Visit Acre, Safed, the Sea of ​​Galilee and Nazareth

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Day 3: ACRE - SAFED - TIBERIADES - NAZARETH

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Today we didn't need an alarm clock to get up. We slept like logs and, above all, we recovered from yesterday's full day visiting Casárea and Haifa. After being rested today it is time to visit Acre, Safed, the Sea of ​​Galilee and Nazareth.
At the Akkotel-Boutique hotel we don't have breakfast, so at 7 in the morning we are already on the street, a new day of our day begins trip to Israel and Palestine, fully recovered, willing to enjoy the city of Acre.
The first thing we find, a few meters from the hotel is the Jezzar Pasha Mosque that is shown to us, after having heard that call to prayer that we like so much, with an impressive color, under an even more special sky.


Approaching the Jezzar Pasha Mosque in Acre

Stunning colors of the Jezzar Pasha Mosque in Acre

We are in this area for a while, taking pictures and checking that at the moment there is nothing open where we can have a coffee that tones our stomach to continue knowing the city of Acre, also known as Akko.
We realize that it is Sunday and that we had read that in Acre Do not open stores.
Just in case, we don't lose hope of being able to see the souk in all its splendor.
From our trip to Marrakech and Essaouira we don't get lost in those little streets full of shops, typical of a souk and it's something we were looking forward to doing again ...
And without much fixed direction, seeing that everything is closed, we decided that it is best to go for a walk and get to know the city that has given us accommodation.


Acre Old Town

Turkish bazaar in the city of Acre

On this walk we find the Turkish Bazaar, the Hamman Al-Pasha and the Templar Tunnel, three of the most famous visits of Acre, that we can not enjoy being closed at this time or who knows if all day ...
We continue to get lost in the streets of the old city until the smell of the sea tells us that we are approaching the port and we have only to turn a little street, where the famous Khan Al-Umdan is located, an inn with a patio, which was once used as accommodation for the caravans of camels, which is now under construction (more we would say that it is abandoned) to meet us from the front.


Port and Lighthouse of Acre

Stunning sky over the Port and Lighthouse of Acre

We love this area of Acre, we can't help it, he has fallen in love at first sight. And that there is no atmosphere, everything is closed, we do not cross anyone. Maybe that's why he has fallen in love ...


Images of the surroundings of the Port and Lighthouse of Acre

We have fallen in love with Acre !!

Walking through this area of ​​the city, we inevitably remember the day we spent in Essaouira. Only those seagulls that accompanied us throughout our walk through the port are missing.

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After a good while, we look at the clock and see that it is after 9 in the morning and we are still without breakfast!
What makes us travel, we even forget to eat !!
We don't have much time left to be in Acre, so we return to the area of ​​the souk, hoping to find it already open and although we see that it begins to look a little more ambient, they explain that today not all stores will open.


A little colorful in the Souk of Acre

Start the day at the Souk in Acre

We follow the path, between the disappointment of not being able to see the souk in all its splendor, mixed with the hunger of the moment and the desire to know our next destination.
On this trip to Israel and Palestine, although it has just begun, we already intuit that it will not be the first time we have mixed emotions.


The Turkish Bazaar is still closed… Acre

Souk Day to visit Acre, Safed, the Sea of ​​Galilee and Nazareth

Corroborating that this whole area still has no "life", we decided to continue and reach the hotel area, where we have seen a kind of bakery, where after a while waiting, they tell us that we can take what we want from the shelves .
And why are we going to resist? We put in a bag 6 pasta with a very good pint and two waters for 7 shekels.
We advance a little and the moment we see the minaret of the Jezzar Pasha Mosque, we decided that we cannot find a better place to have breakfast than in front of it.
And so we do, we sit on a bench and with the best views we have breakfast.


Breakfast in front of the Jezzar Pasha Mosque in Acre

Green, Blue and White at the Jezzar Pasha Mosque in Acre

After this super-breakfast, what we least want is to leave Acre, so the perfect excuse is found in the search for a bar where we can have coffee.
And after several laps, we found a bar, where the famous shishas are smoking inside and while we wait for coffee to be served for 7 shekels each, we move to another world, where we would like to spend a few more days.


We do not want to stay with the desire to walk around the Citadel, so before going to collect our bags we headed there.


Entrance to the Citadel of Acre

But once we are here, for a moment we recover the reason and seeing what time it is and knowing the things we still want to do today, we choose to be consistent and go to collect our bags at our hotel in Acre.
Not before making a stop to drink another coffee for 5 shekels.


Who said machine coffee is not good? Acre

And so we return to the Akkotel-Boutique hotel to collect our bags and say goodbye to our host in one of the most charming cities we have been to: Acre.
We put in the GPS in our rent a car in Israel which will be our next destination: Safed.
This city was recommended to us directly from the Israel Tourist Office in Madrid and when we read a little about it, we decided to add it directly to our itinerary. Not only because it is the heart of the Kabbalah but also why we were promised by an Artists' Quarter, full of art galleries that we cannot resist.
It took us an hour or so to get to Safed and we directly left the car in a parking lot that is almost at the entrance.
The price of the blue zone there is 4 shekels for 3 hours and that we do, put the coins and go to enjoy a city that we have been told that will surprise us.
Just looking at the map that we have in the guide, we already observe that the city is located at 2 heights and the first thing we do is go in search of the Artists Quarter, which is located in the southern part of the Ma 'alot Olei staircase HaGardom, from the old town.
This area of ​​the city of Safed it was the Arab quarter before the war of 1948, since it later became an artist colony, where the State declared that any artist who wanted to live in Safed 180 days a year, I would get a house and a free gallery.


Directions to locate us in the city of Safed

Entering the heart of Safed

At first it is a bit difficult to locate in the city of Safed, but after losing a little through these winding streets, the orientation returns and all we want is to lose ourselves again.
We repeat what we have said so many times, on this trip to Israel and Palestine the feelings are so found and so strong that sometimes they mislead us.
Going down the Ma 'alot Olei HaGardom staircase and turning right, we find a building that houses an art gallery, something that already tells us in which neighborhood we are entering ...


Approaching the Artists Quarter. Safed

As soon as we enter the main street of the Artists' Quarter, we lose track of time and cannot do anything other than call each other, pointing to each showcase that is placed before us.


Artists' Quarter in black and white… Safed

Artists Quarter in Safed

And it was here that we fell for art ... Barrio de los Artistas. Safed

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This street is for us a whole discovery and at the same time a torture, for wanting to take home everything we see, but we have to make use of reason and we only buy a small painting, representing the Tree of Life for 90 shekels .
We continue to lose ourselves in the streets, admiring everything we see and above all surprising us at every step we take for the explosion of color that we have in front of us and that we never expected it to be this way.


Colors in the Artists Quarter. Safed

Corner of the Artists Quarter. Safed

Almost at the end of the street, we find a surprise, a tree that explains that it is over 200 years old and is irrigated through a well next to it and also has that age.


The oldest tree in the Artists Quarter. Safed

Climbing some stairs that are next to this tree and for which we recommend climbing a merchant, we find stunning views of Israel and Lake Tiberias or sea ​​of ​​Galilee Where we will go after lunch.


Views of Israel from one of the terraces of the Artists Quarter. Safed

We intuit that some hours have passed and when we look at the clock, we see that the 3 hours we had paid in the parkimeter have almost passed, so without knowing very well how is the issue of parkings in Israel and in Safed, we decided that it is best to return to the parking lot and put on more shekels before continuing to discover the city 🙂
Taking advantage of the fact that we go through the "new city" again, we ask a couple of times for an exchange agency, to be able to fill a little bit the purse that is being emptied by leaps and bounds 🙂
After putting another 4 shekels in the parking lot, we go back the same way, to enter this time in the Synagogue District, which is the traditional Jewish neighborhood of the city.
There are the most famous Kabbalistic synagogues, where admission is free, but they usually ask for donations.
They recommend dressing properly and give a kippa to men before entering.
We have the bad luck of crossing with a couple of organized groups, so the visit of the cabalistic synagogues is limited to the most recommended ones, the Ha 'Ari Ashkenazi synagogue and the Caro synagogue.


Synagogue in the Synagogue Neighborhood. Safed

In the Barrio de la Synagogue you can take pictures, except on Saturday, so we take advantage that it is not to melt the camera.
After a long time lost in the streets, much quieter than those of the Artists' Quarter, we go back to the new city, with the idea of ​​eating something and thus regain strength.


Rest ... Safed

Safed

Leaving the old city we find Jerusalem St. where a few meters south of the City Hall is the Davidka Monument that has an example of the Davidka mortar, used in 1948.


Davidka Monument Safed

In front of the Davidka Monument, we have the former British police station full of bullet holes, the result of clashes between Arabs and Jews in 1948.


British police station with bullet holes ... Safed

After this "encounter" with part of the history of Safed And without having pointed out any recommended place to eat, on the way to the car we stopped at a bar where we ordered a couple of pitas with kebab, plus a water and a coke for 68 shekels.


It does not look very good, but it was great !!!! 🙂 Safed

We look back at the clock and it's after 2 in the afternoon, so it's time to go back to the car, connect our Israel GPS and head for our new destination, Lake Tiberiades or sea ​​of ​​Galilee.
The initial idea was to visit the city of Tiberiades, but once we have been driving for more than 1 hour, through some curves that leave us somewhat tired, although seeing fantastic landscapes, we decided to stop in an area of ​​Lake Tiberiades, before arriving to the city.
What we wanted to see is the sea ​​of ​​Galilee, so we thought we didn't need to get to the city to enjoy what we really wanted and planned to see.
And as soon as we parked the car, we found a landscape that we had never imagined finding here.


Lake Tiberiades or Sea of ​​Galilee

Spectacular landscapes on Lake Tiberiades or Sea of ​​Galilee

Having seen it, we think that now we have to relax and enjoy this corner that we have just found, so we close the car and go for a walk around Lake Tiberiades.


Resting in Lake Tiberias or Sea of ​​Galilee

Enjoying Lake Tiberias or Sea of ​​Galilee

We meet very few people in this area, no more than a couple of couples who do not like the company, are dedicated to walking and taking pictures.


Posing in Lake Tiberias or Sea of ​​Galilee

From time to time we look at the clock, but not in a hurry, but because we want the clock to stop and be able to stay here some more time.
But we cannot afford it because another very special place is waiting for us and that we hope will be one of the cherries of this trip to Israel and Palestine.


When we saw this image we were a little standing ... Lake Tiberias or Sea of ​​Galilee

Playing to be children !!! Lake Tiberias or Sea of ​​Galilee

It's almost 4 in the afternoon and in no time it will start to get dark, so we have nothing left to start our car and our GPS from Israel to guide us to Nazareth!
When we put the address of the Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth, which is where we will stay tonight, the GPS of Israel does not recognize the address, so looking at the plane we carry in the guide, we put a nearby street and we think that once there already We will find the hotel.
On the way to Nazareth we pass through Tiberias and the truth is that seeing it in passing, we do not regret not having stopped.
You see a city that is too touristy that we don't believe would have fit in with what we are looking for in trip to Israel and Palestine.
After 45 minutes we are in what we know is the area of ​​our accommodation, the Fauzi Azar Inn, but we can't see it anywhere.
We asked a couple of times, but we did not get them to guide us well and that is the best known hotel in Nazareth.
Until in the end, after several laps in the same streets and crossing with some policemen, we stop to ask them and they tell us that it is in one of the streets of the souk, very close to the Al-Abiat Mosque.
We try to approach everything we can with the car, but we do not reach beyond the Mosque area, so we opted to leave the car and walk in search of the Fauzi Azar Inn.


Here we leave our car, in search of the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel, in Nazareth

In search of our accommodation, the Hotel Fauzi Azar Inn, in Nazareth

Once we get our bearings, we soon discover signs that indicate the direction to follow to find the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel.
Something that is appreciated, because if we do not intuit that it would not have been very easy to locate it, between the labyrinthine streets of the souk. And more at this time that everything is closed ...


Streets of the souk while we go in search of our accommodation, the Hotel Fauzi Azar Inn, in Nazareth

And after a few minutes, we find the last sign that indicates that we have arrived ... we will finally stay at the famous Fauzi Azar Inn.


On the right hand side, the door of the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel, in Nazareth

Once we are at the reception, we receive a girl from the staff who shows us all the facilities, explains things about the hotel, gives us a map of the city and shows us possible parking, while recommending restaurants in Nazareth, no doubt the first impression is 10.


Facilities of the Hotel Fauzi Azar Inn, in Nazareth

Rest area at the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel, in Nazareth

And the big icing comes when they show us what our room will be. Upon opening the door we find a space that only see it, we want to stay a week ...


Room of the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel in Nazareth

Detail in the room of the Hotel Fauzi Azar Inn, in Nazareth

After resting a moment in the room, one of the most special we have ever been, we will pick up the car and look for a parking lot where we can leave it until tomorrow, after visiting Nazareth, we will pick it up again.
We are lucky and find a parking area very close to the hotel, less than 5 minutes walk, where you do not have to pay until tomorrow Monday at 9 am. Today because it is Sunday you do not have to pay.
Once here, we consult the plan that they have given us in the hotel and we verify that to orient us is much easier than it seemed at the beginning.
The tourist area of ​​Nazareth is concentrated in a fairly small space and going from one point to another does not take more than 10 minutes.
Having seen this, we begin to listen and see a lot of movement and we are getting closer to the tumult of people that crowd at the end of the street and there we find a Christmas party, with people dressed as Santa Claus, floats, music ...
After having a good time following people, without realizing it we arrived at the Basilica of the Annunciation and although tomorrow we will return to make the visit with tranquility, today we cannot contain ourselves and enter to take a look…
Tomorrow we will explain in more detail the visit. Today has only been an entree 🙂
And looking back at the clock, we see that it is almost 8 pm, so we take out the guide and the plan and point to a restaurant that has been recommended to us, the Tishreen Restaurant.
It is on the same street where we have the car parked and 5 minutes from the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel, so we cannot make a better choice.
On the way we started listening to fireworks ... It seems that Nazareth is welcoming us ...


Fireworks on a special night in Nazareth

Once at the door, we read that it is better to make a reservation, because it is usually full, but we are lucky and they give us a table for two in less than 5 minutes.
The place is very nice, with a very authentic atmosphere and the dishes we see pass while we wait make our mouths water.
We have ordered some chicken fingers as a starter and as main course some recommendations that have been made: muhammar, an Arab pizza with chicken and onion and some eggplants stuffed with cheese and pesto.


Starter at the Tishreen Restaurant in Nazareth

It must be said that the 3 dishes are too much food for two people, we had enough of the seconds, especially the pizza, but the quality is exceptional, the best we have tried so far ...


Eggplant stuffed with cheese and pesto at the Tishreen Restaurant in Nazareth

Arabic pizza at the Tishreen Restaurant in Nazareth

When they bring us the bill we cannot believe it, the 3 dishes plus a beer and a water for 163 shekels, including the 10% discount they have made us for staying at the Fauzi Azar Inn Hotel.
It's already 9 at night and today has been a long day ... and above all we are looking forward to reaching that piece of room we have tonight ... a charming room !!!

Day 4
NAZARETH - SAN JORGE MONASTERY - DEAD SEA - EIN GEDI

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