Sore Bum

So today I decided to do my first run in Israel and see how the knees would hold up. So I started down the steps to get me on to the lower road, then began my run, I started with run, walk, run, walk on my second run I couldn’t understand why my little toe was whining, so I stopped and took my sock and shoe off, turns out I have a bloody corn, I know how and just don’t know why. So shoe and sock back on and ignore the toe, I meandered down the streets, avoiding the ankle cracking paths, on the way back once again it was all hills, my face was a touch red by the time I reached the top and back home to The Crowne.

Shower time, then time for blogging, and to decide what I’m going to do today, I decided that I would take a walk to the Home Centre, which is way, way over the other side of Haifa, but not being normal I decided to go the long way around, so I took the subway downtown and started down there.  I walked through lots of areas I haven’t found before, I walked through a really busy shopping area, not the usual Centre type, this was more like a market but with shops, and it was heaving with people. I then took a walk along the lower roads, along a lovely pathway that took me as far as the cable car area. Then I hit the beach and walked right along the waters edge, I eventually remembered to use my Walkmeter, and by the time I finished I had walked 8.5km and that didn’t include some of my trek. I walked so far that I lost sight of my lovely twin towers, but this didn’t put me off, Haifa is very easy to walk around, it’s the driving around that’s the issue.

I eventually stopped at a lovely café restaurant called Camel, right on the beach, I had a banging head mainly because I hadn’t drank anything since writing yesterday’s blog, so two soda waters were ordered and drank in quick succession. I ordered Mum’s Chicken Salad, oh and it was lush but bloody nora it was another huge plate, so needless to say I didn’t finish it, Shabbat had crept up on me again, and I decided that although I was quite close to the Home Centre, I did not have the energy for a sprint around before the shops closed, so I hailed a taxi, and was taken back to The Crowne toot sweet.

I hate smokers, now I’m not talking about people who smoke, I’m talking about the ignorant smokers who believe that rules don’t apply to them, I was pretty thirsty again when I got back to the hotel, so Business Lounge was were I took myself, I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get the door open, well not until my eyes became adjusted to the light in the room and I realised that two out of the 6 people in the room were smoking, and worse still one was smoking a pipe, they had the windows open full and the breeze coming up the mountain was blasting through the lounge thus stopping me from getting the door open, you cant fight Mother Nature. The Lounge stank of pipe smoke and these people appear completely oblivious to the non-smoking signs.

Moan over

Lonely Fisherman

My Beloved called to say he would be finished soon, and I took myself back to the room for a lovely hot bath to ease my weary bones, and wait for My Beloved to return.

My Beloved arrived and another reason why I love him, when I told him about the smokers in the Lounge, he asked Sharbel on reception ' are we allowed to smoke in the Business Lounge now', clever, you see that's why I love him. Sharbel said no, no no, and jumped on the phone to security haha that will teach them, don't mess with a Mather when she is married to a Geordie.

So now we popped up to the Business Lounge to check mails and organise our trip for tomorrow, GPS will need to be set and organised.

Our GPS was set for Sderot Hahagana which is where we would be eating, and just like when My Beloved couldn't find me in Herzliya, he had the same trouble in Haifa, the trouble is that you can set the GPS for a specific road, but GPS doesn't understand that the road can be miles and miles long, we turned the damned thing off after the fourth or fifth U turn. We had decided to try the Shrimp House for our supper, and it was exactly as it said on the packet, a Shrimp House, you could get every variation of Shrimp, and the Crab I ordered for my main course miraculously turned into Mussels clever, now I'm not a lover of Mussels, I can eat one or two, but they are one of those food groups I just don't get, but My Beloved loves them, so he ate them.

WE drove back up the mountain and decided to visit the Wine bar AGAIN, we were welcomed and seated and our wine arrived, and arrived and arrived, before we left a bottle of Ballantines was poured into shot glasses and we had to toast Scotland with the barman, this is a common occurrence, at the end of the night you get presented with a shot and tonight it was Scotland's turn. We met in with Sharbel at the hotel and he now is the proud owner of two bottles of Glenfiddich, now Sharbel doesn't drink but his Uncle does and these bottles are for his Uncle. So now we have to make sure and get them replaced when My Beloved has guys coming over for work.