We switched iPhone blog app and…what a mess! This “redo” is what we intended the first time we published this blog…Sorry!

Residents boast that because Haifa has such a diverse population (Ethiopians, Muslims, Druze, Ba’hai, Christians, Jews, and even Scientologists get along). Does such tolerance come from the example of the dominant religious site in Haifa: the Ba’hai Shrine of the Bab, and eighteen terraces of gardens, sculptures, and fountains spilling from the top of the mountain down to the Port of Haifa? The Ba’hai, peace loving Persians, and appreciative of ALL prophets as their teachers, personify tolerance and respect. Unfortunately our guide spent most of his time yelling at visitors and other tour guides, but it was free, and gave us access to all the 18 terraces, denied to visitors without a guide.

If you need to wipe away the bad juju of your angry tour guide we recommend a meal cooked by Chef Bruno at DUNK PUB below the gardens in the German Colony. He trained at the Culinary Institute of Barcelona. Such fabulous comfort food as Shepherd’s Pie, below, and very savory and sour, homemade “Bacon Stout Bread”.

We got our local Haifa travel tips and an escorted tour from our new pal Leslie, who gave us an Arabic Architecture tour, including the most beautiful (huge!) grain silo at the Port…

…at the Tsipiot Market and new (and delicious fresh fish) restaurant, ‘Tsipiot’, 1/2 block from the Market (owner, red scarf).

Ein Hod, 20 minutes drive from Haifa, is a 60 year old artist colony developed by Dada artist Janko. It was truly our home away from home…except that we don’t live in an art gallery! Steven’s dearest friends, painter/sculptor Mary Gottlieb and her darling husband Maurice, worked with their adult sons to prepare so many meals with Mike’s homemade hearty breads, Israeli salads, gorgeous Israeli fruits, and home cured gravlax. Wow! What a feast…every day!

They took us swimming at a local kibbutz, and at the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) Hamat Gader Hot Springs, including an ancient Roman Bath (below)!

Ein Hod is filled with outdoor sculpture by the residents, including arty outdoor seating….…and sculpture everywhere.

We also attended a festive new show that opened at the community gallery (below).

Part II will feature the antiquities near Ein Hod, including the famous Tabun Cave on Mt. Carmel we visited with Maurice, along with descriptions of trips to the ruins at Caesaria and Akko. Amazing area for exploration! However, the best of all was a private tour of the marine archeology labs and the Museum at the University of Haifa by Mary and Maurice’s son, “JJ”, a diver and reclamation/restoration specialist. We will leave you with one teaser photo so you will go to Part II, all about the antiquities!

We had to laugh when we compared this archival foto at the Museum to our photo in the Jerusalem blog of the American Christians carting a  huge cross along the Via Dolorosa. Here, Science is the religion….