Haifa
We were quite ambitious with regard to what we thought we could see and visit from Tel Aviv. Given the fact that we were in Israel over the Christmas holidays, we wanted to visit Nazareth too. Unfortunately, we couldn't. We did make it to Haifa.
Haifa is famous for its Bahai gardens and it was what we most wanted to see and explore when we got there by train. We arrived in the city and walked to the site. But the gates were closed. It turns out, visits had to be booked in advance and on the day we arrived, tickets had long been out, as per one visitor we happened to stand next to while viewing the gardens from the outside.
At first we tried to enter from the ground level. Then we were told by a young security guard that we could take a bus to go up to the top entrance to the gardens. We did but it was there a young kind American student told us the procedure in visiting the Bahai Gardens.
We saw lots of upscale apartment buildings and condos here. Haifa looked rich and elegant to me. I liked it. Using our RAV Card, we took the bus to go down to the city center then had lunch in a mall. In a McDonald's to be exact. We didn't really see any other place to eat in and to save time, we just did. No problem!
People come to Haifa primarily to see its main attraction and it is this, the enormous Bahai Gardens
Another view of the Bahai Gardens
Here's a view of the garden from the top.
Besides getting a glimpse of the Bahai Gardens from higher ground, I enjoyed the views of the port city of Haifa from up there.
This was the Crown Hotel, an upscale hotel we saw upon arriving at the roundabout. I initially thought of going inside to use its toilet facilities that morning but didn't.
The sign and description about the German colony in Haifa
I was pleasantly surprised to see Christmas decorations in Haifa. We actually saw lots of them along the main street directly opposite the Bahai Gardens.
Here's a tall Christmas tree next to a menorah on the roundabout in the city center
If I remember correctly, this bar and restaurant is housed in one of Haifa's oldest if not the oldest houses.
The Haifa Museum
Any idea what this building is about and what it's for?
The Haifa Train Station
The sign for the Haifa City Museum
A view of modern Haifa