Haifa - the city on the hill

I'm really glad we made the trip to Haifa. It's built on Mt Carmel and from anywhere in the city you can see it stretching up the mountain.

We were lucky enough to get a place on a tour to the Bahai Gardens (see right). Sounds like an interesting faith - peace and equality in the world, a calendar of 19 months with 19 days (the extra 4 days are for visiting friends) and the odd but practical rule that Israelis cannot join the faith unless they move countries (to keep the peace). The symmetrical, immaculately kept gardens are mostly tended my pilgrims around the world who look after it for 1-2 years in their lifetime.

Still, the heat got to us and before long we had to retreat back down for gelati.