And It all ends well

My flight leaves just s few minutes past midnight. So that is a lot of daylight to burn. I have a bunch of ideas but after a simple Arab/Israeli breakfast - bread, spreads, salads and an omelette. I am feeling fit enough to take this massive hillside garden. 

It is the Bahai Garden and it is a religious sect that believes that it is the next step for all current religions. And it was developed quite recently in Iran which adds another interesting later. The garden are meticulously maintained and it quite a site from the top terrace looking down onto the port. 

I am actually hungrier than I thought so I decide to try a seafood place called Jacko. Pretty simple - a nice selection of mezzah salads and a beautiful grilled drum fish. The food is great as is the service and I am happy to make this my last meal. Although - even short - I am not looking forward to driving to airport. 

Leaving Haifa I am surprised to drive along some stunning beaches as I head south. About 30 minutes down the coast is the Roman ruins at Cesarea. I'm glad I didn't have great expectations as after stumbling upon the aquaduct the actual ruins are quite a disappointment. Really more of a little shopping and dining complex on the beach. So a glass of wine will help kill some time. Back at the car I do a final reorganize of the luggage and change into more appropriate travel clothes. Now an hour to the airport. 

[driving is quite easy (drive on the right) and the Google gps has been very accurate. The English translations from Hebrew script and Hebrew English makes it all very confusing and apparently gps services like Garmin are unreliable. Road sign are in Hebrew script, Arabic script and then English.]

So after clearing the check-in interview and security at the airport I finally find free wifi and get a message from Mom that there was a bus explosion in Jerusalem. And sadly that is probably a fitting ending for this trip. Now that it is over I can say that security forces were finding knives on Palestinians almost daily while I was in Jerusalem and my first hotel was just a hundred feet from the most troublesome gate into the old city. 

The morning of our first tour, our guide said he saw at least 20 police at just that one gate. Did I feel unsafe? Not really. I find the Arab people really pleasant and friendly. Do I think they should be stabbing people and blowing up buses - absolutely not. But this whole situation is such s mess and they are so abused by the Israelis - I guess it is inevitable. I don't know.