Visiting Tel Aviv

Please take this as in invitation to join me on a 14 day trip to the Holy Land. To see the full agenda or to sign up, click the links. You will be rewarded through personal discoveries and experiences by going on this journey.

On our first day in Israel, after leaving the airport, we will drive into Tel-Aviv on Israel Highway 1. This is a popular, well-traveled highway which runs from Jericho to Jerusalem past Ben Gurion airport to Tel-Aviv..

The road system in Israel is modern and much like our road system in the United States. Roads, where possible, avoid cities and towns. People drive on the right side of the road, and speeds are comparable (signs say 100, 110 or 120 on limited access highways, but these are kph, not mph) Road signs are in Hebrew (not English). Fortunately, our bus driver will know where to go so we do not need to figure this out.

Inside the city there are a mixture of old and new buildings. Many buildings are highrises in order to house more people on the available land. On modern buildings, balconies alternate on each floor in order to allow tall Sukkot (shelters) to be constructed outside during the annual Feast of Tabernacles.

Some of the buildings are symmetrical or decorative.

We will cross the Yarkon River while we travel in Tel-Aviv. The Yarkon River forms the heart of a park which is comparable to New York City’s Riverside Park. There are walking trails along the river and a generous amount of green space has been created in one of Israel’s largest cities.

The Jewish market is called the shuk. Shops in the grocery shuk contain fresh fruits and vegetables. The picture above shows an olive stand within the market. There are also stands for fresh fruit, sandwiches, and ice cream.

While in Tel-Aviv we will visit Israel’s Independence Hall. We will learn how the country was “born in a day.” Many amazing stories will be shared about Israel’s Day of Independence while we visit the Dizengoff home and see the room pictured above.

After visiting Independence Hall we will drive to the old city of Yafo. We will see the area pictured above along our route. The clock tower was built during the Ottoman period in 1900.

Old Yafo has many unique features. The historic area dates to the 19th century.

We will see local markets along the way. I bought a menorah in this shop located in the flea market district of Yafo. The shopkeeper’s name is David.

The flea markets of Israel contain many treasures. During our trip to the Promised Land we will be able to see some of the shops on the street while touring and stop in those which are still open during night walks.

The old city of Yafo is within sight of Tel-Aviv’s modern downtown and beachfront. The old and new cities coexist together.

While in Israel we will have an opportunity to take a swim into the Mediterranean, take a plunge into the Jordan, float on the Dead Sea, swim in the cool streams of En Gedi and the Sea of Galilee, and slosh through the fountains of Jerusalem and Hezekiah’s Tunnel.

Israel Adventure - Day 7

Today is our last day in Tel-Aviv. Later this afternoon we will turn in the car, meet the group from Hebrew Union College, and drive to Jerusalem.  

We returned for breakfast today to the Cafe Yaffo and ate two of their breakfast specials: Israeli breakfast for two and eggplant shakshuka. As you can tell from the picture it was PLENTY! We enjoyed the food, and brought a little home. The cafe is located in the flea market district, and from our booth you can see the horse which passed our window.

After breakfast we went to Old Jaffa. Ruins are preserved beneath the plaza and we went in to see the exhibit and the multimedia multiexperiential movie. They told the story of how Jaffa is one of the oldest cities in the world, started by Noah’s son Japeth (tradition).

They had a video with the Roman agronomist (wine-taster) Judah speaking from his home (which was uncovered in an excavation - the ruins are now the location of the museum). Different people came to visit him at his home. The first was a Pharaoh, pictured above. Egypt conquered Jaffa several times.

A second visitor was Jonah, who was running from God.

A third section was on Peter’s vision of the animals.

After our visit to Old Jaffa, we went into the Mediterranean once again. We did not take swim suits, so we only waded into the water. The water cooled us off, and as this was our last day in Jaffa, we wanted to take advantage of the afternoon.

After our wade in the sea, Chelsea and Sarah went to pack, and I climbed a hill south of Jaffa, created as a greenspace in Jaffa. In this picture you can see the old harbor (left), the wharfs (straight ahead), and the Old City, with the Catholic Church at the top. There is also a lighthouse. Busses use the lot in the front to wait for tour groups.

While on top of the hill a hoopoe was pointed out to me. This is Israel’s state bird.

After climbing the hill, I returned to the apartment, we packed the car, and left Jaffa for Jerusalem.

On the way we met the group Chelsea will be working with this summer at Ben-Gurion airport. We shared a shuttle ride to our apartment (pictured below)

After settling into the apartment we went to Jerusalem’s first train station, which has been turned into an outdoor mall. They consistently have special events. They had a huge book sale going on in the middle of the train station. We ate dinner there, and returned to our apartment in Jerusalem.