני גמור גמור (מבחוץ) שחי חיים שונים מאד ממני.

רומן מתוק

אבל רק מבחוץ זה שונה. מבפנים זה דימיון מפתיע. אבל זה לא שינה שום דבר בסוף. אין מה לעשות, דברים חיצוניים הם מאד חשובים והיו עוד המון דברים שעמדו נגדנו וכתוצאה מכל הגורמים, הרומן היה בר יום בודד בלבד. אבל איזה יופי שהיה את היום הזה! מישהי נעימה מלמעלה כן הרשתה לנו פגישה אחד. פגישה חמודה ושונה ונוגעת ללב.

ואני עצובה אבל זה קצת שינה אותי. לטובה. זה עזר לי קצת יותר להפרד ממשהו אחר שתקוע לי בלב. זה גרם לי להבין מה חשוב. זה נתן לי טעימה של איך יהיה עם הבחור הנכון וזה עזר לי לדעת שאני חייבת לא להתפשר על הדברים הלא נכונים (טוב, זה הוא אמר לי בפירוש). זאת אומרת שאני חייבת להרגיש מוערכת ומדהימה עם הבחור שלי. אני גם צריכה מאד להעריך אותו ולראות כמה שהוא טוב, טוב, טוב. וחכם רגשית וחכם אינטלקטואלית. ואני צריכה להרגיש שפשוט בא לי להיות איתו. ושפשוט בא לו להיות איתי. ואני צריכה להרגיש שאני יכולה להיות מאד פתוחה איתו ולראות שהוא מאד פתוח איתי ושנעים להיות פתוחים אחד עם השנייה.

רומן בר יום. מי היה מאמין… זה הסתיים בעצב. הוא אמר לי כל מיני דברים נוגעים ללב על כמה שהוא שמח שהוא פגש אותי ונתנו אחד לשנייה חיבוק וירטואלי ואיחלנו אחת לשני המון טוב.

וזה היה הסוף. אבל ברוך השם על החוויה ששנתה בי משהו, שקצת פתחה אותי, קצת גרמה לי להעריך את עצמי יותר, קצת גרם לי להבין את עצמי יותר, ואולי טיפה גם את העולם. ואני מתפללת שזה עשה גם לו משהו טוב.

אז להתראות, חמוד. הסכמנו בדייט היחיד שלנו ששנואות על שנינו פרדות. והנה הזדמנה לנו פרידה.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

xo

Image by Cieleke.

Please be warned: Dates with this techina is heaven. Especially the only partially dried dates.

Ingredients

• Techina/Tahini  golmit (crushed sesame seed paste without any additives) – preferably from whole sesame seeds
• Honey
• Cinnamon – optional
• Lemon juice – optional
• Fruit, particularly dates

Instructions

• Mix techina and honey.
• Mix in cinnamon and/or lemon juice as you’d like.
• Flavour according to your preference.
• Prepare whatever fruit you want on a plate. I recommend apples, oranges, bananas and dates. Give each person a teaspoon to cover the fruit pieces with the techina.

Ingredients

• Lettuce
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Tofu cut in small cubes, sauteed in olive oil with soya sauce
• Cashews
• Partially fresh dates cut in quarters
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Salt

Instructions

• Saute the tofu.
• Meanwhile, clean all the fruits and vegetables and chop as wanted.
• Add remaining ingredients besides the olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
• Dress with olive oil, lemon juice and salt right before serving.

Here is my album of red:

This is the weekly photo challenge by WordPress.com.

The survivors can’t remember all alone. Especially as they get older, their numbers are dwindling and, as Melabev put it, a lot of them physiologically literally can’t remember anymore.

But truthfully, the Holocaust is full of untold stories of people who died along with every single person who ever knew them. There is no one to remember them individually and so they are only part of our collective remembrance. It is our job to remember them.

And so we do it. We all join the band of the surrogate memory-bearers so that the survivors can have some peace of mind, knowing that although we don’t understand, we will try and although we can’t remember, we will never forget.