Monday, June 6, 2011

ACRE - THE OLD CITY



Our weekend was spent with the grandchildren, because my daughter and son-in-law took three days off into the Negev Desert, they had fun, but we did too!
We went with the two smaller children on Shabatt morning to the old city of Acre and visited an art exhibition, which is held at the ethnographic museum inside the fortified walls surrounding the town. The walls were built by the Turks, so strong that even Napoleon did not succeed in conquering them! The museum shows tools and objects of trades in the Galilee, as well as furniture,  table ware and clothing, from the end of the Ottoman period till the beginning of modern Israel. There is a shoemakers shop, an old pharmacy,  a tailoring, a carpentry, a tin smith workshop, a jewellery workplace, and reconstructions of market stores, everything arranged beautifully and interesting. The art pieces were displayed in midst and among the artifacts of the museum. The museum, called "Treasures in the Walls" אצרות בחומה was set up three years ago in an 80 meters long and 10 meters high tunnel, built inside the walls as a temporary abode and a passageway for Ottoman soldiers, a very impressive architecture.
My friend Aiva has two pieces of her artwork included in the exhibition (you remember the "cookies" from our party?) and the children were excited in finding them.
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A visit to Acre is not complete without strolling through the Arab shouk which is relatively small, but full of color, texture, smell - fish and seafood, fruit and vegetable, clothing, sweets and nuts, coffee, spices, legumes, hats and shoes, pita, burekas and baklava, in no particularly order - what else do you fancy? They have it! 



What is this?
And that?





There is one restaurant after the other, fancy ones, fish and seafood restaurants, and small stalls with humus and felafel. And there is even one lane, called the White Shouk, dedicated only to the culinary needs!
Ahhh - what a feast for the senses - yes, for the ears as well, Middle Eastern Arab and Israeli music roaring and drumming from every corner!
We finished off with four baskets of strawberries to take home and with ice cream at the sea!
I am thankful for this great day!
Most of the photos by my husband, some I took.

9 comments:

2 B's World said...

Liebe Yael,
deine Beschreibung und die Bilder dazu sind so fantastisch, daß ich das Gefühl habe, bei eurem Ausflug dabei gewesen zu sein.
So viele Eindrück werden sicherlich - gerade bei den Kindern - noch in den nächsten Tagen in euch nachklingen.
Wie schön, daß ihr solche Gelegenheiten habt und sie auch nutzt.

Liebe Grüße von Birgit

Clare said...

you live in such an amazing place - filled with rich history - i remember as a child going to museums always a favorite outing.

rachel awes said...

dearheart,
you inspire
me to live!
la hiem/dancing/singing/eating/awakening!
xoxox

... said...

Thanks for showing us around the old city of Acre! Love the photos! Oh, I can feel the energy, and all the different scents and sounds. It looks like a marvellous place to go shopping :) And the strawberries look delicious, yum!!

Thanks for your comment, Yael, it made me smile :-) You are always very welcome to pick flowers in my garden, as many as you like :-)

Have a good week!

Annuk said...

Wonderful post, Yael!!!! You make me travel again! So many impressions, suggestions, smell, colors... I feel like I'm there too!
The city of Acre looked familiar to me... I thought of Rhodes immediately! The walls and cityline from the sea look so familar yet "exotic"... Now I know why: the Turkish influence is to be seen in both places!
Oh and I can hear that Middle Eastern music in the air...
Your friend Aiva's artwork is smashing, I'm in love!!!
And your grandchildren look so happy!
Thank you for this wondeful trip, Yael! :)

Jill said...

What a beautiful outing you had! So nice to thumb through this album, Yael. I have many of these shots myself. Well, not the ones with your grandchildren, of course. Silly! In fact, I have a close up picture of just the bowls filled with colorful spices from one the kiosk I remember as being on the right of one of the alleyways just opposite the malawah maker. I blew up that picture and hung it on the wall of my pottery studio, so I look at it every day. Such a colorful place!

Bernstein said...

Oh Yael,
das sind wieder so tolle Bilder. Es ist schön, so fröhliche und glückliche Gesichter zu sehen.
Unglaublich, was Deine Bilder immer zu erzählen haben. Und selbt bei mir altem Reisemuffel wecken sie Reise - und Abenteuerlust.
GlG Inbar

zsazsazsu said...

Proud and happy grandmama ! Wunderful post and thanks for sharing these pictures with us, I enjoyed it a lot !

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

I missed this, but better late than never to have seen...wow! I love how you spend your time, Yael, living in the lap of civilization and history...