Quick Trips to Jaffa

Just a few miles south of our apartment in Tel-Aviv lies the ancient port of Jaffa (or Yafo in Hebrew...hence the name of the municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo). Since it is long walk, easy bike ride, or short drive away, we've already visited Old Jaffa a few times. Known as Joppa in the Bible, we've learned that Jaffa is one of the oldest known ports in the world with a history of more than 4000 years.

Sign showing the way to the port in Old Jaffa, Israel

I needed to skew my shift at work one day last week, so took advantage of my morning off to make the 6km bike ride along the Tayalet (Tel-Aviv promenade) to Jaffa. Here's a vew of the approach to Jaffa from the north, with Alma Beach in the foreground. You can tell it was a weekday due to the lack of crowds!

View of Old Jaffa with Alma Beach in the foreground

Here is a closer view of the Old Jaffa skyline...

Skyline of Old Jaffa, Israel

It was a fascinating feeling to visit a place mentioned in the Bible. Some think that Joppa was founded by Japheth, Noah's son who was father of the "maritime" peoples (Gen 10:5). More definitively, Joppa is referenced in the Bible as follows:
-Joshua 19:46 --> the allotment of land to the tribe of Dan
-2 Chronicles 2:16 --> as the destination of floating cedar logs via the Mediterranean Sea from Lebanon, which were then transported to Jerusalem to enable Solomon to build the temple (hard to fathom that happening 3000 years ago!)
-Ezra 3:7 --> This time, Cyrus King of Persia authorized some additional cedar logs to float on down to Joppa in support of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem
-Jonah 1:3 --> Jonah hopped on a ship outta Joppa, to Tarshish, while fleeing from the Lord.
-Acts 9:36-43 --> Peter raied Tabitha from the dead in Joppa, then stayed in town for a while at Simon the Tanner's house, which can still be visited today.
-Acts 11:1-18 --> Peter received a vision from God causing him to realize that "God has granted even to the Gentiles repentance unto life". Whew, I'm thankful for that!

Here's a picture of the alley that leads to the site thought to be Simon the Tanner's house, where Peter stayed. It's a tight passageway--Simon's door is closed off, but you can see it nonetheless. When we approached, there was a group of Europeans reading the Bible, but I couldn't pinpoint the language they were speaking.

Approaching Peter the Tanner's House in Old Jaffa

Oh, and here is a sign explaining some of the history of Jaffa. Notice the "BCE" instead of "Before Christ", and the CE instead of After Death. You'll also notice the New Testament references to Joppa are missing, since Acts isn't part of the Jewish Bible (which my cubicle-mate says is the "only" Bible). Can you see anyone's reflection in the sign?

Sign Displaying History of Jaffa (Yafo, Joppa) Israel

Another site in Old Jaffa is the Wishing Bridge (notice Tel-Aviv in the background). As the sign states, legend has it that if visitors touch their zodiac sign while facing the sea, their wish will come true.

The Wishing Bridge in Jaffa - overlooking Tel Aviv, Israel

Here's Sammy making a wish. Given his May 27th bithday, we figured he must be a Taurus like his daddy (also born in May). Later, a quick internet search informed us that he is, in fact, a Gemini. Nonetheless, his wish of milk and a diaper change came true :)

Sammy at the Wishing Bridge in Old Jaffa

On a side note, we've been somewhat surprised to see several Chinese people here in Israel. I met some Chinese tourists from Shanghai and Nanjing (where my younger sister Jamie studied for a semester - you can read about her adventures here) near the Wishing Bridge. And, a while back, a women in one of the many AM/PM grocery stores mentioned in passing that Sammy was "hen ke ai" (very cute)--then seemed shocked when we thanked her. It's always fun to "surprise" Mandarin speakers with a few words from a laowai (foreigner). And, we're confirming the fact that the Chinese are indeed everywhere.

Jaffa also boasts many restaurants--several of which have fantastic views of the Mediterranean. Here are a couple you may want to check out when you visit...

Views of the Mediterranean Sea from Old Jaffa, Israel

Nicki and I treated ourselves to another Middle-Eastern breakfast. This time, it was a Lebanese Breakfast--which rivaled, and perhaps overtook, the scrumptious Israeli Breakfast we'd had a couple of weeks back at Cafe Nimrod's at Tel-Aviv's Old Port.

Nicki enjoying a Lebanese breakfast in Old Jaffa

Shifting gears, here is a picture of our "good little Jewish boy", as he was referred to by the salesman at our local Ace Hardware, sitting in what is apparently known as a Bumbo. Nicki, not wanting to disappoint, simply responded "yes, he is a good boy!". Sammy and his daddy were sick on Thursday--a first for him. It seemed like a 24-hour virus or something, which was definitely going around at my workplace. Fortunately, Sam is back to his happy self (for the most part) now.

Little Sammy on his Bumbo...approaching 4 months!

And, below are some additional pictures of Jaffa and the immediate surroundings if you're interested. I have to make the most of these pictures, since, much to my dismay, my camera's shutter locked up today. I'm hoping to either get it fixed or maybe even buy a new one (finally have an excuse to upgrade, I suppose) before next weekend. We're hoping to make the quick drive to Jerusalem and/or the Dead Sea for at least a day over next weekend's 3-day holiday (Jewish New Year - Rosh Hashana). At least I can say that my camera has served me well over the last 6 or 7 years.

There are many alleyways in Old Jaffa that can be explored. This one houses several art galleries and antique shops.

Alleyway in Old Jaffa

Close-up of one of the many cafes in Jaffa...

Cafe in Jaffa

Yafo is predominantly an Arab town. Here is a Muslim mosque in Old Jaffa.

Oriental Mosque Tower with minaret, Old Jaffa

There are apparently some Catholics as well. Here is St Peter's Roman Catholic church.

St Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Old Jaffa, Israel

View of the Jaffa Port from the south. If you look very closely, you can see the stack from the power station near our neighborhood.

View of Jaffa Port from the south

An Old Jaffa window.

Old window in Jaffa

Tree in a park just to the south of Old Jaffa. Seems to be in need of some V8.

Wind-blown tree near Jaffa

That's all for now...

Just Another Manic...Sunday?

As much as we enjoyed having a week off together as a family, it came time to go to work. It is work, after all, that brought us here.

The workweek in Israel starts on Sunday. Thus, Sunday morning rolled around and I prepared for my first 77km commute to the office. Given the long distance and extremely high price of gas in Israel, I'm opting to commute the way most of the other employees do--via the shuttle bus. In Israel, I've learned, companies are required to either provide transportation to their employees, or to reimburse them for the cost of public transport. Given my company's size and fairly remote location in Kirat Gat, it makes financial sense for them to provide dedicated buses from various cities in the area. Mine is a special case, though--as we've been given a leased car for the duration of our stay. Thus, I am requried to pay for the shuttle. The cost is 28 skekels ($7.60) per day, plus parking which is currently 16 shekels ($4.40), but will purportedly be cut in half once I attain a residence permit.

My bus leaves at 6:55 from the Savidor train station in Tel-Aviv. To allow myself plenty of time the first morning, I left our apartment at 6:20. We'd scoped out the train station in advance, so I had no trouble finding it and was there 10 minutes later. However, while trying to find the entrance to the parking lot, I somehow ended up in a lane that required me to enter the freeway. Several wrong turns later, I realized that I just may miss the bus! I pulled into the parking lot with a few minutes to spare, then was preparing to rush to find my bus amidst the morning mayhem. Fortunately, though, I recognized an Israeli co-worker that I'd met in the States standing in line in front of the first bus I saw--whew!

The bus arrived in Kiryat Gat around 7:45, but it seemed to be "rush hour" in this small town, so we arrived on-site at 7:55--just in time. With so many buses arriving all at the same time, there was lots of commotion during my walk into the office--definitely a different feel than back home in Portland...kind of reminded me of our plant in China, where most employees also arrive via bus. Just another manic Sunday, I thought.

I was greeted by a new Israeli co-worker, who wasted no time showing me around and helping me to get settled in. So far, I've found my new teammates to be very welcoming and friendly! One thing I like about the work-culture here is that our team tries to eat lunch together each day. In Portland, everyone seemed to go about their own business and I tended to follow suit--either attending lunch meetings, trying to cram in more work, or, if not too busy, working out. Here, we round each other up and head down to the cafeteria together--a nice way for a new guy like me to get connected.

Many companies here in Israel subsidize meals for their employees. I'm told that my co-workers pay solely for the tax on food, which apparently makes it quite affordable. Somehow this system works even more in my favor, as my food is free! So far, I have not shared this fact with my co-workers--but if they do find out, I'll be quick to point out that I pay for the shuttle bus :)

Each day at lunch, staples such as hummus with pita bread and Israeli salad are always available. There can also be found a daily "special", several Kosher choices, and sandwiches are always an option. Fruit and vegetables are also in abundance--which seems to be standard here.

I'm still getting used to the Israeli work culture. So far, my job seems much more "social"--but maybe that was a first-week effect. There seems to be a lot more discussion and collaboration than in the US--and everyone has an opinion. So far it has been healthy, but I'm thinking that when stress levels are high it might feel a bit overbearing. Time will tell.

"Religion" doesn't seem to be a taboo topic here--it's just part of daily life. I've learned that employees who strictly observe Shabbat can opt out of on-call duties during the sabbath, but take a slight pay cut and would get in trouble if caught engaging in taboo activies on the day of rest. Most of my co-workers seem to be secular Jews, so working on the weekend isn't an issue. Perhaps it is isolated to a few individuals, but I've already picked up on some tension between some of my secular co-workers and Orthodox Jews, who can avoid military service and paying taxes by making the study of the Torah their full time gig. Admittedly, I am not an expert on this subject, and I'm interested in learning more...keep in mind that this blog is our Americanized perspective on life in Israel, not an encyclopedia or gold standard.

The communte home starts at 5pm. Everyone needs to be at the buses by 4:55, which makes for a nice (requried) quitting time. Of course, we all end up logging in again from home in the evenings via our laptops, but at least the on-site work day has a definitive end. Depending on traffic, I seem to be back at the train station and heading to my car around 6:05pm, then home by 6:20 at the earliest. It sounds long, but really hasn't been bad considering I can use the bus time to read, etc. Ask me in a year...perhaps my perspective will have changed :)

Finally, Thursday rolled around and, thinking I was being witty, I tried to explain "TGIT" to my co-workers. It didn't seem to go over too well--apparently our "TGIF" isn't too widely-known here. All in all, however, my first week at work was a success, and I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to getting the job done. Ask me about that in a year, as well...

Wow, that was a long one...and no pictures...the worst kind of blog! Due to IP concerns, I'm not allowed to bring a camera to work...so don't have any pictures from the week. So instead, I'll share a couple of our little Sammy, and some Old Port pics from this evening.

Nicki pointed out this pose to me yesterday when Sam was sleeping...we just couldn't resist snapping a picture.

Here is Sam in what his mom refers to as a "big boy" outfit (thanks Carley), since it is more than once piece...

And, finally, I added some pictures of Tel-Aviv's Old Port here, if you're interested. Sorry Cathy, we'll work on pictures of Nicki in the near future... Shalom!

Our Neighborhood - North Tel-Aviv & The Port

Fortunately, I don't have to start work here in Israel until Sunday, so we've been settling in and exploring our new neighborhood here in the north part of Tel-Aviv. And yes, the Israeli workweek is Sunday to Thursday, since Shabbat (sabbath) takes place Friday evening to Saturday evening. Anyway, I figured I'd give you a "feel" for our surroundings by providing some views & comments.

The surroundings remind us of Southern California--plenty of sun, palm trees, tans, and beaches. Tel-Aviv itself kind of feels like a European San Diego--although, admittedly, we've never been to Europe :)

Palm trees lining Sderot Nordau street in Tel-Aviv, Israel

Tel-Aviv children going home after school

Here's a view of our street, "Hayarkon", looking north from our balcony. The dilapidated buildings are quite common in Tel-Aviv. Explanations we've been offered include deterioration from the salty air and reluctance from landlords to spend money on the properties due to long-term tenants and/or high turnover. Apparently back in the day, tenants could offer extra money to guarantee the right to lifelong ability to rent, so in some cases there is little incentive for landlords to attract new tenants. Essentially, we were told, landlords are waiting until tenants die off before sprucing up the building facades. On the flip side, there is also high-demand from young renters who are willing to put up with the conditions in order to spend some time gaining independence in this counter-culture city.

View of Hayarkon Street in Tel-Aviv, Israel

Just across the street & behind these particular dilapidated buildings is the beach! Our closest beach has at least two names--Sheraton Beach and Metzitzim Beach. Apparently the Sheraton Hotel used to be located here, but it is now a kilometer and a half or so to the south. There is, however, a beachfront bar/restaurant called Metzitzim that is still here and has several tables located literally on the beach, so you can sink your toes in the sand while you dine.

Sheraton (Mezizim) Beach in Tel-Aviv, Israel

Sheraton beach-goers with Old Tel-Aviv Port in the background

So far, we've made multiple mini-trips to the beach. Here's a picture of our little guy gearing up to catch some waves :)

Mommy's surfer dude!

Just to the north of the beach is the Old Tel-Aviv Port. Once a working port, it apparently lost importance once a bigger & better version was constructed to the south in the city of Ashdod (the former Philistine capitol from Bible-times). Anyway, after experiencing its own period of dilapidation (darn salty air), it has since been restored and is now a trendy shopping & dining area. Many shops & restaurants lie within the handful of "hangars", all of which have nice views of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Old Port, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Jewish men watching the sunset from the Old Port, Tel-Aviv (note the moustache)

"Hangar 14" - Old Port, Tel-Aviv

Old Port with Aroma (coffe shop) and Cafe Nimrod's in view

Sunset at the Old Port

Saturday evening at the Old Port - lots of families and activity!


We were made aware that the Israeli breakfast at Cafe Nimrod's is the best-around, so we decided to take it upon ourselves to verify this claim. I'm not sure how or why Nimrod got such a bad rap in the US--in fact, Genesis 10:9 tells us that he was "a mighty hunter before the Lord". While I'm sure there is a blog out there informing us on how his name came to be an insult, after feasting on his scrumptious Galilean-style breakfast, I vow to never use Nimrod in a negative connotation again.



Israeli Breakfast at Cafe Nimrod's



Cappuccino at Cafe Nimrod's, Old Port, Tel-Aviv

We've also enjoyed a water-front dinner and several iced-coffees at Aroma, a local coffee shop introduced to us by friends. No Starbucks, no problem! Speaking of Starbucks, there really are NO Starbucks in Israel, which came as a shock to us. Apparently there were 6 Starbucks locations here in Tel-Aviv many years back, and plans for 120 across Israel--but those plans were scrapped. Many conspiracy theory-ish explanations can be googled, but we were informed that Starbucks didn't do a very good job assimilating their products to Israeli food/drink culture, which may have contributed to the flop.

Iced coffees (and more!) at Aroma coffee shop in Tel-Aviv

Speaking of the food--it is great! Who says you can't eat salad for breakfast? I'll have to write more about food in the future, once we have more meals under our belts (pun intended). Very fresh and healthy--I can see why the expected Israeli lifespan is longer than that of an American.

And finally, here is a "bonus picture" especially for Grandma Baumer. Nicki orchestrated Sammy's outfit & our pose :)

Our Apartment in Tel-Aviv

It was fun to see 90 page views on the first post (a few of those were ours, and a few of them were my Mom, presumably)--definitely encouragement to keep blogging. That being said, I figured I'd better spend a post filling everyone in on our apartment--especially useful for potential visitors (you know who you are), so they can get an idea of what to expect. To summarize: think small and think beach!

If location, location, location is the key...then we're in luck! Our little pad is in the North part of the city, about 100 yards from the beach, and adjacent to the Tel-Aviv Port--an old port that has been restored as a trendy industrial-ish area with many shops & restaurants (more on the port in a future update).

If size matters, then we're in trouble. When apartment shopping over email from the States, we were told that this particular apartment was 100 sq meters (~1100 sq ft). Now that we've arrived, based on my own quick calculation (using the ever-accurate human foot), I'm guessing that it's pushing 600 sq ft. But that's ok...we're glad that we were given a misleading estimate...otherwise we may have chosen something else and missed out. Perhaps the estimator had included the balcony? Regardless, we're really enjoying our little place...below are some details.

Here is the living room. Cozy. Note the picture of a French cafe on the wall--that is a consistent theme throughout the apartment. It's nice to have a few English-speaking TV channels. So far, we've found CNN, ESPN, and Fox News (pro-Israel, as pointed out by a local friend). I was pleasantly surprised to find that Israel's ESPN seems to be the American version--complete with coverage of college football, etc--rather than Hong-Kong-based Asian ESPN, which seemed to focus more on Soccer, Formula 1 racing, and a host of other sports that are not of interest to us.

Here is the kitchen/dining area. Notice the oven & large fridge--two items that we were missing while in China.

Master bedroom. Nothing fancy, but adequate. Plenty of storage. Oh, and our blankets haven't arrived yet. Don't worry, the nighttime lows have been in the 70's, so we just turn the AC down. See the window? Each window has an automated garage-door style covering on the outside that can help block out the light/heat and road noise--especially helpful since we're situated on the busy Hayarkon street. Even with the custom garage doors, though, light-sleeping visitors are advised to bring some ear plugs.

"Master bathroom". I think that my wide angle lens makes this bathroom look larger than it actually is. While taking this pciture, I was standing in the "shower"--the 2'x2' corner with a shower head.

Main bathroom & laundry room. There is also a clothesline outside the window, partially protected by vertical bars. In fact, some of my clothes are drying out there as we speak (doesn't take long here).

There is also a second bedroom, but I'll spare you a picture (it is mostly covered in suitcases at this point). It's pretty much the same as the master bedroom, but a bit smaller.

And the best part...the view! Yes, that is the Mediterranean Sea just a stone's throw from our place. When we were first offered this apartment via email, we weren't made aware of the view...so it was a nice surprise to say the least.

Here it what I'd show a prospective client who was choosing apartments remotely over email.

And here is what it really looks like.

Little Samuel (שְׁמוּאֵל, or "Shmu'el" in Hebrew) seems to be enjoying his new adventure. He's still a bit jet lagged, but happy for the most part. Evidence below.

Here is Sammy after we got back from the beach and removed the sun-cover from his stroller (no staging - this is really what we saw!).

Oh, and this was our first Tel-Aviv sunset. It's so nice to be able to watch the sun set each evening! Just for the record, though, we don't have a sunset view from the balcony...the late afternoon sun is blocked by a building across the street. Such a minute detail is probably not something worth mentioning to a prospective client anyway, right? This is, however, quickly remedied by a short stroll to the beach.


Sunset over the Mediterranean, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Soon I plan to fill you in with more details on the neighborhood,our  short trip to Old Jaffa ("Joppa" in the Bible), and the Carmel Market--oh yeah, and our flat tire episode. Stay tuned...

Farewell Portland, Shalom Tel-Aviv!

A long time coming...
With much trepidation, I must admit that the time has come for my first blog entry. Not having kept as comprehensive of documentation as we'd have liked during our adventures in China, and now living in Israel with a newborn son, we decided that it is now or never--otherwise, Sam's grandmothers might have it in for us.

Logistics
We spent our last night in Portland at a hotel near the airport. That way, we could take the shuttle to catch our flight, since our array of bags and baby-related "essentials" seemingly would not fit into a car. Speaking of essentials, here is a visual...

Fortunately, an unnamed Delta employee turned a blind eye on two of the 55lb bags. Traveling with a 3-month old seemed to garner an extra bit of grace, which was much appreciated

We flew from Portland to Atlanta, where we had a three hour layover. Thinking that we'd have time to use the last of Nicki's Starbucks gift card (since they don't work overseas--or at least, not in China), we were surprised to find that boarding for our flight started 1.5 hours prior to take-off. This was due to the fact that all passengers were required to go through security again--which, per a Delta agent, was unique to Israel-bound flyers. We were yet again a spectacle, going through security with our "essentials"--but Sam was behaving, so it was fine.

Prior to boarding, we were enternained with some songs/prayers by several cabinmates. We quickly realized that many of our co-passengers were Orthodox Jews.

It was also evident that Hebrew was the first language of most passengers. When elbowed in the head from a man in the aisle behind me, he exclaimed סליחה ("slikha"). Fortunately, "excuse me" is one of a handful of Hebrew words that I've recently learned--otherwise, I may have thought he was adding insult to injury.

Aside from the American woman complaining about losing her water bottle due to the double-security, most of the passengers were quite friendly. Somehow we managed to broker a 5-person swap that enabled our family to sit together. In doing so, I met an Israeli girl who had been vacationing with her family in the States. They were supposed to have flown home on 8/27, but due to Hurricane Irene they had been stuck for 5 days. Now, on 8/31, her and her sister were able to catch standby seats on our flight--but her parents and brother were forced to try again the next day. One bright spot is that our power-brokering allowed her to sit by her sister during the flight.

We also made some new Jewish friends. A man next to me offered his contact information and any help that we might need. The family in front of us with two (noisy) kids did the same, and I ended up taking them up on their offer by using Mordecai's cell phone to make a call once we arrived.

Our little Sammy was as good as can be throughout the trip--he slept a lot and barely cried at all. We tried to stay awake, thinking that we'd get a full night's sleep upon arrival, but neglecting to factor in Sam's jet lag. He seemed to think it was mid-morning when we arrived.

Arriving in Tel-Aviv, Israel
Upon arrival in Tel-Aviv, we picked up our bags and waited for a driver who was supposed to meet us.

Some miscommunication resulted in about a 45-minute wait, so I killed time by giving myself a geography lesson. Here's a list of some of the "Arrivals" at Ben Gurion (Israel's only international airport). Do you know which country each is from? Answers appear at the bottom...and yes, I had to google most of them...

• Heraklion
• Bourgas
• Sofia
• Liege
• Tbilisi
• Istanbul
• Dnepropetrovsk
• Amman
• Bucharest
• Luton
• Seol
• Rhodes
• Antalya

After realizing yet again how big our world is, our wait was over and we were happy to be on our way. Here's a picture of the "van" they sent for us (luckily, with some effort, all of the "essentials" fit!)...

We arrived safely at our new apartment, unloaded the essentials, and tried to get some sleep. More on our new digs in a future post... Let the adventure begin!

Answers to Geo-Quiz from above (confession: I only got 2 right - how about you??):

• Bourgas (Bulgaria)
• Sofia (Bulgaria)
• Liege (Belgium)
• Tbilisi (Georgia)
• Istanbul (Turkey - easy one!)
• Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine)
• Amman (Jordan)
• Bucharest (Romania)
• Luton (London...2nd to Heathrow, apparently)
• Rhodes (Greek Island)
• Antalya (Turkey)