Acre, known to locals as Akko has two main attractions- History and Hummus. And I was eager to explore both!
A little bit of History in Akko
I knew of Acre prior to visiting Israel due to the Crusades- in British history we learn how Pope Urban II encouraged Christians across Europe to go and fight for Jerusalem (how very Christian hmm) and the first major win was the town of Acre en route to Jerusalem. I have since learned that Acre or Akko has been under attack many times from the ancient Egyptians, the Crusaders, the Romans, the French under Napoleon and the British. Its impressive stone walls fortifying the old town have been built and rebuilt many times, first in 950AD and most recently in the early 1800s.
Arriving into such a pleasant town nestled by the stunning blue sea makes it hard to envisage the brutality that has taken place here over the years.
Today its population in the old town within the walls remains mainly Arab Muslim and in the outskirts a mix of Muslim and Jewish, although many religions have made their impact in Akko over the years. Along with the three main religions the Baha’i religion. The Baha’i gardens on the outskirts of Akko mark the resting place of one of the faiths founders- the area where he spent the last 12 years of his life.
Today many people of other faiths come to visit. This is most evident from the port where huge groups of tourists await their turn to ride tour boats with rowdy music which set sail filled with Jews and Muslims singing and cheering together as they zoom out into horizon. It seems a world away from the conflict in other parts of Israel.
The bus deposited me at the central bus station in the new town- over 1km from my hostel within the old walls. As I walked to hunt down my hostel, backpack on and struggling in the heat, a kindly man pointed me in the direction of the old town. Here people are much more welcoming than I have found anywhere else in Israel but without being pushy- I walked through the Turkish bazaar without being called to buy anything. Or maybe my bedraggled appearance meant I wasn’t a lucrative target!
Aside from the History in Akko, I was also excited about its renowned food scene. Being an Arab town, Akko is said to be home to some of the best hummus in Israel. Being a vegetarian hummus is an essential staple in my diet. I read online about the famous Hummus Said – a holed off eatery in the Turkish bazaar, rumoured to have people queuing outside for a table due to their superior hummus. Usually this sort of statement is a vast exaggeration and I take it with a pinch of salt, but as I walked past there were indeed people queuing up outside for a table!
Having missed my pancake breakfast at the Golan Garden hostel before catching my bus due to the volunteers being too hungover or lazy to wake up in time, I was too hungry to hang around and wait, and instead popped in a cafe by the sea for my hummus fix where I could sit quietly and absorb my surroundings. I ordered my craving of a plate of hummus with a topping of pine nuts and in true Arab style drizzled with olive oil.
I had a wander before retreating to my hostel for a siesta, emerging to watch the sunset. I love places where I can watch the sun set over the sea and I sat by the sea with a refreshing iced mint lemonade. In the old town things close early- the bustling eateries from lunchtime had disappeared by 6pm!
I recommend staying overnight in Akko so that you can wake up and explore the city without the crowds. Most tourists come on day trips and the majority are Israeli. If you come outside of tourist season this place would be lovely and peaceful.
Another reason to wake up early is so that you can go to Hummus Said (or alternative hummus joint) without having to queue. Hummus Said like many other Hummus eateries in Akko opens at 6am and closes by 2.30pm in the afternoon, sometimes earlier if the Hummus runs out! Here hummus is more of a breakfast or early lunch item. I arrived at 10am for my breakfast of a huge plate filled with my weekly calories in oily hummus yum, and at this time of day less than half of the tables were filled. This meant I could enjoy the hummus experience and not shove it down my neck as I’ve heard is compulsory during busier times in order to free up the tables for waiting customers. This cost 15 shekels – around £3 which in expensive Israel is a very cheap meal.
Top Tips on eating Hummus at one of the famous eateries such as Hummus Said:
1. Arrive early, before 11am to secure a table minus queues. See hummus as a breakfast item like the locals do. Hey when in Rome..
2. Eat it with your right hand. You’re in Arab land now. Custom here is to eat with the right hand as the left is used for.. yeah google it. Eating with the left is considered rather disgusting.
3. Don’t force yourself to finish the plate- at Hummus Said they will bring more!
4. Thank you in Arabic is Shukran. You will be rewarded by a happy and surprised smile when you say this.
Things to do in Akko (Acre)…
Templar Tunnels
Other than wandering which is my favourite activity I decided to explore some of the official sites. One was to walk through the Templar tunnels which I duly did. However like so many sites in Israel no explanation or signs seemed to exist. There were videos but these were all in Hebrew so I paid my 15 shekels and walked down a damp tunnel underneath the city not really having much of a clue what its original purpose was. After researching I found out more. If you’re interested read this link.
After my underwhelming experience of the Templar tunnels I shunned the other paid attractions and off I set for an iced coffee overlooking the sea. Yep much more my cup of tea (or coffee in my case).
Bad driving in Akko:
While walking I witnessed a few funny traffic incidents. I don’t know what it is about this town but nobody can drive! Maybe they’re used to the open, quiet Israeli motorways. Really cars shouldn’t be allowed here- the streets are tiny and winding. Plus the drivers here seem no have no qualms about driving over your feet- I’ve had to hop out of the way or risk losing my toes a number of times. In just under two days I’ve seen…
A woman trying to negotiate a huge car through the tiny narrow winding streets (ignoring the no entry signs) and of course getting stuck.
A lot of horrific attempts to park- there’s no way parking can be included in whatever driving tests they take as it’s a regular occurrence to watch somebody unsuccessfully reverse in and out of a space at various angles for about twenty minutes.
As I was sitting on the rooftop of the hostel a guy reversed into a space that wasn’t big enough, hit a motorbike knocking it over and then drove off straight into a wall! Yes really! Don’t tell me Karma doesn’t exist!
And then today I watched a woman drive into a police station past the two red no entry signs and over metal SPIKES so that her tyre loudly popped! She then looked surprised! Cars should definitely be banned here! She looked around as if looking for someone to blame, I’m like really?! You just drove over huge metal spikes what the hell did you think was going to happen?!
Coffee and ice cream:
In the old town there is a distinct lack of restaurants by the sea unless you want to sit in a fancy restaurant. Well yes I do but that isn’t in my price range. I ended up walking out of the old town and to Cafe Neto which is perfectly positioned overlooking the beach with the waves crashing in the background and music softly playing. I sat here for a while ordering one iced coffee and then a second. I could have stayed all day! It was bliss. I later got an amazing ice cream from a place that creates homemade ice cream in a variety of flavours. I ordered date, orange and mint. The orange flavour was unbelievable. Yum.
A life lesson in karma..
Now speaking of karma it came back to bite me.. after laughing at the lady with the popped tyre I later sat down on a bench sipping from a can of fizzy strawberry stuff. Put it down on the bench enjoying my surroundings with the sea in front of me. Took another gulp and felt something alien inside my mouth. I spat it out and a large black creeepy crawlie crawled back into the can- I had almost swallowed an insect. My disgust was replaced with pain as I realised my tongue was hurting and felt with my finger that I had been stung- there was something hard inside my tongue. I had to go back to my hostel in a bit of a harried state, get my tweezers and retrieve the sting from my tongue! What a drama! With a sore tongue there was simply no other option other than to buy more ice cream- this time cherry and lemon!
So moral of the story is that karma does exist! Be nice!!! And ice cream is the answer to all of life’s problems.
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