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16 July 2006
Haifa: a gorgeous coastal
city in norther Israel
The first thing that strikes you, an American, if you have spent time
in Palestinian towns and then find yourself in Tel Aviv, is a sense that
you are home, for better and for worse. Affluence, perfectly paved superhighways, Best Buy,
KFC, alcohol applenty, short shorts, bare midriffs and eye popping
cleavages.
I was quite ill upon my arrival in Tel Aviv, so took few
pictures. I was struck by the sense of being somehow transported
to America: extensive malls with familiar shops, elegant highrise
buildings, broad lush lawned parks, fancy cars on super highways:
North from Tel Aviv to Caesaria: ancient Roman port with well
preserved aqueduct along the coast line, Crusader's fortress, and a
beautiful beach, but with stinging blue jellyfish...
Along the Israeli coast line, rich farm lands in the Plain of Sharon,
high speed train lines, fish farms with silos which store grain to feed
fish:
Haifa: In my opinion, the most beautiful of Israeli coastal
cities. A major port (home to USA's seventh fleet...), the city
rises up mountains to overlook the picturesque harbor. It is home
of the World Bahai Center, grounds of which contain the most amazingly
beautiful landscaping one can imagine. A note of hope: It
is the best integrated Israeli city in which Jews and Muslims live side
by side. The mayor of Haifa has said he would grant the right of
retrun to displaced Palestinian refugees. This has been a fatal
sticking point in many parts of Israel.
