Following In The Footsteps of Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte invaded what is now Israel in 1799. He took Jaffa rather easily, surprisingly didn't care at all about Jerusalem (his aims had nothing to do with religion) and worked his way toward Acre, or Akko as it's called in Hebrew today.

"Had I been able to take Acre, I would have put on a turban, I would have made my soldiers wear big Turkish trousers, and I would have exposed them to battle only in case of extreme necessity. I would have made them into a Sacred Battalion–my Immortals. I would have finished the war against the Turks with Arabic, Greek, and Armenian troops. Instead of a battle in Moravia, I would have won a Battle of Issus, I would have made myself Emperor of the East, and I would have returned to Paris by way of Constantinople."

As modest as he was tall, Napoleon had his ass handed to him by the Ottoman armies protecting Acre/Akko. It's easy to see why. The original city walls and structure remain to this day and it's clear how it was very well fortified. Ultimately, the Siege of Acre was the turning point for the French incursion into the Middle East. Napoleon was overextended, returned to France, regrouped and shifted his megalomaniacal focus back to Europe where he had far more success in the years that followed.

Our incursion into Akko today was less of a disaster, but not a resounding win. It turns out that neither Israeli nor Southern California kids who all experience hot summers were any match for the hot Akko sun. Although it was only 85 degrees in Akko today, it was humid and standing in the sun, it felt like 105. Sennen, Ailyn, Emma and Guy all withered in minutes and a walk around the old city, the market and a view from the fortifications might as well have been a sentence to 20 years hard labor to them. So, we scaled back our exploration of the Old City and routed ourselves to Saed's for his famous  hummus which we last enjoyed in 2010 at Ziv's recommendation. There in air conditioned comfort, supplied with incredible hummus, pita and water, the troops simmered down.

"There is a right way and a wrong way to eat hummus," Ziv explained to our surprise. It turns out that simply taking a piece of pita and dipping it, or even swiping up hummus is the "wrong way" – whereas tearing a small piece from the fold in the pita that can be used like a boat or a shovel to scoop up the maximum amount of hummus is the "right way". Hila informed us that she's a "wrong way" hummus eater. Ziv scoffed. 

When we finished our delicious hummus meal, we decided to go for the only major Israeli city we hadn't yet visited this trip – and Ziv and Hila's hometown – Haifa. Beautiful Haifa atop Mt. Carmel has a fantastic view of the Mediterranean and is Israel's largest port. Haifa was filled with temperate breezes, cute homes and beautiful neighborhoods. It was the perfect change of pace. 

Because the kids didn't eat well at Saed's (our kids had some, Emma and Guy none), we went to a very cool cafe on Ben Gurion St with a large, beautiful patio. There, we ordered a second lunch – this time mostly for the kids who ate up. Because they were tired and had food, the adults had more room for conversation. Emily also took the opportunity sit inside and get some of her online work done while the rest of us visited. After Sennen had satiated himself, he also joined in asking Ziv many questions and we quickly learned that he was very willing to listen to whatever Ziv told him to do – which was very handy.

We ended our day together with a walk of just two blocks up to the Bahai Gardens. The gorgeous gardens cascade down the mountainside from the Bahai temple at the top. They were gorgeous and fun for the kids to walk around. Guy managed to slip away, find his way onto the grass and run across it without getting caught by the Bahai authorities there. Ziv made sure to take photos and pride in his son's rebellion before putting on his stern face and retrieving his errant child. 

By this point it was about 5pm and it was clear all day that we had tired children who slept in, didn't do well with walking around and just wanted to take it easy. The adrenaline of the 11 day tour has left us and everyone seems to be in a recovery state-of-mind. We decided to take the queue and took our kids home for a light dinner, showers and a quiet evening with a good bedtime.

Tomorrow we'll get together with our friends again for some beach time and a Shabbat dinner at their home. Ziv and Hila are nothing if not gracious and generous. Having Shabbat in their home is a real honor – and will be a wonderful way to spend our last full-day in Israel.