Haifa

So....overnight Haifa and both days start work 5am....wow....so the first day during my rest hours...guess what...i slept...hmmmm....but second day....after finishing first shift at 10am...def was not going to be resting..the Baha'i gardens would be open for viewing until 12:00....so better rush....we were going to see the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, one of Haifa's most prominent landmarks, it is the Baha i Faith's second holiest shrine. It is the resting place of the Bab, who is regarded by Baha'is as the Messenger of God whose primary mission was to prepare the way for the coming of Baha'u'llah.

Here some facts about the Baha i Faith....it is the most recent world's religion. It was born in 1844, and since then it has become the world's second-most widespread religion. Some of the principles include.....

-abandonment of all forms of prejudice

-full equality between sexes

-recognition of the common source and essential oneness of the world's great religions

-elimination of the extremes of poverty and wealth

-universal compulsory education

-right and responsibility of each person to each person to search independantly for truth

-establishment of a world federal system

-recognition that faith must be consistent with reason and that science and religion should be in harmony

So....that is quite a bit of info....now some not so much thinking info.....so we enterd the gardens and at numerous occasions we were informed that it is a holy place...so we should talk silently as there are people praying everywhere...the garden was really nicely manicured....and of course we took lots of pics...here are some...

Then we entered the shrine...it is a place of quiet prayer and meditation where no ceremonies or religious services are held. The colonnade and golden dome over the mausoleum were completed in 1953. their design, by a Candadian architect, harmonizes Eastern and Western proportions and styles. The Shrine's superstructure is of Chiampo stone cut and carbed in Italy, the monolithic columns are of Rose Baveno granite and the 12 000 fish-scale tiles on the dome were made in Holland by a process of fire-glazing over gold leaf. Inside we were not allowed to take pics...but here is a pic from the outside..(dome is depicted in pic above this paragraph)

After that we took the metro....if you can call a tram (subterranean), which only has 5 stops a metro.....to the top of the Carmel hill where we had some lunch....cappucchino....and of course we found our favourite choc...well marizipan....shop and bought some....lunch....Schnitzel (good....but the crumbs came off....but it was crispy...and huge...good we shared).....and chips and of course ketchup....and then dessert...cappucchino and the marzipan choc....another pic...

Then the weather turned....a sand storm hit Haifa, so we made our way back down...on the way to the ship we stopped at this bakery (which had already caught our eyes when we left the ship) and bought two sweet croissants...one of each kind...when we bought we didnt know what they were..one was chocolate and one was black sesame seeds....the choc won....and yes...i do have a pic....

What a nice day out...exploring new places and having excellent company at that.....tonight we are off.....two sea days....and then its Naples time...Kim already is talking where he wants to take me...hmmmm...im excited...but then again...last time his choice was....debatable....anyway....enjoy and chat soon....

 

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