Mount Carmel

From Caesarea, we headed north and west to Mount Carmel. It's actually a range of mountains and not one specific peak. As we ascended, the transitioned from the sandy dunes along the coast through pines, firs and cypress trees - many of them planted during the last century.

As we drove, we also found it fairly easy to identify different communities. Jewish communities tend to be a bit more spread out, while the Muslim and Arab communities have houses "stacked" upon each other. The difference between those two is that the Muslim communities feature the minarets of the local mosques sticking above the "skyline."

There are also several Druze communities in the area. The Druze have been accepted into Israel because they are known to be loyal to whatever government they are living under.

Our stop in the Mount Carmel area was at the Carmelite monastery in Muhraka. It is the site that honors and Elijah and the story from I Kings 18. As you may recall, Elijah challenged the worshippers of Baal to build an altar and call upon their god to light it on fire. After several attempts, they failed.

Elijah, meanwhile, built and altar and ordered it soaked with water. He called out to God who made it burst into flame.

Our guide, and the statue in the garden, reminded us that Elijah then ordered the slaughter of the priests who had led the people to worship Baal.

From the top of the monastery, we could look out in every direction. To the east, we could see the Mediterranean. To the southeast, our guide said Tel Aviv can be seen on a clear day (about 90 km away), however it was too hazy for us to see. To the west was a fertile valley, and to the northwest was Haifa.