Akko
(Old Acre)
I visited Akko (also called Acre) with friends from work
during my first weekend in Israel. The old city of Acre has been
designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and contains, among other
sites, a tunnel leading to a 13th century fortress of the Knights
Templar. Since the 1990s, there are vast works of archeological
excavations and preservations of ancient structures in progress. The
works are carried out by the Old Acre Development Company (OADC).
Rosh Hanikra
Rosh Hanikra is the northernmost point on the
Mediterranean shore of Israel, where a chalk mountain range meets the
sea. The sea carved out a chain of grottoes in the foot of the chalk
cliffs. These beautiful grottoes are the main attraction of Rosh
Hanikra. The steep cable car line connects the grottoes with the top of
the cliff (the upper station is near the Israel-Lebanon border crossing)
Israel Museum in Jerusalem
Chi-Kai, Larry and I drove to Jerusalem on Saturday to see
the Israel Museum. We saw the Shrine of the Book, where there is a
display of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and a huge collection of Middle East
antiquities. We were among the first to arrive at 10 AM when it opened
and the last to leave when it closed at 4 PM. Because it was Shabbat,
there was no food served, so we brought sandwiches from Haifa for
lunch. There is no photography allowed inside of the Museum buildings,
so the only pictures here are from the outside displays.