Who Are These Unwelcome Aliens?

That was the theme of our Tuesday - we went from watching the arrival of the jelly fish to the Atlit detention camp. Make sense? Hopefully by the end of the post it will!

We actually started the day by making sure that we were not considered by the Dr. Schwartz medical practice to be unwelcome visitors. As Jim was getting his wallet this morning, he noticed that he still had the 250 NIS in his wallet – in all the confusion that the receptionist had dealing with a cash transaction, she forgot to take the payment. As he handed it over today, receptionist seemed surprised – she figured Jim had just given it to the doctor during the exam. What a different world this is!

Laurie knew that we were planning to go to the beach today and warned us that she heard on the morning news that there was no swimming being allowed due to jelly fish. We figured we would go check it out anyway…and there they were in all their glory, destined to keep me from getting my beach vacation.

But the upside was that the beach was not crowded, weather was beautiful, and we could still get in and wade a bit. There are two long beach promenade areas in Haifa – we walked the southern one.

Talk about a fitness club with a view!

The wading pool was tempting... but lots of toddlers in it, so probably warm water for all the wrong reasons

Here's hoping that the jelly fish leave Haifa before we do...

But not even jelly fish could keep us for stopping for a beachside lunch.

After walking back down the promenade we headed a few miles south to visit the Atlit Detention Center. Not prominently signed or listed in tour books which was surprising given that it is a World Heritage Site. I only knew about it from reading a book (Day after Night by Anita Diamant) that my cousin Jennifer recommended. The book was historical fiction but, based on the informational movie we watched at the center today, fairly accurately depicted what went on. After World War II, many Jews refugees released from the concentration camps with no family and nowhere to go came to the then British ruled Palestine. They came illegally via clandestine immigration networks at a time when the British government was limiting the number of Jewish immigrants.

An underground Zionist movement, led by Yitzhak Rabin, eventually executed a rescue of the detainees and brought them to a Kibbutz near Haifa. The residents of Haifa formed a human shield around them so that the British soldiers could do nothing.

Detention centers were used to hold them – for the Holocaust survivors they were yet again separated from family, sprayed for lice in showers, housed in barracks, behind barbed wire.

Below were the huge washing machines used to de-bug the clothing of the new arrivals.

While we were not there at a time of an English tour, we were able to watch the informational movie and walk through the camp. Very powerful place.

We woke up Wednesday to no internet access - made us realize how reliant we are on technology, particularly while driving - to print out directions to our daily destinations, to check on times that things will open and close, and even to post to the blog to keep you loyal followers happy! Thank goodness for good neighbors - we went to the Laurie Rubin "Internet Cafe" and took care of we needed to this morning and when we got back from our travels (which will be in another posting) it was magically working again.

Here is our first effort at posting a video from our flip camera - take a look at the reason we couldn't go in the water.

Keep your fingers crossed that we don't lose internet connection again and, of course, keep them double crossed that the jellyfish leave!