Pelegrina : Why a pilgrimage ?

 Day 1: Haifa and Netanya.

    I woke up today at 3 am since my night was  flipped from a day . I tossed, turned and prayed . Still, my circadian rhythm had been like clockwork for awhile now ( no pun ) . I reread the booklet of prayers and other documents and reflected on A prayer of a pilgrim . I realized that I am not here for a tour of  one of the most historic lands on earth.  I could have chosen to  explore on my own . But, for the first time, Gabe and I joined a group of fellow believers. A group from St James Cathedral in Seattle ,  with one common denominator- the Catholic faith . It Reminded me of a passage “ When 2 or more are gathered in my name , there I am in the midst “ - words from Christ himself .  This is a journey to the deepest of my core - the most important part of my being - my Faith . I have no grand expectations but simply a change in me - for the better version of me and for the greater good . 

    To walk in HIS path…yes!. In HIS path- and the paths of all the pilgrims and even the prophets and women  before HIM, Jacob, Elijah, Abraham, Rachel, Esther , Joshua and many others - were paved with prayers , sacrifices and suffering .

   We drove to Haifa today from Netanya after breakfast The roads were clear and there was hardly any traffic . Gabe maneuvered through the hilly and winding streets of  Haifa all the way to the Baha’i gardens and Shrine . What a magnificent view of the gardens and the sea from the top.

This place is also a pilgrimage place for believers of the Baha’i Faith. The gardens looked very well maintained and situated on a hillside overlooking the sea in a dramatic fashion . 

 We then explored the traditional open air market ( Haifa Sukh) and had our dose of super vitamin C from a freshly squeezed pomegranate and orange juices. Since Gabe and I can only mutter  a few words, mostly greetings in Arabic and Hebrew, our conversations with the locals in the market were almost nonexistent. A couple of people thought we were Russians. It was probably my blonde hair that gave it away. Lol.

We had lunch by the pier at a Lebanese restaurant named Ein Elwad. This restaurant was recommended by a friend and surprisingly TripAdvisor and Google . The statue of the Virgin Mary greeted us as we entered the restaurant.

The baba ghanouj and hammaran were perfect starters and we shared a small pot of chiken Makloubeh. The family owned restaurant happened to be owned by an Arab Catholic family. The wife shared a family recipe for some of the dishes that we ate. She shared that she also has multiple statues, big and small around her house of St Charbel ( the patron saint of Lebanon) she was born in Haifa , Israel toLebanese parents . We shared to her that a close friend back home who is originally from Lebanon supplies our Zaatar. And his name happened to be Charbel.. what a small world. We were their first guests of the day. During dinner , her granddaughter walked in from her preschool behind the restaurant, which happened to be a Catholic school, and she introduced us to her. Her name is Orlinda.  She asked for our names and I said my name is Caterina and this is Gabriel( pointing at my husband ). Her grandma (the owner ) started talking to Orlinda in Arabic. She told her granddaughter that Gabriel was the name of the angel that told Maria that she is going to have a child. 

Magnificat! !  That’s all I can think of as my emotions start revving up . These messages before I came and that I’m here on this land where Christ walked resounded even more today.

“He became a companion on life‘s path, and gave new meaning to our history, the journey we make together in toil and suffering, in faithfulness and love, towards the new heaven, and the new earth. Where you, once death has been vanquished, will be all in all. praise and glory to you, most holy Trinity, you alone are God most high”…( excerpt from the pilgrims prayer )

Tonight, we dine out together with the rest of our group 

Foods from Ein Elwadi:

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Chicken Makloubeh 

Baba Ghanouj

Hammaran ( Muhamarra) 

Olives, Pita , pickled cucumbers and green chilies chutney