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...