Old Jaffa Take 2

Started my G Adventures tour last night, this be #12 if you count the combo trips as one. A medium sized group of 11. Today we set off first to Rabin Square where our guide recounted the history of Israel from the 12 tribes to the diaspora to the Persians, the Byzantines, the Romans and the Crusaders, and the Persians again, though don't quote me on that order, to the more recent times and issues towards Palestine. A bit of a long story to write out here but fascinating.

Next stop, back to Old Jaffa for a bit of history, but mostly we had free time to explore for a bit. I made St Peter's my first stop since it had been closed the day before. You know how we forget the day of the week when we travel? I forgot today was Sunday and there was mass going on. We wondered why there was singing in English when we opened the door. A quick loop around a few places based on my memory from yesterday before hopping on the bus to leave Tel Aviv. I was very glad to have done the walking tour the day before as there was more details and story, some perhaps not true but I still remember the tale.

We made a surprise stop by the aquaduct in Caeserea, still beautiful by the Mediterrean Sea before continuing on to have lunch in a Druze family home. The Druze are one of the minorities in the State of Israel, and they have a closed religion, no one in and if someone marries outside the religion, they're banished. The homes in the Druze village were beautiful and came with stunning views of the mountains and city below. Lunch was a delicious affair by our hostess, and the dessert was simply delicious. They call in Lebanese nights, I may attempt this for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year.

Two stops after lunch, we headed to Haifa, our stop for the night, but first, the Bahi'a Gardens which is a place of worship for another group here. We could only access the top 2 levels of the gardens but at the top, you got a great view of the .city right down to the port. It almost reminds me of Lombard Street in San Francisco.The view at night from the bottom looking up is also stunning.

We then made our way to the Stella Maris Monastery situated over what is believed to be Elijah's Cave. Beautiful inside though we didn't linger too long before making our way to the hotel. Our rooms on the 17th floor were great and included panoramic views of the city.

About half of just met up for dinner tonight. We ended up going to Fattoush in the German Colony where some of us decided to share 4 appetizers, which turned out to be a great idea given portion sizes and the ability to try several dishes. Delicious!Read more