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We arrived in Haifa around 8:30 local time on the morning of the 26th, the day of our five year anniversary. With our good friends, Janita, Hamish and Hoda cosily tucked in the back seat of our supposed hire-car “upgrade” (we got a Hyundai Getz) we were welcomed by the awe-inspiring site of the Shrine of the Báb and the surrounding ninteen terraces as we ascended Ben Gurion Avenue. We were soon joined by the sixth musketeer in our party, one Parya Badie, who had arrived the day before so as to have time with her family who had been on nine-day pilgrimage.

That day we visited Bahji, the place of Baha’u'llah’s burial regarded by Bahá’ís as the world’s Most Holy Spot and managed to catch the last tour or the Arc buildings (the office complexes in which Manijeh and I once served). After which, we celebrated sixty months of togetherness by going our separate ways. I, to the youth class, conducted by member of the Universal House of Justice Mr. Dunbar, and Manijeh to dinner with friends. We would join up again later of course. After much cajoling between Manijeh and our gracious host Shardha, we eventually settled down for our first night’s rest in the comfy sofa bed of a flat situated on Shifra street, which runs parallel to the terraces. The next morning we awoke to the luscious scents of Indian Chai, which would enjoy every morning for the next three days! We miss you Shardha!

On Friday, we did a potted tour of various places of significance including the Temple Land, Bahá’í Cemetery, and the resting place of Ruhiyyíh Khanum. That evening, after once again visiting the Shrines, us and our travelling companions met up with some friends who still live in Haifa and others who were unexpectedly visiting at the same time as us! Elms and Charneill, your timing is impeccable!

Saturday would be a less manic day, as we took in the Monument Gardens, around which our pre-wedding photopraphs were taken and descended the lower nine terraces. This was after brunch at the Camel Cafe by the Beach with our good friends and fellow bloggers the Ishikawa’s, among others. Saturday night our charming hostess Shardha kindly hosted a meet-and-greet for us to relax and spend time catching up with people.

Our last day in Haifa came around as quickly as the first had passed us by. The 29th of April is the ninth Day of Rídván, a twelve day festival in the Bahá’í Faith, of which the first, ninth are marked by celebrations. The twelfth is also considered a day of rest. At the Bahá’í World Centre, this occasion is held in the precincts of the Shrine of Báb where some 1,000 Bahá’s from all corners of the globe gather, readings are recited, prayers read and poetry chanted in a mixture of English, Persian and Arabic.

We bid a fond a farewell to a place that remains immensely close to our hearts with a last meal at the Habank restauarant in uptown Haifa, though we didn’t set off for our Tel Aviv hotel until we had stopped for a view from the top of Mt. Carmel by dusk. I think I’ll leave this blog entry on that thought…