Off to Jaffa this morning, for a quick stroll though the beautiful old town.

It is from Jaffa that Tel Aviv was founded in the early 20th century, by a couple of Jewish families who moved out and planned their own settlement, which would become Tel Aviv.

Jaffa is small, with a little old quarter on a hill, with a mosque, a clock tower and a lighthouse, and numerous craft shops catering for tourists.

It is beautifully restored, all in white sandstone, and with blue doors and metal grids, and lots of stray cats. I heard the flea market must be great, so this will be on my list for the coming weeks.

 

We found some postcards, took pics, had a fresh orange juice, and then walked back along the promenade towards Tel Aviv. It was Susanne’s lats day and we simply needed another couple of hours at the beach.

We were surprised how busy it was – in comparison to yesterday. It was buzzing. We enjoyed the waves and the sun, and then headed back.

Sue took a Sherut taxi to the train station. Just to find out there were no more trains to Ben Gurion Airport. We had already seen that on the website but thought it had a hick-up when it showed no train after 5.15.

We had no idea it was Shavuot, a national holiday! Well, in my case after 8 months of traveling, I mostly don’t know the day of the week or the date, let alone foreign holidays. Sue took a taxi in the end, and made her flight.

Shavuot explains the crowds on the beach… and it really shows in the evening, my area is quiet, and most places are closed.

Still, I’m off to a Michael Jackson tribute party tonight. Can’t stop till you get enough!