My seventh day in Israel was spent exploring the caves of Rosh Hanikra along the Mediterranean Sea. Then it was off to Akko and then Tiberias for some free time, ending the day off with a party on a boat. Oh, and my toe exploded.
Rosh Hanikra is beyond gorgeous. Sand-white rock faces set against the bright blue of the Mediterranean – you’d think you were in another world. We took a small gondola ride down to them and took some time exploring the majestic ocean-carved grottoes, admiring their beauty and being calmed by the splashing of waves against their sides.
It was really lovely. They had a sort of haunting beauty to them, and I wasn’t surprised when they told us of the stories of a ghost bride who haunts the caves, who you can hear sighing through the wind as you walk through them. No doubt a fabrication of the wind itself, but interesting none the less, in a eerie sort of way. This doesn’t take from Rosh Hanikra’s beauty though, and it is a place I’d gladly return to admire some more.
It was here, however, that my toe finally gave out. We were standing in the line for the gondola when someone backed up into me and stepped on my very swollen and already angry toe. I was wearing sandals, so nothing was hidden from view. My toe was stepped on and then it exploded. The nastiest pus imaginable spewed out followed by nonstop gushing of blood, much like the consistent crashing of waves against the rocks we were currently viewing. I practically fainted from the pain. My vision went over all spotty and my stomach turned. Our medic bandaged it up, and once again I had a giant toe, but this time from the amount of bandaging. Once the initial pain stopped, I felt much better and was able to walk around the caves with relative ease and comfort.
Just as we were leaving, my friend accidentally stepped on it (poor toe) and it started bleeding all over again, so I got my bandages changed and everything was fine. My friend felt horrible. And although having my toe stepped on that first time was probably close to the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced, I’m glad it happened because my toe finally started to heal after that. The infection had been cleansed and after a couple more days it was totally fine and no longer bothered me. I was able to enjoy the rest of my trip toe-pain free. Phew. I got lucky.
After the excitement of Rosh Hanikra, we bused to Akko, otherwise known as Acre, and were given a little walkabout tour there.
From there we headed into Tiberias, where we were given some free time (which we mostly spent eating falafel and hummus).
When darkness hit, we headed to our last activity of the day, a disco boat in the harbour of Tiberias! And then we danced the night away.
violetsams 