We are only in Haifa for one night on our way up the coast. As it turns out, the distances between places on the coast is so minimal you spend a day travelling up there then move on if need be. Haifa is a port City (we were tempted by the ferry to Athens as a way to get to Greece without going through the border kerfuffle but no, we resisted) and while there is plenty to see, Haifa didn’t grab us to spend more days there (no offence to any Israelis that are reading this!). We stayed in a Catholic Hospice and the nuns who ran it had great senses of humour but ran the place like a military camp and the security was similar!
Check out the heights (bearing in mind Euan is a tad under 6ft)!
We visited the incredible Baha’i Gardens (there are more just down the coast outside Akko) that stretch up a very steep hillside and have been built around a shrine (Shrine of the Bab) to the Baha’i prophet.
Baha’i Gardens from the bottom
Bottom terrace
The gardens have 19 terraces, took three years to build, 150 gardeners to now maintain them (the land they are built on was previously “a lot of old Arab houses”) and were built with donations from Baha’i followers – we figure there are some wealthy followers. The gardens are absolutely pristine, nothing is out of place, security is high and a majority of the gardens are off limits to visitors. We got chatting to the security chaps at the gate and one was a Kiwi from Gisborne so he gave us some useful info about visiting etc. Viewing the gardens from up high, you can’t see the lower terraces but the top terraces lead down to the Shrine of the Bab.
Baha’i Gardens from the top!
The gardens were built to face the tomb of the founder of the Baha’i faith across the bay in the Baha’i gardens near Akko and Baha’i followers world-wide make a pilgrimage to pay homage here. The Hospice we stayed in was booked out completely for the next 10 days with visiting Baha’i.
Caught the train along the coast to Akko – a very short ride of 30mins.
Check out the heights (bearing in mind Euan is a tad under 6ft)!
We visited the incredible Baha’i Gardens (there are more just down the coast outside Akko) that stretch up a very steep hillside and have been built around a shrine (Shrine of the Bab) to the Baha’i prophet.
Baha’i Gardens from the bottom
Bottom terrace
The gardens have 19 terraces, took three years to build, 150 gardeners to now maintain them (the land they are built on was previously “a lot of old Arab houses”) and were built with donations from Baha’i followers – we figure there are some wealthy followers. The gardens are absolutely pristine, nothing is out of place, security is high and a majority of the gardens are off limits to visitors. We got chatting to the security chaps at the gate and one was a Kiwi from Gisborne so he gave us some useful info about visiting etc. Viewing the gardens from up high, you can’t see the lower terraces but the top terraces lead down to the Shrine of the Bab.
Baha’i Gardens from the top!
The gardens were built to face the tomb of the founder of the Baha’i faith across the bay in the Baha’i gardens near Akko and Baha’i followers world-wide make a pilgrimage to pay homage here. The Hospice we stayed in was booked out completely for the next 10 days with visiting Baha’i.
Caught the train along the coast to Akko – a very short ride of 30mins.
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