Written by: Alexandra Friedlander
We woke up and ate a delicious egg breakfast. Afterwards, we drove to Rosh Hanikra, which is a beautiful geologic cliff formation on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Western Galilee. Rosh Hanikra borders Lebanon, and many missiles have been shot shot from Lebanon into Israel via Rosh Hanikra.
At Rosh Hanikra, we looked at the magnificently perfect turquoise sea and the ancient rocks. Then we watched a movie inside one of the caves about the history of Rosh Hanikra and its grottoes (underground tunnels). We learned that Rosh Hanikra means “the top of the chiseled slope”. It got its name from Alexander the Great’s soldiers who chiseled their way through the mountain and created the caves. We also learned that the grottos were used for various purposes, including a passage way for 300 holocaust survivors and a passage way for the British to transport freight trains.
The sea grottoes were beautiful; the color of the sea crashing into the color of the rocks was breathtaking.
Following our visit to Rosh Hanikra, we drove to the city of Akko, which is at the North of Israel on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. We feasted on a lunch of homemade falafel, pita and hummus, mixed vegetable salad, and french fries.
A highlight of our visit in Akko was The Old city of Akko. Walking around the Old Akko Market was another highlight. We saw many stores that we wouldn’t see in Pittsburgh, such as: many fruit stands, fish stands, and small clothing boutiques. The colorful range of stalls and the sights, sounds and smells of this open air market were invigorating . I particularly enjoyed trying sugar cane juice with mint and lemon at one of the fruit stands. I also enjoyed seeing the mixed, local culture at the market.
Later, we had a surprise boat ride on the Mediterranean. We saw some very beautiful views of the Sea and got splashed a bit. It was a great time! Then, we drove back to the Village and rested a bit before we met with our Mishpachton. With our Mishpachton, we talked about our day and ate dinner. Then, I walked around the Village with two girls, and we met many people from other Mishpachtons. Afterwards, we went to our houses and told stories about our exciting day.