We had one last day to play with. I wanted to do something different enough that we would remember the day. We packed up, had showers, and went to borrow the car. Both Benjamin and Yael were out (Benj had taken his electric bike to the Technion and Yael was rehearsing for an upcoming performance) and Mika was at the zoo with her nanny. It was a sort of a rainy day, but the rain stopped and started. Mika's nanny was brave to take such a long stroller trip in the rain.
Jon navigated and we went to Akko. When we got there we needed a nap already, so we parked in a lot outside the Old City and slept while it rained. When it seemed like it was raining less, we started to walk along the sea promenade, but then it was raining too much and we turned around. Drove slowly along the road that took us to the back of the Old City but I wasn't that curious (we had been there before and I just wanted an outing, not to get wet) so we kept on going, driving slowly through the regular parts of the town. Got stuck in a traffic jam where there was a school letting out at 1:00, lots of kids in matching purple and black shirts/pants/skirts. Lots of honking horns, for no good reason (Jon says I should stop reacting to the Israeli custom of honking the horn at every possible opportunity).
We found a supermarket parking lot and parked there because that feels safe to me -- I don't understand what the signs say about parking in the towns, I don't understand the stripes on the curbs, and I don't want to deal with police and tickets. We went shopping in this huge store with nothing at all in English, but we understand food shopping. Got some lunch items, some candy for presents, some sweet drinks because Benjamin and Yael don't consume anything fun and sweet. We were like kids in a candy shop, getting gauva/passion fruit juice.
We had a picnic in a park, all by ourselves, because it was sort of a rainy day. No children in sight. The best thing we bought was a delicious beet salad. I saved some for Mika (and she loved it later).
Back at Chez Mika, we hung out with Benjamin and Mika some, then went to have a farewell chat with our Airbnb hosts. We learned that they have been planning to take down their house (built in the 1930s) and build an 8-story building there in its place. That is ambitious for a retired, globetrotting couple. Benj says this is happening all over Haifa. Our hosts said their neighbors have been objecting to this plan for 7 years but now they have their approvals. Ugh, I cannot imagine the chaos of having to move out of the house, build an apartment building and move back in again. I told him this was his big chance to make a cohousing community. He said others have suggested something similar. He would be crazy not to, in my view.
Benjamin and Mika drove us to the train station and we were on our own. This time there was no English translation of the announcements about anything, but we muddled through. Got on the right train, got off at the airport, stood in a million lines, showed our passport on seven different occasions, the plane was full again, and we were headed home.
Thirteen hours later, the pilot bounced the plane down through a turbulent landing and we were back in Virginia. We have got to do the work to get Global Entry. It took us almost two hours to get out of the airport.
So nice to be home. Alissa is getting better. My knee surgery is postponed again while we wait for a two week window of no illness. My version of Jon's cold was much milder but we need it to be a distant memory before the anesthesia team will allow the surgery to happen. It's all fine.
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