Day 150 - Walking tour in Old Jaffa

Day 150 - Walking tour in Old Jaffa - Flea Market

December 01, 2018

Friday, November 30th, 2018.

Today we took the traditional Free Walking tour. We took a long ride bus to the meeting point. It was only about an hour but like Gregory said, the bus driver only knew two shifts. Despite the dizziness, I think is the best way to see the city. You get to observe the buildings, the daily life and the people that get on the bus. No tour can give you that cultural taste of the city. We met at the clock tower at 11:00am. It is funny that this time they asked to see my confirmation number. I booked online the day before. We were so many tourists that they divided us into two groups. We got an older lady as a tour guide, her name was Anita. She started very enthusiastic but didn't have a microphone so I don't think the kids were very engaged. We learned some history, at least Gregory and I did. Anyway, at least we got to see the old town of Tel Aviv which you can see the Ottoman influence in the remaining buildings. We felt like we were back in Istanbul for a little bit when we saw the old mosque and the fountain that they use to wash before prayers. We also heard the prayer that we have gotten used to hearing five times a day in Istanbul.

After the tour, we went back to where we start the tour and looked for a place to eat. We found an informal restaurant that had falafel and shwarmas. We all got what we wanted, yummy simple food and the bill still came to $50. We are back to the same prices as in France and Italy. After eating, we walked to the flea market which was an unique experience where you can find all sort of things, junk or treasures. Honestly you have to have a lot of patience and time to dig in the stands covered and packed with all sort of things. It was fun to look around but I didn't have the pattience to dig and since we can't carry anything, we didn't spend that much time. Well, that's not true. Daniel would disagree with me. We spend a good amount of time and by the time we wanted to go home, there was no longer public transportation available because of the Shabat. The worst part is that we had been worn that everything closes early because of the Shabat but we never thought about public transportation. When Gregory checked his google app, it said that the last bus had passed at 3:20pm! To us, it was just incredible and hard to believe. We got upset because that meant that we had to take a taxi, and really, no big deal but it actually is when it said that the estimate would come to $60 to $70 to get us home!

We were far away so Gregorio suggested to rent bikes and pedal home. Of course, nobody wanted to do that but we agreed, well I didn't but I had to do it if the kids were giving me a lesson. We started to walk towards the bikes when I told Gregory that perhaps we should just take a taxi because I was worry about the distance. The app said that it would only take us half an hour but you never know. Lucklily he checked and now the prices had dropped so we ended getting a taxi which charged $13. Not bad but comparing to what we were paying in Istambul now everything seems expensive, like home!

At home, Sunshine and I watched a teenager movie, a bad one and then had dinner. Later we watched "The tourist", no so great either. I get very frustrated when I have the time to watch a good movie and instead I watched two not so good movies and felt like a waste of time. Oh well, I guess it was a luxury that I never do at home but I learned that I rather read a good book instead. Good night!

The meeting point for the tour

The Jaffa clock tower is one of the seven clock towers built in Palestine during the ottoman period.

The Jaffa Clock Tower stands in the middle of Yefet street at the northern entrance of Jaffa, the ancient city that is now a part of Tel Aviv. The tower, which is made of limestone, incorporates two clocks and a plaque commemorating the Israelis killed in the battle for the town in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

The Mahmoudiya mosque fountain

The Mahmoudiya Mosque is the largest and most significant mosque in Jaffa, now part of the larger city of Tel Aviv. It is composed of a complex of buildings arranged around two large courtyards and a third, smaller, courtyard. Wikipedia

Entering the crusade gate

Admiring the Mediterranean sea

Nice view of Tel Aviv

The Gate of Faith represents the promise of the land to the Patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

A large statue, made of Galilee stone, was sculpted by the sculptor Daniel Kafri of Jerusalem between the years 1973-1975. The statue stands at the top of the Peak Park in Old Jaffa.

An ancient legend states that anyone who stands on the bridge grasps the relief of their astrological sign and gazes at the sea –will have his wish come true!

Park Ra'amses gate garden is the highest point of the city, located above the ancient port of Jaffa. reconstruction of the gate was constructed in the 1990s to illustrate the location of the original gate. The lintels of the gate are bearing the titles of Ramses II (1279–1213 BC).