stranger in this town: Caesarea/Haifa

This past thursday we took our final day trip. We went to Caesarea, Zichron Yaakov, and Haifa.

Caesarea:
- named after Augustus Caesar It was founded by King Herod in the 1st century B.C.E. and flourished as a port city under Roman rule.
- It is one of the oldest cities still in existence in Israel.
- Caesarea had palaces, an ampitheatre, a hippodrome, and aqueducts.
- After Roman rule the city was conquered by Arabs, Crusaders, the British and many others.

Zichron Yaakov- On the surface Zichron Yaakov looks like most other small coastal cities. It has many cafes, boutiques, and picturesque streets. However, it plays a much larger role in Israeli society than one would imagine. Zichron Yaakov became famous during World War 1 for the establishment of the Nili spy ring. During this period modern-day Israel was controlled by the Ottoman Turks. One of the families of Zichron Yaakov, the Aharonson's, volunteered to spy on the Ottoman's for the British. One of the methods they used were carrier pigeons. They attached coded letters to the pigeons, which gave the British valuable information on Ottoman positions. The Ottomans intercepted one of these pigeons and traced it back to the Aharonson residence. They tortured Sarah Aharonson, one of the main spies, for three days but she wouldn't give up any information. They decided to then take her to their headquarters for further interrogation. She asked if she could take a shower before they went and they permitted. She proceeded to the bathroom and shot herself once in the head with a pistol which was hidden in the bathroom. She died there in the Aharonson residence. This is a popular story in Israel because it shows the personal sacrifices that young Jewish people made which eventually made it possible to establish Israel.

- a small coastal city founded founded in 1882 by European Jewish immigrants
- land was bought from the Bedouins
- was one of the first Jewish agricultural colonies

Haifa- Haifa is one of the more diverse cities in Israel in terms of it's mixed Arab and Jewish population. Apart from being a main seaport city it is also plays a central role in the Bahai religion. It is home to the Bahai gardens and Bahai shrine. I could go on forever talking about Haifa and also the Bahai faith because I learned so much from our guide but I'm just to lazy for that right now. Enjoy some pics.