So the whole reason I am actually on vacation this week is because my good friend Cara Passman came to visit from The States, so we decided to use our single full day together to go to the beach...


So this is the view up the coast from where we decided to set up camp. The nice thing about the beaches in Haifa is that they are nowhere near as crowed as the beaches in Tel Aviv, so you can always find a good place to take it all in without a million other people getting in your way.


We decided to head to the Camel (a popular restaurant on the beach that surely has no corporate sponsorship of any kind) and get some Watermelon and Bulgarian Cheese for lunch. If you haven't tried this combo, you need to. Seriously.

After my day at the beach with Cara, we got back to my place only to discover that we hadn't used appropriate amounts of sunscreen that day. I got a really bad sunburn and am still experiencing a good deal of discomfort. I have photographic evidence of my burn, but my girlfriend told me it was "too painful-looking" to post on my blog, so I'll just link to it: click here if you want to see my sunburn (be prepared to grimace...and oogle my Austin Powers-like chest hair).

Anyhow, being the trooper (and all around good friend) I am, I knew I had to tough it out and take Cara to the beautiful Bahai Gardens before she left, so I got up the next day and tried to ignore my pain and focus on the beauty...


This is a pic I took of Haifa from the Gardens. Anyone who has lived in Haifa will look at this picture and say "What city is that a picture of?" The Hi-Res version of this pic is currently my desktop wallpaper.


So this is a shot of the temple that the gardens are supposed to beautify. The temple is a really big tomb for someone important in their religion called "The Bab." While this looks like it would be pronounced like the singular version of Barbra Streisand's nickname, you actually say it like "Bob" (except a lot faster). Because of the speed thing, it's fun to keep saying his name. Bab. Bab. Bab. Try it -- it's fun! But be careful that you're not saying it too slow!


Random shot from the gardens. Ummm...I don't really have anything witty to say here, so just feast your eyes on this beauty! I command you!


This is a view looking up toward the top of the gardens from the middle. Needless to say, the gardens are not small.


If you are wondering why I am always in my uniform in pics these days (even when on vacation), it's because when I am in uniform I get free use of buses and trains when I show my military ID. That's right: it's because I'm cheap. The ladies seem too like the uniform, too...so that's also a good reason.

Anyhow, now I'm still really sunburned and trying not to move. So I hope you, the reader, are in better condition than myself right now.