Breakfast was an amazing variety of fruit, salads, breads, vegetables and sauces, and, of course, the standard North American fare of eggs. Wonderful cappuccino and Americano coffee, tea and I don’t know what else was offered. We piled it on our plates with at least one trip to the buffet each.
We then piled onto the bus and headed south to the old original city of Jaffa. Tel Aviv has only been around for just over 100 years. The port of Jaffa has been here for centuries but the port itself was not a popular spot because of the difficulty of approach. A collection of giant boulders clutters the entrance making it a bit of a navigation challenge. Legend has it that the boulders are the remains of a giant sea dragon slain by Perseus when he freed Andromeda from the dragon’s clutches.
Wonderful limestone roads lined by buildings of sand and limestone brick. Oleander bushes and bougainvillea draped the arches. The effect was stunning.
Artisans have transformed what was once a rundown section of the town into a beautiful work and living space filled with very high-end studios and shops.
Lunch again was delicious – starting with more appetizers than I have ever seen in any one place at a time. They piled it on even more today than yesterday. Jan and I shared a main dish of buri (some sort of fish) and we still had difficulty finishing.
Today we were exposed to the early Christian St. Peter’s church overlooking the harbour juxtaposed with the area’s Jewish origins and ultimately the dominant religion of the present population. We learned some of the rules of Kosher – how all sources of food are divided into three categories – sky (birds), land (terrestrial animals) and sea (fish) – and the limits imposed on each category to define what foods are allowed.
We visited ANU – the Museum of the Jewish people where we were led through the history of the origins of the various subgroups within the faith, the impact of the work of a multitude of Jews in theatre, the arts and the sciences.
We ended the outing with a jaunt through the colourful and wonderfully scented market in Tel Aviv.
After a short break to shower and change at the hotel we gathered for supper. Like last night, the supper was an elaborate buffet but with a totally different set of offerings. I’m hooked on the salads and sauces here. Desserts aren’t too shabby either.
Tomorrow we are off to Galilee.