From Jerusalem to Haifa

In the flurry of events that is our semester in Israel, we were afforded a few days to spend however we choose. Kristin and I decided to take a small day trip to Haifa.

If Israel is analogous to California, while Tel Aviv is LA, Haifa is San Diego. it is a mellow port town, light on history and fame.
however, it does have one unique place of Interest. The Baha'i World Center.

Baha'i is an extremely young (about 150 years old) world religion. Somewhere between New Age Spirituality and Secular Progressivism, Baha'i has three core beliefs: 1) There is only one God, and all religions worship Him, regardless of the name. 2) There is only one religion, and all diverse religions are simply facets of  this one universal  religion. and 3) There is only one Humanity, and all peoples are part of one family that must strive toward unity.

The Baha'i centre is peculiar, in that its architecture and style are done deliberately without religious significance, save for a few minor symbolisms (like the number of terraces)

We missed the English tour, so we ended up taking a Hebrew one. thankfully, between myself and Kristin (who has studied Baha'i briefly concerning their local "self-realization centre"), we were able to make insightful observations. In particular, Kristin noted that all of the offered seating along the gardens were within close proximity to various aromic plants, meant to aid in meditation.

Before we were even able to get to the Baha'i Gardens, though, we roamed about the city, pleasantly removed from any strict schedule. truthfully, i believe my favourite part of the day was walking slowly, without aim, without any mind for the clock or its hands.

We found a lovely little restaurant i had pegged earlier, decorated in maroons and deep browns, wooden benches and arab throw pillows, weahthered ambiant musical instruments, and old family photos. as we admired a portrait of a woman in her wedding dress, a man behind a book shelf, tucked away in the kitchen, called out "that's my mother!"
At first i had desired to spring for the expensive Lamb Ribs, only to find them out of stock (it was a quiet off-day, part of the charm of the trip), yet we ended up splitting a sampler plate of arabic meat pastries.

a local park called the "sculpture garden" was our last stop before we caught our bus.
it was a lovely and relaxing time.

Our Bus situation throughout the day was poorly organized; not for lack of care, but for lack of helpful employees. we were directed onto the wrong bus to Haifa. Thankfully, it only was a half hour longer ride than our original course. And on our return, we ended up in the most chaotic (outdoor) terminal we've ever seen. we stopped by the only windowed booth with public employees we could find, who laughed at us while drinking Heineken beers. by God's grace, they at least gave us a bus number (there was no English help on the schedule or how to identify which bus took us where). We walked, feelings a little hopeless, expecting to miss our bus home. we said a quick prayer, that if God wanted us home he'd need to let us find this bus. lo and behold, we had scarcely said "amen," that the correct number caught our eye, just as it was boarding and about to leave.