Day 3 - Israel's Northern Coast

We started our northern tour of the Israel coast this morning in Akko (also known as Acre). Upon arriving in Akko we walked through the ancient ruins that surround the city and studied its eclectic and colorful history. A particular tourists’ site in Akko is the infamous British prison which was used to intimidate and threaten the early Israeli settlers and defenders of Theodore Herzl’s dream.

Right next door to the prison is a building which was originally built by the crusaders and the “knights” of King Arthur. Upon entering this building the beautiful contrast between these eras is not lost on the untrained eye…clearly there is an obvious vibrant and multi-cultural respect for this city’s incredible diversity.

Next on the agenda were a tour, presentation, and lunch at a local Akko school. Our students had the opportunity to view a special original presentation by some 5^th grade students in honor of Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) which we will be celebrating on Friday when we’ll be actually staying in Jerusalem. Following the program the students got to have a falafel and chips (French fries) lunch together and discuss pre-adolescent teen interests such as music, video games, fashion, and school. It was great to see the children using the universal language of Judaism (Jewish Geography), not to mention a “Heblish” blend of Hebrew and English.

From here we travelled north to Rosh Hanikra and the border with Lebanon, Israel’s neighbor to the north. In Rosh Hanikra the students learned about how this border crossing was essential to the British in connecting their Empire but a threat to the Israeli pioneers who wanted safe borders insulating them from their threatening neighbors. Also at Rosh Hanikra, we travelled by cable car down to the underground grottos and then trekked through the spray of the waves breaking around us on our way up to the cliff surface to better appreciate and understand the geography and demographics of this critical border location.

After this we headed back to the hotel to get in a quick dip in the Mediterranean Sea. We quickly changed and headed out by foot (yes, the ocean is that close to the hotel) to go and swim. We all had a blast and during our walk back decided to go back and visit again later this evening to walk along the boardwalk and enjoy the ocean breeze once again. When we did go back after dinner we stopped at one of the outdoor cafes for some dessert and “hanging out” before returning to the hotel to pack and get in some additional journal writing.

Tomorrow we leave the north and head to Jerusalem, the City of Gold. Stay posted for what’s coming next…