Haifa

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This last Shabbat I headed north towards Haifa. The wonderful thing about the Tel Aviv University is that the train station isn't far from here. I would say its about a 10-15 minute walk depending on the length of your legs. A round trip ticket to Haifa costs around twenty-four dollars or so and is only about a forty-five minute train ride if that. The wonderful thing about Haifa is that it seemed to be cooler than Tel Aviv. This is mainly due to the fact the city sits in the mountains so there seems to always be a slight breeze coming from the ocean. One thing that separates Haifa from other towns in Israel is that on Saturday afternoon (Shabbat) the buses start running at 4pm. Usually you don't find this anywhere, well at least not in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

I spent my weekend in Haifa with a friend who studies civil engineering at MIT (in Boston) and who is currently conducting research at the Technion. The Technion is consider by some to be the MIT of Israel. Anyhow, the Technion has one amazing campus, mostly because it sits in the mountains and there are tons of tall trees that offer shade to those who are dying of heat. I spent most of my time in Haifa sitting on the lawns at the Technion just soaking up the sun and cool breeze.


I did have a chance to visit the beach in Haifa which is at the base of the foothills of the city. I actually liked this beach because it was the first time I swam in the ocean without seeing a plastic bag swim past me. Also the beach life seemed more appealing in the since of its culture and did seemed to be overridden by foreigners.

Bicycle Time:
I went and bought a bicycle today. I decided that I could very easily get to downtown and around (like to the beach) more efficiently if I had a bike. I had to head all the way down to Yafo (South Tel Aviv) and got off on Jerusalem Blvd. Going south two blocks I finally found the it with help from a friend. One thing to remember in Israel, that if something doesn't have a price on it, it would benefit you not to take the first or second offer . . . make your own! I was able haggled down the price a 100 shekels for a second hand mountain bike. I only paid around fifty dollars for it which is consider a really good price. Also, I'm able to sell the bike for more than I bought it for. I must say that one thing I was surprised I couldn't find was a U-lock for bikes. This is a problem especially because Israel has a problem dealing with bicycle theft


Okay, I have an exam tomorrow, so until next time.
Shalom.

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Photos

Technion (Haifa)
Sitting on the lawn this is main building I spent my time around.