Traveling to Haifa

The journey to Pilgrimage officially began when I checked into Newark airport for my trans-Atlantic flight to Tel Aviv Saturday night. Who would've imagined a daily flight to Tel Aviv from the USA would be completely full? I don't think there was a spare seat to be had on the plane. The usual cramped quarters and uncomfortable sleeping applies, as does mediocre food and bad television programming. Thankfully, I was able to sleep most of the flight so time passed quickly. The descent through the clouds was the only time I noticed turbulance (always makes me airsick), then a smooth landing took us into Ben Gurion airport. There's always talk about how it can be difficult to get through customs in a country like this, and I suppose there are some who had a difficult time explaining their purpose here. But for me, it was smooth sailing all the way. The customs agent asked no questions, I found my suitcase to be already on the carousel, and went straight to my sharut (shuttle) bus headed towards Haifa.

Ah, the sharut. Basically, it's a minivan packed as full as it can be of passengers heading to the same general area, to be dropped off at their respective locations. A shared taxi. (For soon-to-be travelers, the going rate is 56 NIS.) If you've ever taken a taxi in a large city like New York or Chicago, you have some idea of the ride to Haifa. Add in more aggressive drivers, hills and curves, and no air conditioning and you have my sharut. I tend to get carsick on a straight road with a sane driver, so this was not a pleasant ride for me. But my eyelids were heavy and I somehow managed to sleep a good portion of the ride which helped immensly. Finally the driver stopped at my hotel, unloaded my suitcase, and left me to fend for myself.

The Dan Gardens hotel is a small but very nice place with a great view of the Bay of Haifa and the city below (remember we're on Mount Carmel here!). I had researched the hotel (of course!) prior to booking and others noted the stair access into the hotel. They failed to mention it's 2 flights of stairs and I'm carrying my slightly heavy and awkward suitcase! But I made it and when the elevator broke, the nice men of the hotel carried it up to the 4th floor for me. On my last trip to Haifa (for a 3 day visit), I stayed at the Hotel Nof which is slightly closer to the Baha'i Gardens where I am to spend most of my time. I was not impressed at the Nof and found it to be sticky and slightly run-down. I figured it was par for the course in a Middle Eastern country until I arrived at the Dan Gardens last night. The room is a lovely rectangular room with windows along the long wall looking over the bay. A closet with shelves so I can unpack my clothes, a television with cable, and a very comfortable bed. Oh, and of course (as you've noticed) wireless internet access in the room. It's $5 for an hour or $15 for a day, but at least it's private access on my own computer. I'm so glad I read that somewhere in my research and brought my laptop.

No restaurant in the Dan Gardens, so I went on the recommendation of the desk clerk just down the street to an Argentenian restaurant (El Gaucho). It was nice and I was able to eat a small meal before calling it a night. Now I'm in bed at 9:00 and ready to get on with the trip tomorrow. The formal Pilgrimage starts in the morning!