Haifa, Kinneret and Banias: My first taste of the North

I am far behind with my blog. However, I am committed to keeping the narrative flow of my adventures. So I must write about the beginning of October and the beginning of my experiences with the North of Israel.

Most of the Eco's journeyed to Haifa for the International Film Festival. It should go without saying that none of us saw a film during our stay in Haifa. We had a slow start, since we were overwhelmed with a myriad of choices during the week of Sukkot. There were festivals being held all over Israel: a Beer Festival in Jerusalem, Zorba the Buddha Festival in the Negev and a theater festival elsewhere. You get the idea. I had my heart set on Haifa, mostly due to my over romanticized notion of it, fostered by reading the Exodus. (Thanks Alicia). We arrived in Haifa around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. I desperately wanted to go to a hostel called Port Inn, near the Old German Colony and I had to fight the group who wanted to camp on the beach. The hostel was located at the end of a dark stretch of a street with no visible life. Once settled inside my room, my fellow roommate used the shower and flooded the entire room. Discouraged, I went downstairs and joined my fellow Eco's who had made friends with some Americans and a Swiss (International Spy?!) The backyard to the Port Inn is really quite enchanting and we bought cheap beers from the front desk and enjoyed the atmosphere and the company (betah). After a bit, we got restless and explored Ben Gurion street which was filled with mostly high-end restaurants. We settled on a bar across the street called Eli's which had an amazing blues singer. It was a singular moment of pure pleasure of just being. Surrounded by good friends and good music.

After the first night in Haifa, I became distracted. I ran into a friend. He invited me along for an adventure near the Kinneret. First, as a group, we went to the Bahai gardens in Haifa. I was mostly listening to the tour guide...It is a dedication to a martyr named Bab, or gate. Most of the above sentence is true. While the gardens were beautiful and lush, I felt oddly disconnected from them. They were too controlled, too planned, too damned geometric for my taste. But the view of the city was worth it all. Later, we separated and the two of us drove to Tiberias for dinner, yummy egpplant wrapped around cheese... and we camped on the beach of the Kinneret. I jumped into the Sea of Galilee, as the sun was setting and Tiberias winked golden lights at light from across the water. In short, my heart was full of beauty. Until a group of 20 Argentinian teenagers stomped into our section of the beach and with military efficiency set up 5 tents in 10 minutes. I spent a couple of anxious minutes worrying about their proximity, Would they keep us up all night with their noise? What the hell did they need a grocery cart for? How did they get it here? In the end, they were sweet kids who did not bother us at all.

The next day, after a morning dip in the Kinneret (all days should begin like this) We drove Northwards and settled on a hiking trail which promised waterfalls. We hiked up a mild trail, which was filled with more lush greenery then I had seen thus far in Israel. We stopped for a few hours, on the rooftop of an old Syrian bunker. Beneath us were happy families, some with dogs who were also resting. My attention was absorbed by a group of young boys who were making an elaborate lunch, complete with couscous. Just marveling at Israeli efficiency and wondering if these cooking/camping skills are something they learned from their military service. While we were engrossed in conversation, we were approached by a woman holding two small coffee cups. She offered them to us silently and then left. We were touched by this small gesture. After we leisurely enjoyed the coffee, I handed the cups back to the woman. I thanked her but I had to ask her why she choose to give us coffee. She said simply "We had extra coffee and you were in the best position to enjoy it." It is these small moments that touch me most in Israel.

We drove aimlessly for the rest of the day amongst the mountains in the Golan. We found many all-day hiking sites, unfortunately there were no sleeping camp sites. It was also not the best region to explore at night, we were hesitant to crash outside with so strong a military presence and so many signs, for grenades. We ended up resting at a more conventional family campground with not so lush gardens. In the morning we explored Banias Falls, and then walked for more than an hour to get to the Springs. The beauty of this area is impressive. The path between the Falls and Springs is covered with Figless Fig trees and a large variety of other water-loving plants. There were signs everywhere which forbade (asur, asur, asur!) people from bathing, or eating in the cold waters. Naturally, all along the path, legions of families frolicked with their lunches in the streams.

This day marks the begininng of a large moment for me. It was where my heart opened in Israel and to Israel. Meaning I was prepared to receive whatever lay ahead of me on my path. As of yet, I am still unsure of what this may bring me. But these are larger questions for another blog.

That night we slept again along the beach of the Kinneret. We feasted on gas station burekas, hummus, bread and wine. Really, these are the feast of the gods. We indulged in a late night swim and enjoyed the solitude. No gang of Argentian youth. No families. Just the golden lights of Tiberias winking across the waters. I was slightly late getting back to the farm the next day.......It was hard for me to return to my lovely and comfortable farm after this wonderful Northern adventure. The farm welcomed me back with open arms, as it always does.