June 13 Acre, Haifa, Caesarea and on to Tel Aviv

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Before we get on with touring, let's discuss money. On many of our family trips, we have always found that using local currency was the best option for general purchases, especially in the local markets, small restaurants, and gift stores. Not so here in Israel. This country craves the US dollar and I found that US Dollars were the preferred currency for everything. The small and large shops, markets, and restaurants (basically everywhere), they priced everything in dollars. This presents a conundrum. Do I or don't I change dollars to shekels? My thoughts.

Use a credit card. Visa and Mastercard are accepted everywhere, American Express in less than 1/2 the locations, and Discover in no place that I found. If you use a credit card, there are many advantages. You have a record of what you bought, you get a good exchange rate, and you know exactly what you are paying. Almost every vendor takes credit cards so you don't need gobs of cash...however, bargaining to a low price and then whipping out a Platinum Amex card is a bit suspicious!

The other concern is carrying lots of dollars. To use dollars in Israel you have to bring them with you as no banks or ATMs give dollars. This presents the problem of traveling with and carrying potentially large amounts of dollars. We are spending up to $100 a day for food and drink and maybe another $50 in crapola. That means for 16 days you will have at least $1500 in cash and maybe much more if you are like us and want to buy everything you see. One idea is to carry large bills into the country say $100 bills, then spend some of the large bills shopping and get change in smaller US Dollars. They will give you change in US dollars. This way you can use cash wherever you want. The problem I saw was the exchange rate. This week it was $0.27 dollars to the shekel. If you pay in dollars they give you an exchange rate of $0.31 or $0.35 dollars to the shekel which can be significant if you are spending a large amount of dollars.

If you prefer local currency, any Bank ATM will give you shekels and a favorable exchange rate. In the end, I think for Israel you bring $150 dollars per day per couple in cash US dollars, use credit cards for large purchases, and get maybe $250 in shekels from the ATM and replenish as needed. This gives you the most options.

On to touring.

Our first stop today was Acre an almost complete 12th-century Templar Stronghold. Now I am all about the Templars so this was high on my bucket list of places to see. I was thrilled to be here. Acre, also known as AKKO, is a port city on the Mediterranean Sea in Northwest Israel. The city is extremely well preserved and recent excavations and some reconstruction do bring the city alive.

One thing I could say is Acre is enormous. The walls are huge and the city is multi-layered and mostly underground. There were rooms of every description from store rooms, to churches, burial crypts, banquet halls, a jail and so much more. Exploring the maze of rooms and trails one could easily get lost...just like I did!

Usually, I will mosey ahead, trying to get photos without people crowding in. I do this strategically by keeping the guide within earshot of the whisper units they hand out at the beginning of the tour. These small radios allow the guide to "whisper" into a microphone and you can hear him clearly in the earpiece. This allows the guide to describe a site without disturbing other guides. Great, right? They have a range of about 50 feet, just enough to get some space yet keep the guide in view.

Well, in Underground Acre that strategy didn't work. I went ahead as usual and made a turn or two. I took my photos and the whisperer started to crackle, indicating I was near the limit and thus time to head back. The only problem was I could not find my way back. I made some more turns, the whisperer cut out, and boom I was lost. Cathy sent me a text asking where I was. The only problem was I had left my phone in the bus so I could not answer nor ask for help. I turned this way and that, down a number of halls, and then doubled back, and nothing. I kept walking when suddenly the whisper crackled in and I was able to find my way back to Evan. Thought I was moving into new quarters!

Needless to say, the visit was amazing and I was so glad to have the opportunity to visit.

Our next stop was the hanging gardens of the Baha'i Shrine. The golden dome shrine of the Bab is dedicated to the prophet -Herald of the Baha'i'Faith. I'm sorry to say I did not listen too much to the history of the place as I was awed by the gardens themselves. We only had a few minutes here anyway.

We then had a great lunch in a local open-air restaurant. Lunch was served family style and consisted of many local specialties such as olives, cabbage, beets, hummus, various salads, pita bread, and chicken shwarma. We all sat at log tables and dined enjoying the beautiful weather.

After lunch, we went to Caesarea, the great port city, built by King Herod himself. This was the first and largest port in its day. The main attractions in this city are the nearly restored Amphitheater, the terraced palace of Herod, the prison, and the Hippodrome. The city became the capital of the Roman province of Judaea in 6 CE. Subsequently, it was an important center of early Christianity; in the New Testament, it is mentioned in Acts in connection with Peter, Philip the Apostle, and, especially, Paul, who was imprisoned there before being sent to Rome for trial.

The theater can hold 9000 people and was used as entertainment for sailors in port. Entertainment was rowdy comedy and other forms of lower-class entertainment, not the refined plays of the Roman upper class. The sole purpose of the theater here was to keep the sailors entertained so they would not get drunk and run amok. The theater is still used today.

Herod built a two-terraced palace overlooking the sea. He had gardens, a freshwater swimming pool and was the place to entertain visiting dignitaries from Rome. It was quite modern and had a commanding view of the sea. He also built the first deep-water port and established Caeserea as a place of importance.

The hippodrome was our last stop. This was the site of gladiatorial games as well as various animal entertainments including horse and chariot races and wild animal shows. We had a little excitement of our own here. One of our travelers lost her pocketbook. A search ensued and we were able to recover the lost purse, so all ended well.

Our final stop was the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv. It is right across the street from the sea and has a beautiful view of the beaches. Dinner was on our own.

If you recall way back in Atlanta while we were delayed for our flight to Tel Aviv, we met the Defense Salesman. He told us about the restaurant Manta Ray. Well, it turns out the restaurant was a 10-minute walk from our hotel. Greg and Doris, new friends from our trip, joined Cathy and me for some excellent fish and conversation. We dined on a number of salads, calamari, shrimp, and fish and chatted for hours. It was wonderful and a very fitting evening as we come to the end of our journey through Israel.

Tomorrow is the last day with this group. Most are going home but Cathy and I have 6 more days as we are off to Jordan to continue our Middle East Tour.

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