Israel: Tel Aviv

Our first stop was Tel Aviv. Cristina and I had the afternoon to explore on our own, since the rest of our group was not arriving until dinnertime. Tel means artificial mound in Hebrew. Aviv means spring. So Tel Aviv is supposed to signify the old and the new. The city is 100 years old, and boasts the highest concentration of Jews in the world.

My favorite thing about Tel Aviv was the beautiful promenade that stretched for several miles down the Mediterranean coast. We had a great time watching the public dance lessons, the men playing a tennis-like game without a net, the groups of people meeting to eat and talk at the cafes, and the families out for a walk together. The people seemed happy and I was surprised at all of the PDA (that is something you don't see very often in Bahrain, unless of course you count all of the Indian men who hold pinkies and swing their arms as they walk down the street. This is cultural thing for them, and not a sign of homosexuality). The architecture wasn't my favorite, but what they lacked in design, they made up for in rainbow colored paint.
There were beautiful flower bushes everywhere. I loved these yellow and pink ones (this was the most focused picture I had).
There were plenty of places for people to sit down along the way. I love this awning, and since I hate to take pictures with no people in them, Cristina graciously posed for me.
Tel Aviv apparently has a problem with stray cats. They were EVERYWHERE. I'm not exaggerating. I wonder if Jews don't like cats. Most Muslims don't like dogs because they think were created out of the spit of Satan. But I digress. On the rocky parts of the beach, there were lots of fishermen with the longest poles I have ever seen.
We caught the sunset through the clouds. At this point I was accosted by a couple who wanted their picture with the sunset. I spent about 5 minutes trying to get the picture right, because the man was very particular about what he wanted, and kept telling me my pictures weren't good enough. I told him perhaps he should think about hiring a photographer if he was going to be so anal. Just kidding. I thought it though. We walked all the way to Jaffa, which is an artist colony on the hill. Jaffa (also called Jappa in the Bible) is pronounced "yaffo" and is one of the few mixed cities in Israel. And by mixed, I mean that Muslims and Jews live together, wheras most cities are either inhabited by one group or the other. It is a very important port city, and has been for it's 3,000 year existence. All of the timbers for Solomon's temple were lashed together and floated here from Lebanon. It is also where Jonah left on a boat before he got swallowed by the whale.

There were a lot of vendors selling interesting things in the square in front of the church, and we spent quite a bit of time perusing (and purchasing) their wares. In fact, we spent so much time at one booth that the woman got our life stories. She then announced to me that she "really had to pee" and wondered if I would watch her shop for her while she found a restroom. I guess I have an honest face, because I certainly wouldn't leave my shop with some girl I had just met. Her advice to me "just watch their hands." I don't think there was any shoplifting going on while I was in charge. Then she wanted to take a picture with me. Please notice our fanny packs. I really wish that the fanny pack would come back in to style. I am tired of carrying a purse.