Shalom from Haifa!

We have left Jerusalem and traveled north to Haifa. You can tell immediately how different this city is. First of all, as you drive up the highway, with the sparkling blue sea on your left, you see a huge city sprawling over the hills. Second, the buildings are not all made of Jerusalem stone (in Jerusalem, it is the law that all buildings must be made of or at least faced with Jerusalem stone). Third, this is an obviously secular city. Not many men with kippot walking around, and even fewer with black hats. We've seen very few kosher restaurants in our neighborhood. Our landlady was astonished when we asked if the apartment's kitchen was kosher (she was even more astonished when she found out we didn't have a car -- this is not a walking city like Jerusalem).

We started to explore a bit yesterday, but the boys were tired after traveling, so the first big expedition will come today, probably to the famous Baha'i Gardens. Stay tuned!