A rainy day in the centre of Haifa,
taken from an Egged Bus going towards the main post office. Haifa goes up a hill (Mount Carmel) that faces the sea. There are three main levels, three town centres on the way up: the area at the bottom alongside the harbour, office blocks with shipping the main activity; Hadar - where this picture was taken - more "downtown" in nature; and Merkaz Hacarmel at the top, more residential. The three are connected together by a five station underground funicular railway called the Carmelite. This came from France, and for a few brief moments it is as if one has hopped out of Haifa into the Paris metro.

Haifa is a generical Mediterranean city, just like Beirut, Algiers, Naples or Marseille. Like these cities, Haifa climbs a hill above the harbour, facing a large, generous bay.