Take a walk across King Herod’s pool

Brian Crisp visits Israel on a driving holiday and find the best hummus in the world and ends up in King Herod’s pool.

URI Buri is a man of many talents. Throughout Israel he is known for his fish restaurant in the ancient northern Phoenician and Crusader seaport of Acre, a mainly Muslim town.
Mention his name almost anywhere and people smile, and lick their lips, as if they can still taste their last meal at his restaurant.
I met him just after a busy Sunday lunchtime. I had arrived unannounced but he still took time to sit with me and share some homemade lemonade. As people went to leave the restaurant, he would invite them to stay for one more drink, on him. They all accepted.
After our lemonade we walked to see his latest project the Efendi Hotel.
The further I walked along the harbour streets with this David Boon-shaped man who stands about 175cm, with a 60cm ZZ Top beard the more talents he revealed.
Our first stop was his ice cream store. He reaches in and shares scoops of mandarin, rose and cardamom just enough for the rest of the journey to the hotel.
The Efendi is two very large houses that have been joined and rejuvenated to become a hotel.

A remarkable re-building project

“When I first saw this place, there was 26cm of pigeon poo on the floor,” he says.
“Things find me in my life, and these buildings were calling me.”
It took him 8 1/2 years to restore the hotel to what is a world-class 5-star experience, and only now are people discovering it. The Brazilian ambassador to Israel was a guest on the day we visited. We start the tour in a deep wine cellar that also doubles as a dining room.
“I don’t understand wine, but I like it,” Uri says as he pulls bottles from the shelf.
“I don’t understand women but I like them, too. I mean `woman’ I am married.
“I am an optimist. I want to live my life with hope.
“You should live your life like you will live to be 200 years old. Take your time, enjoy it.”
From the rooftop we look out over the city to the Mediterranean. The buildings beneath us are old so the rooftops lack any kind of modern uniform structure.
In the distance, about 10km away, there is the border between Israel and Lebanon.
“People think Israel is not safe. I hear people in my restaurant on the phone to their homes overseas say: I’m all right. I’m safe.
“And it is. There’s no army here. No guns. Just people going about their daily lives. It is probably safer than being on the road in your country.”
While Uri certainly is one of Acre’s treasures, he is not its only claim to fame.
Our driver, Tzvika Abramovich, says that Acre has the best hummus in Israel, therefore the world.
Hummus is served at just about every meal in Israel.
And according to Tzvika, the taste varies according to how it is prepared.

The best hummus in the world

“The best way is if you crush it by hand, not blender,” he says.
He leads us to a small family-run hole-in-the-wall cafe in the middle of the markets. It has no name, and no one speaks English. It is the kind of place you would never choose without local knowledge.
I noticed that the man serving us had several teeth missing, when he pushed the plastic chairs aside to create space for us. For 75 shekels ($18), we were served a bowl of hummus, pita bread, a dish of pickled peppers, olives, gherkins, falafel and something that looked like beetroot, but it wasn’t. The hummus was incredible. The texture was perfectly smooth almost the texture of peanut butter.
If street food is a little challenging for your palate, try Hummus Sayeed in the Old City. It is not hard to find. Just join the long queue waiting for a table.
You should not visit Acre without shopping at the Shuk, which is inside the UNESCO-protected Old City. As you walk through the labyrinth of lanes, you will see homes, workplaces and stores that sell mainly fresh local produce and spices.
The city itself dates back to Pharaoh Thutmose III (1504BC). It was ruled by the Muslims, Crusaders and Ottomans. Israel took control after the War of Independence.
The Citadel, Crusader City and Knights’ Hall are compelling sites to visit, but you must find time to explore the Templars caves that run from the citadel to the port.
Acre, or Akko as it is also known, is home to about 40,000 residents and is Israel’s main steel-producing area.

Along the way

Make sure you break the journey to Acre with a stop at Caesarea, an ancient port built by King Herod the Great and a true archeological gem.
Today it is a rare blend of the past and future.
Herod’s harbour, which was dedicated to Caesar Augustus, has been painstakingly restored and it is a fascinating place to visit a testament to how clever the Romans really were. You can walk the Roman streets, sit in the stands of what was once the place where chariots raced and gladiators fought lions.
If you want to swim, head to Aqueduct Beach, where you can see another miracle of Roman ingenuity. You can even walk across King Herod’s pool.
Haifa is the world home for followers of the Baha’i religion. The Baha’i Gardens cascade from high on the central city hill to the town’s main eating area. They are a masterpiece of luscious landscape architecture. The Baha’i Founder’s Garden and Shrine are a pilgrimage site for his followers.
He lived out his life here in exile after fleeing Persia.