Haifa to Tel Aviv . . .

Our last morning in Haifa. We had a casual breakfast at the "Port Inn". Check-out time was 11 a.m., so we were in no particular rush. As we left the Inn, we said "so long" to our hosts and made our way to the train station. It was about a 3 block walk. Our train was at 11:16 a.m. and we boarded a comfortable air conditioned car for the 1 1/4 hour trip to Tel Aviv.

Once in Tel Aviv, we found our way to our lodgings by taxi and checked in. A good part of the afternoon was spent exploring the Ha Carmel Market (The Shuk) looking for "goodies" to take home to the U.S. with us. As mentioned in an earlier post, the Market is a constant din of activity. We wandered in and out of the streets, enjoying the vendors, the people and the afternoon.

Around 4 o:clock, Linda and I went to the beach for a swim. As before, the water was warm and soothing. We had a great time bouncing in the waves and warm sand. It was just delightful. We watched the sunset, but as it got darker, the weather continued to be warm and comfortable.

Dinner on a Tel Aviv Beach.
Nothing is more perfect!

We went to a "beach front" cafe for dinner and a beer. We chose to sit out on the beach with the Mediterranean just in front of us. The cafe had a couple of speakers set up around the beach and we enjoyed "easy rock" during dinner. To our left, we could see "Old Jaffa" lit up in the distance -- it made for a perfect evening.

So, tomorrow, we go to the Ben Gurion Airport for our flight home. I know I've said this again and again -- but it's been an incredible 3 1/2 weeks in Israel. This is an amazing country with so much to see and do. The cities are alive with activities. The people are pleasant and friendly. Each of the cities we visited had a mature and useful transportation system making it easy to get around. We were able to take public transportation "everywhere".  For example, Masada and the Dead Sea are pretty remote, yet getting there was easy and inexpensive.

Most of all, we felt "safe". Considering the potential hostilities that erupt from time-to-time -- even the "rocket" incident during our stay here -- Israel is the perfect place to visit. Any time.