Exploring Jaffa Port

Tel Aviv as seen from Jaffa on a very windy day.

Yesterday morning Brad and I drove into Tel Aviv. Brad has been driving into work lately but he wanted to explore other routes and other parts of the city. By pure happenstance we ended up in Jaffa Port. It was Brad’s first visit to Jaffa. I’d been there twice before but had not yet visited the port area.

I found Jaffa Port full of ambience…a bit gritty and rough around the edges. A refreshing contrast to the shimmering glitzy marina of Herzliya Pituach. We found a huge nearly empty parking lot near the sea and parked for free. The wind was extremely strong today, whipping up the Mediterranean into a froth and sending sprays of water over the the seawall into the parking lot.

We began to walk towards the port in the direction of a huge warehouse. As we got closer we realized there was a Palestinian art gallery housed in the warehouse. We stepped inside to browse. The yawning space and rusting industrial fixtures added to the charm and enjoyment we had as we viewed the impressive artwork on display.

We walked on past a ramshackle fish restaurant and ship docks, pausing to take a look out into the sea to view Andromeda’s Rock where, according to Greek mythology, Andromeda had been chained. We had a brief debate as to which of the rather unassuming rocks was Andromeda’s.

We climbed up stone steps and more stone steps into Old Jaffa. As it was Saturday, most establishments were closed, including the famed Flea Market. No matter, it gave us more elbow room to wander among the winding alleys of the old city, past Crusader-era fortresses, a mosque, the lighthouse and the clock tower and into parts of Jaffa I hadn’t seen on my last two visits. We came across a modern amphitheater and saw an Ethiopian wedding party assembling for photos in front of an unusual modern gate carved out of white marble. The bride was gorgeous and the men looked snazzy in their shiny white satin suits.

We stopped for a wonderful lunch in a mezze restaurant. We each ordered a main dish. But before our main dish was served, we were presented with a bountiful array of appetizers and homemade pita bread. We had some of the best hummus I’ve ever had, two types of tahini dip, roasted eggplant, zucchini and cauliflower, oh the list goes on and on and  everything was delicious. I’d ordered fish as my main course and I was curious to see what I would be served. It was listed as “Dennis” on the menu. We tried asking the waiter what kind of fish Dennis was but did not understand what he was saying. Well, whatever kind of fish, it was it was prepared wonderfully. Dennis arrived whole, encrusted with scrumptious spices, and served on a platter with roasted sweet and white potatoes. It was some kind of white fish, delicate and done to perfection.

As we headed back to the car we passed by the other side of the warehouse. Now we saw that there were several other galleries housed in the same building. I entered one space that had dozens and dozens of strips of twisted clear lucite hanging from the ceiling. The only light came from the gaping door. The lucite strips caught reflections in differing ways and depths of color. As the strips spun around they gave the sensation of movement. It was eerie yet magical and a perfect way to bring our venture into enchanting old Jaffa to a close.

Local Birds Meet Telephoto Lens

When we first moved to Herzliya Pituach I frequently walked through the neighborhood running errands accompanied by my Nikon DSLR and its 52mm lens. Then I got my smart phone and began leaving the Nikon at home. But I kept coming across photo opportunities and my little LGKP500 just wasn’t up to the task. So, one day I attached my telephoto lens to my Nikon before running some errands, hoping I’d see something worth capturing in pixels.

Lucky me, I came across a hoopoe! Not in the most scenic spot and not in the most ideal lighting situation (shooting into bright sunlight), but I did manage a few shots before he flew away.

I knew I’d see some hooded crows; they are ubiquitous here. Some of them appear to be tamer (or bolder) than others. This guy let me come fairly close and even did a comical strut for me.

Then I saw two bulbuls nuzzling each other atop a wire. How sweet!

I need to take my telephoto lens out for walks more often.

The Kit Next Door

Baxter catches sight of the interloper from our kitchen window

Here's lookin' at you!

The cat takes a dive into our front yard

This little Baxter-look-a-like kitty recently set up residence in our garage where we had placed boxes emptied from the move. He took to curling up in a tall box filled with cozy packing paper, jumping out every time we entered the garage.

This week the movers came and picked up the boxes, effectively evicting the hapless kitty. Or so we thought. Today, I found him perched on our front wall. He sat there for a bit, jumped into our front yard, then sauntered through the front gate. I think he actually lives in the house on the corner.

Bin There, Dump That

That yellow bin may be the only place to recycle tin and aluminum in Herzliya Pituach

Paper and plastic recycling bins

Tel Aviv may soon boast one of the world’s largest and most innovative eco-parks, Ariel Sharon Park. The park will transform Hiriya, a huge waste dump just outside of Ben-Gurion Airport, into a grand recycling theme-park that some predict will become the new Stonehenge.

Even so, Israel has a long way to go to catch up to U.S. standards in recycling. At least that’s the way it appears in my neighborhood just north of Tel Aviv. Here in Herzliya Pituach there is no recycling pick-up. Citizens must tote recyclable plastic bottles, batteries, paper and tin cans to recycling bins located here and there on street corners. Attempts have been made to give the bins more aesthetic appeal, but let’s face it, they are simply eyesores. As far as I know, there is only one bin where one can recycle tin cans and aluminum products in all of Herzliya Pituach. There is no recycling of plastic bags and there are no recycling bins for glass whatsoever.

Oh, but I forgot to mention that some glass and plastic bottles are sold with a deposit for which you can get a refund at most grocery stores. Does that remind anyone else of the 50s?

Trees That Hug Themselves

The first time I rode down Basel Street near Hanassi in Herzliya Pituach I gasped. I’ll wager that’s the reaction the majority of people have when traveling down this street for the first time. The street is lined with statuesque ficus trees planted so close together they form a tunnel. An impressive array of ficus trees also lines several blocks of Hanassi.

These trees are ficus benghalensis or banyan trees. They produce aerial roots that reach to the ground and eventually become woody trunks that wrap themselves around the main trunk. The ficus benghalensis bears small figs that are inedible to humans but eaten by birds who then propagate the seeds.

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Weird Weather

Yesterday I took a drive to the local natural food store. The sky was really hazy. It looked a bit like fog. I parked the car and got out. It didn’t feel like fog. I looked up. The sun shone feebly as if from behind a gauzy curtain, pale as the moon in a cream-colored sky.

I found out later from an Israeli that what I’d seen was a sandstorm stirred up by winds from the Judean desert. Thankfully we are far enough away that we could see the storm but could not feel the sand swirling about.

Today has been a blustery rainy day. We’ve had very strong winds and intermittent torrential downpours. It’s a good thing the rain came a day after the sandstorm. If not, as I’ve been informed, it would have been raining mud.

Shadows and Light

Baxter soaks up the sun while Lulu lurks in the shadows

click on the photo to view larger size

I Was Thrown A Cursive In Class Today

Hebrew alphabet in block letters

Hebrew cursive alphabet

I had another Hebrew lesson today with a different instructor. I had been encouraged when the instructor informed us by email that we would start with the Hebrew alphabet. Yay, I thought, just what I’ve been waiting for. My enthusiasm was dashed, though, when I discovered that she chose to cover the cursive alphabet. The Hebrew cursive alphabet is very different from the block-letter alphabet, and much more difficult to decipher. I can’t fathom why she has chosen to teach the cursive alphabet since most printed Hebrew I see uses the block-letter alphabet: street signs, food labels, advertisements, posters, newspapers. The only time i see cursive Hebrew is in logos.

On the bright side, I now know that the mini market I go to near my house is indeed called “Mini Market”.

Tangled Up In Zen

from the Zentangle website

Today I drove to Ramat Aviv to visit SE. It was my first venture in the car beyond the limits of Herzliya Pituach. And it was a piece of cake. Ramat Aviv is a neighborhood in northern Tel Aviv and it takes only 10-15 minutes to get there from our house, depending on traffic.

SE and her husband live in a new stylish high-rise apartment building. Their apartment is on the 10th floor and affords a to-die-for view of the Mediterranean from their spacious balcony.

SE has recently been involved in an interesting art form called zentangle. Zentangles are sketches in ink on square pieces of paper. The sketches are composed of different repetitive patterns joined in innovative ways. To me it seems to be a combination of imagination and meditation. And though zentangle is a rather structured art form the results can be refreshingly creative.

SE showed me her art journal in which she began practicing zentangle. It was revealing to page through her journal and watch how her journey unfolded and her skill increased.

Later the two of us took a walk to her local cafe for lunch. It was a gorgeous day. We both agreed we should enjoy these lovely winter days while they last. We keep hearing foreboding reports about the long hot summers here in Tel Aviv. But for the time being all is sunny and pleasant in our neck of the world.

Lotus blossom in koi pond in front of SE's apartment building

More Adventures in Shopping

The sign says Children's World

Heaven knows why, but you can buy milk in a bag in most supermarkets

This is about one-third of the hummus offerings

View from the escalator

I visited yet another mall with yet another supermarket. SR was kind enough to take SE and I to Petah Tikva, a short ride from Herzliya, to visit the Half-Price store. Apparently, there is not much truth in advertising in Israel because the items at the Half-Price store are not half-price. Many items are significantly cheaper than in other stores, but some are about the same price.

I had been expecting something along the lines of Family Dollar or Food Lion but no… The Half-Price store is brand new, huge, sparkling clean, and colorfully decorated in a rather quirky manner. The aisles are chock full of inventory: food items, cleaning supplies, housewares, deli and cheese counters, butcher, and more. An impressive array of fresh produce is housed in a separate building.

The best thing about the trip for me was finding the brand of cat litter I used in the States. Oh joy! The kitties will be scratching around in corn-based litter rather than icky, dusty clay litter.

The photos were taken with my new smart phone. Not the greatest quality and I’m still learning how to use the camera feature.