Baha’i Garden & Akko

Aloha Everyone,

By 7:00 am, our ship had already docked at Haifa. The free shuttle bus dropped off us near the Baha’i Garden. This is one of the main attractions in Haifa. However today is a holiday for the Baha’i religion and the complex was closed.

Haim as in La Haim, “to life,” approached us offering his services as a licensed tour guide. His family emigrated from Georgia, served in the Israeli Defense Force, knowledgeable and friendly, we truly lucked out. After agreeing to where we will go and the cost of a private tour, Tom and Susan from Oklahoma joined us to share the cost.

Akko, located about 40-minute drive from Haifa is now a subterranean city showcasing the history of the settlement from Persian, Egyptian, Hellenistic to Roman to Byzantine. Conquerors built settlements on top of another, Akko requires that you walk through underground tunnels.

Ottoman and Crusader periods strongly reminded us of what the two of us experienced in Rodos, Greece. Having Haim accompany us the entire duration of our subterranean walk was helpful. For an additional US$15 each, we each had audio narration devices which corresponds to displays and diorama.

The cost of US $150 per couple was reasonable. Haim was happy when J.J. gave him a US$20 tip. 

One interesting item to note is that there was a charge of US $1 per person to use WC. No soap, running water, nor toilet paper were something we had to quickly dismiss as something to be expected. Ah, luxury of American life.

Aloha -- Cathi