margot's blog: Mixed up in the Middle East

After a series of drinks and beer last night in Haifa, we came home at around 3 a.m. and hit the sack. In Israel, closing time is when the customers leave, and people are out all night - the difference is that since there is no rush to drink, the booze goes down much more slowly and the general atmosphere is less frenetic. "Packed" here is equivalent to a busy but not hopping night in the U.S. It's nice.

We woke up at 12:10pm, suprised at the time, and hurried off to lunch with Ari's family (minus Elinor) in Akko. We had a superb lunch at Uri-Buri, a seafood place specializing in just-caught, fresh small plates. Everything hearkened the simple, pure mediterranean sea and was very delicate. My favorite dish was shrimp with artichoke hearts and lemon with a saffron thyme olive oil dressing. Artichoke hearts were fresh and rich, and the bright yellow sauce seeped into every nook and cranny of some fresh bread at the table. We also had a very meaty white fish encrusted in black pepper that most closely resembled beef steak, ceviche, a spinach strawberry salad, and calamari (see photo). For dessert we had an assortment of truffles and a baked pear filled with marzipan (almond paste) encrusted in pie pastry, with homemade cinnamon ice cream. Marvelous.

From Feb 24

Old Akko is an Arab town also on the Mediterranean sea north of Haifa. The hazy day made views difficult but it was still very picturesque and fascinating in its history. The site has been inhabited by various groups for about 5,000 years - everyone from ancient Canaanites to Napoleon. Large stone walls and "chan" (village squares) structure the maize of passegeways and streets. Walking around it feels as if walls were built, and then walls connecting those walls, making it cloistered and somewhat clausterphobic, yet impenetrably safe. We went to the "shuk" (market) and saw bins and bins of fresh gleaming fish, sacks of fragrant spices, and bought some fresh pita (made on the spot) and hummus to bring back for dinner.

I think I overestimated the warm weather and have been feeling ill-equipped (cold) because of the cool, slightly damp weather here - unfortunately tomorrow it will rain, and we are planning to find some indoor things to do, including seeing a couple of museums in Haifa.

Idan in Akko: