The Jaffa flea market...

Have been remiss on my posting.  Apologies to those following along, but the internet connectivity is not great in the hotel.  A few posts to catch everyone up...

Before leaving Old Jaffa for the trip to Jerusalem, I stopped by the flea market to do a bit of shopping...

 The flea market is enormous.  The entire market, including both the indoor and outdoor portions, encompasses 3 full city blocks.  If you are interested in antiquing you could easily spend an entire week browsing for a good find!

I came away with some really nice traditional Bedouin gifts (I will refrain from saying exactly what I bought as they are a surprise for a certain someone...)

My last sunset in Old Jaffa...

On to Jerusalem...

The Beach...

So, I thought I was going to write a post about the beaches in Tel Aviv and post some photos...but I didn't see any worth taking.  The beaches here are crowded and dirty.  The water is dirty and full of garbage and jellyfish.  Definitely not a beach worth visiting...

Shabbat in Jaffa...

The hustle and bustle slow considerably in Jaffa on Shabbat.  I headed up the hill to St. Peter's Church above the old port to take in the sunset and take some photos.  The church, which was built in 1654, was home to Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 during his military adventures Egypt and Syria.  A view of St. Peter's from the main courtyard...

The view from the large park just next to St. Peter's (definitely the best place to photograph the modern Tel Aviv skyline).

 There are at least three mosques in Jaffa, the smallest of which is down by the port.  Around sunset, just before the call to prayer, the lights inside the minaret turned green casting an eerie glow, that contrasted sharply with the reds, oranges, and purples of the dying sun...

A good evening all around.  Tomorrow the beach...

Shouk HaKarmel...

As one would expect, the Shouk HaKarmel is a very busy place...

James and I stopped for (more like pulled into) lunch at a random house/stall where a woman was selling sauteed chicken bits, mixed with onions and vegetables, with hummus and pita bread...

Note the old man sitting next to me falling asleep in the chair...

Am now well provisioned: pita, an assortment of swarma meats, salad, mangoes, dates, olives, random smoked deli meats...back to the hostel...

Shabbat means grilling out...

It being Friday, most shops close down at sunset for Shabbat and remain closed until Saturday evening.  James and I are going to cook at the hostel tonight.  The Old Jaffa Hostel has such an excellent rooftop terrace garden with a kitchen that I think I will cook for myself this evening...

Headed off to the Shouk HaKarmel for provisions...and then beach...

Breakfast at Dr. Shakshuka's...

James and I had an amazing breakfast at Dr. Shakshuka's this morning.  The good doctor is generally acknowledged to make the best shakshuka in all of Tel Aviv.  For those unfamiliar, Shakshuka is a north African omelet-esque, tomato, and grilled vegetable dish which has become a popular breakfast dish throughout Israel.  Preparation varies, but Dr. Shakshuka's serves his shakshuka with as much salad, bread, and lemonade as you can eat and drink...and finished the meal off with Turkish coffee and sweetbreads.

 

Sunset in Jaffa...

Just enjoyed a couple of beers at a place that literally did not have a name (I asked!) down on the beach...note the pirate flag...

The view of old Jaffa from my table...

The evening call to prayer just echoed across the city...ambiance in Jaffa is really something.

Old Jaffa is very different from the only other part of Tel Aviv that I have seen: the section in and around the new central train station.  When I arrived from the airport,  I caught a taxi from the new central train station to the hostel.  According to my taxi driver (a 63-year old Indian Jew from Calcutta who immigrated to Israel in 1948), the area around the central train station is very run down due to large influx of predominately poor African immigrants and guest workers.  He recommended that I spend most of my time in Old Jaffa (because, according to him, it has real character).

I end with a shot of the modern Tel Aviv skyline...alas I think I will be following the taxi driver's advice and steering clear of downtown Tel Aviv.

 

Arrived in Old Jaffa...

The view from the rooftop of my hostel in the old city of Jaffa...

...it is nice to be settled after a long journey.  Another terribly experience connecting through JFK...will avoid like the plague in the future.  Also, in the future, I will be doubly sure to check that when I book a trans-Atlantic ticket with Air France, that I actually fly Air France (and not an Air France flight managed by Delta!).  These two seeming similar travel experiences are not even remotely comparable...