A few days ago I asked myself, if I were in the states for Memorial Day, what would I be doing? The answer, hands down, was going to the beach. Since I am already living on one of the best beaches in northern Israel, I decided that a weekend of fun in the sun was in order. Apparently lots of Israelis agreed with that sentiment because the beaches were packed.
When I say "beaches" I actually mean four beaches that stretch from north to south along the promenade. The first beach is Carmel Beach "Hof Carmel" which is right outside of our hotel window. It's a beach of two bays and one breakwater which makes it pleasant for swimming even when the rest of the sea is wavy. They remodeled two lifeguard huts (one on each bay), added sprinklers and outdoor showers for rinising off and created a sandy soccer field in the center of the beach as part of the 2011 improvements to the area. Unfortunately, the lifeguard on the southern beach enjoys his megaphone a little too much and is constantly shouting Hebrew at the swimmers. No one seems to change their behavior after such admonishments, so we're not sure what he's saying. They have roped off half of the bay as a "no swimming zone," but on calm days there were as many people in the roped off area as the permited one. This is Israel--rules are for bending.
Further south along the promenade, one comes upon Zamir Beach. Zamir is a good place for surfers, wind surfers, and paddle boarders. You usually see a bunch of guys in wetsuits hanging out on the grassy hills, resting until it's time to hit the water again. Zamir is also home to my favorite bird in Israel, the hoopoe, which is the only ground-dwelling woodpecker alive today. It's a pretty bird and it's common to see it poking its long bill into the grass along this stretch. There is one very new beach bar on Zamir called Nirvana. It just opened a few months ago and it is the hip place to hang out. They host parties in their beach bar every weekend and have to use a bouncer to keep people out. Unlike the US, the parties take place in the afternoon and are well wrapped up by sundown.
Past Zamir, we have Dado Beach which is very kid and family friendly. The city of Haifa recently installed grass over half of the sand here to make the beach more comfortable. They also have errected large wooden gazebos to shade beachgoers. Dado starts at a dolphin pool where kids can play in 1.5 ft of water. The city even employs a lifeguard to watch the pool! Every morning they refresh the water and every morning it looks inviting as we walk by it to work. It is very popular with young kids (and there are a lot of them in Israel). Just past the pool is my favorite beach restaurant, Kadarim, which is named after a pottery shop that has been on that spot since the 1920's. The sons of the current generation thought it would be better as a restaurant and now they make delicious kebabs instead of pots. You can sit on their patio and watch fishermen try their luck at the municipal dock/breakwater.
Past the dock you reach party central at the two hottest and largest beach bars in the area (Camel and Seasons Beach). These bars play music and set out chairs in the sand where clients can drink and party to their hearts' content. The sign for Camel looks like reused lettering from a defunct Camel cigarette billboard. It's an odd bit of recycling but strangely appropriate for Israel. Since these bars are also just across from the train and bus stations, they are convenient to the bikini-clad highschoolers and college couples. There is a beach volley ball area and a few more wooden gazebos and then the boardwalk ends.
This is South Beach. South Beach is real and unimproved (the other beaches are combed every morning and have had all the large rocks and shells removed). It stretches from the train station in Haifa all the way to Atlit--much further than we could walk in an afternoon. It is all sand and shells and as much space as you like. The northern section near the parking lot is always filled with serious matkot players. Matkot or "ting tong" is a game played with wooden paddles and a squash ball (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matkot). The paddles are hollow and make a great "thunk" when they hit the ball. A pair playing the game will make a regular "ting-tong-ting-tong" that can be heard down the beach. For some reason, the serious players like South Beach and you can see them every weekend going at each other with true competitive spirit. Amongst this multitude you usually see an ice cream truck. This is just a brightly colored truck that will sell ice cream, beer or other cold drinks. For an American, the idea of an ice cream truck that also sells beer is very strange indeed.
Past the trucks, the beach opens up into a more natural landscape. To the east, large sand dunes rise up, a favorite stomping ground for ATV riders. To the west, large sandbars stretch for miles, allowing us to walk in 2-3 ft of water without trouble when the sea is calm. There are always large deposits of clam and scallop shells along the beach here and I assume they come from colonies that are buried by the sand. Yesterday we saw the shell of a very cool green and white mottled crab that hides in the sand. If you keep walking south, eventually the sand gives way to a rocky outcropping of sandstone tidepools. In some of the pools the sun has evaporated all of the water, leaving a sparkling crust of salt. Past those is more sand.
We've seen all types of people on the beach, from highschoolers in bikinis to Muslim women wrapped up in headscarves and robes. We've seen old men tanned so brown they look like cooked steaks wearing nothing but a speedo and old women dressed as if they were going to a fancy dinner. We've seen brides posing for pictures on the promenade and runners with ipods sprinting past them. We have seen a man taking his macaw for a walk on his shoulder and another coming back from spear fishing with two fish in his hands. Kids and dogs run around the sand and everyone is smiling.
Regardless of what's happening elsewhere in the world, regardless of political tensions or prescribed religious behavior, there is always a good atmosphere at the beach. People relax, wear as much or as little as they like, and enjoy the sun; there is more than enough for everyone.
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