The rules of the neighborhood says: “They give – take, They hit you -run” (well it ain’t really rules, but a nice phrase =), and will add – “if they offer a ride – ride”.
We had a ride to Metula, so we took it =)
Basically the friend took his girlfriend to Canada Center. Atzva, my girlfriend and I, went to a little hike and then joined them.
We went down the Ayun stream. The stream is one of the sources of the Jordan river. It starts inside Lebanon, around 7 km north from the border, and flow south to Israel. It crosses the border below Metula where it flow inside a deep narrow Canyon with nice waterfalls (we don’t a lot of them in Israel, so even a small one is a big attraction=)
It is a short easy walk, you go down the whole way. The problem is that you have to go up again =/. We managed to take a ride up to Metula, saving us the climb up.
Somehow, we managed to get lost inside Metula (you have to understand the whole place is a km wide and a km long…). when we look for the Canada sport Center. But, it was for the best ’cause we walked inside the old part and saw all the old historical buildings of the Jewish Moshava that was founded in 1893.
When finally got to Canada sport center… well, we were a bit disappointed. we thought the pool gonna be a big Olympic one (not that we are swimmers, we just thought it is kind of Olympic sport center), and only the small ice skating rink was open (not that we are ice skaters, but I really wanted to see the only Olympic ice rink in Israel =/ ).
Except that, it is a pretty big and cool place: There is bowling, Snooker, a basketball court and kind of a 7-sense Cinema (I really don’t know which senses they mean…=) and a big Spa.
We had a really nice Sabbath =)
Take Care
Gad
Israel-Lebanon border from the Israeli side. That border was called the “Good Fence”, for it was a quiet open border. It is no longer that way…=/
The Lebanon side of the border: Lebanon flag, Flag of Palestine and flag of Hezbollah
The Bridge over Nahal Ayun that was built by the British in 1943-44. It was blown up first in June 17,1946 in the “Night of the Bridges”, and later (after it was rebuilt) in 1948 during the Independence War. It was repair in the 1980’s.
The Entrance to Ayun Nature Reserve
So quiet and green… =)
The first waterfall – Ayun waterfall (9.2 m height)
Green, Green all around us… and some purple =)
A turtle hiding in the stream
The second waterfall – the gristmill waterfall. 21 meter high! it is called after the gristmill that was on the left side (now there are only ruins).
Fig! Fig! I want some figs! (too bad they are still sour)
The third waterfall – the cascade waterfall (made of two small ones – 9.5 and 5 meter high), And the View down the stream.
Cool stairs!
Looking South: The Ayun stream to the left , and the Upper Galilee mountains to the right
A water pipe crossing the Canyon, with warnings not to cross (Cause that is exactly what I had in mind…=)
Atzva on the Panorama above the highest waterfall in the reserve – The Oven waterfall.
The Fourth and last waterfall: The Oven waterfall – 30 meter high! It is called oven because it looks like a Tabun oven, an Arab oven. Other says it is called over a Tanura, an Arab dress.
And now, a bit far so you can see it all =)
Back to the starting point of the hike and to walk a bit around Metula. One of the small houses of the Mushava, and a new hotel next to it.
Lishansky’s house – The house of the aunt of Joseph lishansky, Joseph moved here as boy and lived here until adulthood. He was member of the Nili underground who manage to escape, while the other members of the underground were caught. He Turkis caught him and hanged him in Damascus in December 15,1917. The house was rebuilt in 1936 in the Bauhaus style.
The Customs house – built in the 1930’s by the British mandatory authorities to collect customs duties on goods entering from Lebanon. The “border crossing” was a real attraction for tourists, but was hardship for the farmers that had to stop every day when coming back from the fields.
The teacher’s house – The Baron Rothschild who setteled Metula with PICA believe in educating the kids and didn’t spare money to bring the best teachers to teach here.
Ester Levitt house (1904-1987) – Dedicated her life for work and volunteering, on the Israel Prize in 1977 for her special contribution to society. (You can see the sign in front of the house, each important place in Metula has one, that tell you its story)
The Pool – It was built in 1930’s on the highest point of the village, and was supposed to fill up during the day from a spring and to give water in night, but it didn’t fill up. The residents continue to bring water on donkeys, till the started pumping fro the spring.
The Rabbi’s house (now it is the farmer house) – The only building preserved since 1902. Made from stone and plaster. The house had two family rooms, a kitchen and a back yard. They yard had a storehouse, a barn and a “tabac zimmer” (house for drying tobacco leaves). All the houses were surrounded by stone fences against raiders and robbers, beyond the wall was the “hachuah” a small plot of land for corps. It was the house of the rabbis of the settlement, but now it is a museum and archive.
The Arches buildings – The first five houses that were built in 1900, in a local Arab style. The Baron Rothschild want simple house, but the farmers wanted a “European” style with tiled roofs. After 2 years of delay, tiles where added to the houses and the rest of the houses were built with tiles.
The Officials’ Building – The first stone building above the Druse village was built in 1897, and served Baron Rothschild officials and honored guests. It is now the council building.
Sign telling the story of Metula – “Founded in 1896 by Baron Rothschild in the abandoned Druse village of Umtallah, 59 agricultural families were carefully selected to establish this model settlement, the Mushava, which was based on field corps only. Conditions were quite rough. The shacks they inhabited were infested with fleas and snacks. They were ongoing disputes with the Druse villagers, lack of water and land, poor corps and severe poverty.
But the farmers persevered and did not abandon their endeavors….This North most settlement in Israel has undergone many changes. The farmers were forced to leave the place during the War of Independence, but they have always returned to thier home.”
Franz Van Der Horn’s house – In that place stood the house of Franz Van Der Horn’s house, a Dutch citizen who came to Israel as a “backpacker” in 1913, fell in love with the country and set his home here. He was responsible of the PICA vineyards in Metula, developed the Tanur waterfall site and craved the stairs to the waterfall.
We finally found it – The Canada sport center. Later we found out the entrance of is on the other side….
The small ice skating rink…
And the only Olympic ice skate rank in Israel.
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