Today we started our exploration of Israel with a tour of Old Jaffa and Tel Aviv. Jaffa is to the South and Tel Aviv is to the North.
We started in Old Jaffa by the clock tower in the middle of the town. We learned that Jaffa was, and still is, the main port city, and throughout history it has been a place for people to arrive by ship to get to Jerusalem. It’s a city that is predominantly Arab while Tel Aviv has more Jewish people. It appears that the 2 nationalities peacefully co-exist, but we were told there is always suspicion of each other.
Nevertheless, the beaches are absolutely beautiful and go on for miles, although many stories have been told about how the waters have not been kind.
There are numerous legends of shipwrecks as well as other stories. From the bible, the story of Jonah and the whale. It is upon the shores of Old Jaffa and Tel Aviv where Jonah was washed up on shore after he was spit out by the whale. There is also the Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda. One of the Greek goddesses, did not like Casseiopia because she bragged about her looks. The goddess had Casseiopia’s daughter Andromeda tied to the rocks just by the beach to be eaten by a sea monster and it was Perseus who flew down to rescue her.
Jaffa is known as the “City of oranges”, but they are not natural to the area. There are orange trees everywhere and can be plucked from the trees as you walk down the street.
We also saw St. Peter’s church; it faces towards the Vatican and St. Peter’s in Rome. The crest of the Vatican is on the church.
Right by the lighthouse, we saw the supposed location of Simon’s house. All the different groups in Israel claim to have Simon’s house in their area, so one must just decide for themselves the true location. At this home, Simon had a dream and was spoken to by an angel who offered him food. Simon rejected the food and said that he wasn’t supposed to eat it. The angel said, “God made this, so eat it”. From then on Christians did not follow kosher tradition.
Excavations are done and they continue to find ancient artifacts, including Egyptian arches
Many of the buildings were destroyed during the war of independence in 1948 and in the war of 1967. Rather than rebuild, some areas were just cleared and palm trees and date trees were added to the landscapes. Dates and nuts are sold everywhere and they are sweet and delicious!
We crossed over the large boulevard and were officially in Tel Aviv for the afternoon. This city is always rebuilding – there are cranes and construction sites everywhere! There are a variety of homes and skyscrapers that are incredibly expensive!!!!
It was interesting to learn that American homes from Pennsylvania were pre-constructed and then reassembled in Tel Aviv 100 years ago. The homes are still there today! There were also a lot of early German settlers who specialized in textiles – their tiles and designs are still used in the shops today.
Most of the current architecture is the Bauhaus which is simple, white concrete with iron, and in many cases, a thermometer like design going down the middle to provide ventilation.
There was also a beautiful mosaic fountain to share about the history of Jaffa, and how the city of Tel Aviv developed. This city is very expensive and even small places cost millions of dollars. Tel Aviv is always looking for people to invest and there are a lot of French who have purchased some gorgeous places by the beach.
In the evening, we walked along the beautiful boardwalk; there were amazing night views of both Tel Aviv and Old Jaffa.
Today was a great day to explore. We felt totally safe and were heartily welcomed by the locals. I think many of them have been economically hurt by the ongoing issues in the country as many businesses were forced to shut down. They are happy to see tourists coming back and were excited to talk with us.
Comments
5 responses to “Terrific Tel Aviv!”
Once again, I admire your bravery (feistiness?) but you are right in going to these places and seeing how the ordinary folk just want to get on with their lives like the rest of us. Seeing a young family like you must be very encouraging for them in that they hope that your girls will see how they live and make a return engagement….
It is sad how such beautiful places continue to be marred by ‘religion’. When I see this and think of other war torn places,(because of ‘religion’), I think of the shortest passage in the Bible:”Jesus wept”.
Hi Herta,
We almost decided not to go…but then thought….these people have kids and live their lives…we need to go and find out about them. That is what this trip is all about. We are so glad we went – it has been a fascinating experience!
Cheers,
Kat:)
Both cities look lovely! It must have been a beautiful experience! Love, Mom
HI Mom,
Both are very nice….there are some gorgeous condos on the beach for sale. Only a few million dollars for the cheapest!
Cheers,
Kat:)
Hi, Katina, I found your post very interesting, and must admit I did not know much about either city, except Jaffa Oranges. 🙂 It seems that, like everywhere else in Israel, the “old” is closely connected with the new. To me Tel Aviv looks like a very modern city and I like all the little tidbits you put in, like the house constructed in Pennsylvania. So very interesting, love the mosaic fountain and the Orange trees hanging “around” . As always, the photos are great.