Blogs from Tel Aviv District, Israel, Middle East - page 2

Lento saapui puolenyön jälkeen. Lentokentällä ei mennyt pitkään. Menin majapaikkaan taksilla, joka maksoi 50 euroa, kun en viitsinyt ryhtyä selvittämään, miten keskustaan olisi päässyt bussilla. Majapaikan avain oli sovitussa piilossa. Kävin hakemassa lähikadulta syötävää. Jostain syystä valvoin pitkään ja nukuin vain klo 6-10.30. Kävin aamupalalla kadun toisella puolella olevassa kahvilassa. Otin kahvin mukaan asuntoon, kun se oli niin kuumaa, että en saanut juotua sitä siellä. Kävin vaihtamassa 50€ shekeleiksi. Ei kysytty mitään papereita. Ostin turistineuvonnasta Rav-Kav-kortin. Sillähän maksetaan täällä kaikki joukkoliikenne, ja siihen ladataan etukäteen liput. Otin tälle päivälle päivälipun Tel Avivin joukkoliikenteeseen eli busseihin. Ensimmäinen bussi vei Rabinin aukiolle. Palasin bussilla, joka vei Jaffaan asti. Kävin katsomassa rantaa ja söin aterian. Kun palasin majapaikan... read more

We are looking down from the top floor of a converted Bauhaus cinema, now the cool boutique hotel where we are staying. Around Dizengoff Square, with its drum-shaped fountain, are a number of fine Bauhaus buildings. Characteristic long horizontal lines formed by smooth balconies and ribbons of windows, skinny verticals (including the classic “thermometer” windows of internal stair ways), gentle curves and occasional sinuous forms abound. There is over 1000 of these remarkable buildings remaining from the Modern Movement of the 1920s and early 1930s. They were built by European immigrants schooled in the International style and adapted for a hotter climate. They display an elegant simplicity and functionality of style. The majority are built from smoothly rendered white washed concrete and possibly result of the “poverty of materials” experienced by this city during its early ... read more

Had my first sleep-in on this trip and woke up at 8am thanks to our comfortable accommodation at the Bostock house. Had some of John’s muesli for breakfast which was great as it’s my usual type of breakfast. John then drove us to the old port of Jaffa which we had only briefly visited the day before. This time we had a leisurely walk through the whole area which was great. Very interesting walking through the Ottoman era alleys and admiring the views of Tel Aviv. We then drove to the Neve Zedek area which was the first area of Jewish settlement when Jaffa became too crowded. There are many original houses, some needing a lot of restoration work. It was very interesting walking through and seeing all the families out and about as well. It’s ... read more

What can I say other than senses overload! The colors, sounds, atmosphere and people...so much of everything! Almost chaos with the amount of energy around this market. It was hard to take everything in, let alone take pictures. It didn't help the it was Friday afternoon and the market was dealing with Shabbat happening soon. I made it through once and had to refresh and hang out for a half hour before going in again! I suppose this is what a middle eastern market is all about. Vendors yelling, people shopping and eating. There was all sorts of fruits, vegetables, spices, breads and pastries and candy. Household items, paper products, clothes and souvenirs. I am not sure how people were actually able to buy anything with the mass of humanity roaming...but they did! After this experience, ... read more

After taking a short nap I awoke with a start to realize that I needed to get moving! The plan was to do a 2 hour walking tour in Jaffa. So, change of clothes, brush of teeth, grab an orange and water and out the door I went. Not too much thoughts were running through my mind other than getting to the meeting point. And in retrospect, that was a good thing. I will admit to some trepidation of being here alone and wandering the city. But with cell phone in hand (Google maps) I just went out the door without any reservations! The walk to Jaffa was about a mile or so but along the coastline. The Mediterranean Sea is gorgeous! I made it to the meeting point with no time to spare and off ... read more