Today was another relatively easy tour to Tel Aviv and a walking tour in Jaffa, the oldest seaport in The World and also known as “Bride of the Sea”.
The drive from Haifa to Tel Aviv took around an hour although kilometre wise it is not that far. Tel Aviv, although the most populated city in Israel, is not in fact the capital of Israel. That title lies with Jerusalem that President Trump acknowledged when he moved the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last year.
Tel Aviv is grid locked. That is a fact. It is extremely difficult to drive around and I give full credit to our bus driver who was able to negotiate very difficult situations. The residents of Tel Aviv prefer to use electric bikes or scooters to get around the city and you really have to watch where you are walking as they move along the footpath very speedily. They have a dedicated lane for this mode of transport but very rarely did I see anyone use them! Having said all that, Tel Aviv has many parks and green areas with lots of tree lined streets. Residents take full advantage of these areas.
We stopped at the place where President Yitzhak Rabin was mudered in 1995 by a radical. I remember it well as there were many conspiracy reports after his death.
Tel Aviv lies along the Mediterranean coast and is a popular destination for surfers, swimmers and any other water sport. Because it was the Easter holiday many people took advantage of the glorious weather and were beachside.
Our bus driver dropped us off not far from Jaffa where we commenced our walking tour. The first stop was a viewing point overlooking Tel Aviv and close by was the Wishing Bridge lined with Zodiac Signs were you are meant to hold your hand on your star sign and gaze out to sea and make a wish.
We had the same tour guide as yesterday at Massada and he really is very knowledgeable. He was able to tell us many facts about the old seaport, for example Napoleon was one of the first to conquer it. Jaffa is a mix of Jewish, Christian and Muslim and just a few years ago Jaffa was home to fisherman, artists, and the homeless but when the old warehouses were renovated the old decrepit town became a rich mans home. Fortunately the renovations didn’t steal away the authenticity of the old seaport and it was well worth the visit.
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