A Busy Monday

The MBIers started their day today by hiking Nachal Yagur. It is a beautiful hike that is located in the southern part of the Carmel Mountains, located between Haifa and Yokneam. There are great views of the North during the hike and the hike itself was one of the most challenging thus far on MBI. There will definitely be some good memories and perhaps some sore muscles from the hike.

Having had a rest and eaten a packed lunch, the MBIers headed to the next stop of the day. After spending most of the morning exercising their bodies they got a bit of a rest and activated their minds as the MBIers headed to the Illegal Immigration museum. The museum itself is located in Atlit which is south of Haifa. There they learned about the complex history and relationship between Jews and the British before the creation of the state. Learning about the challenges that people underwent to immigrate to Israel tells an important part of Israeli history and the creation of the Jewish state.

Then the MBIers headed to the Druze village of Isfiya which is located on the Carmel mountains just south of Haifa. There they had a little free-time to walk around in groups and see the shops and the crafts people were selling. Some of the buses got to have some knafe which is an arab pastry sold in bakeries that sell baklava. It is a one of kind dessert that is essentially made up of a crunchy noodle-like outside with a sweet goat-cheese filled that is covered with a sweet syrup. With their unusal bright orange color, one might hesitate to try it, but eating fresh, warm knafe is truly divine. Words can hardly do justice to this great delicacy.

After seeing some of the village they got to sit down and take part in a traditional Druze meal. There they learned more about Druze customs and a bit about the Druze religion. The Druze religion is unique and mysterious as it is not Islam, but only those who in the religion truly know about its laws, rules, and practices. The meal they ate included many local specialities like labneh(a thick goat sour cream) which is delicious wrapped in druze pita with olive oil and zaatar(a Middle Eastern spice) as well as Majdara(Rice, Lentils, and Carmelized onions), humus, tabouli and more. It was a ripe feast that certainly has me jealous of the great meal they had. When everyone had had their fill, the MBIers headed back to Nachsholim for the evening.

Tomorrow will be a contiuation of visiting the North with hiking and visiting Akko. More news to come!