Jaffa was an ancient port city that is now part of Tel Aviv. In the early 19th century, Jaffa had a thriving citrus industry and oranges were a primary export for the city. Currently, much of the Old City has been renovated and there are many art galleries, theaters, cafes, and small shops. In addition, there is a whimsical fountain and a suspended orange tree.
Besides having a beautiful beach, Jaffa has some interesting historical and mythological sights. Andromeda Rock (second photo), according to Greek mythology, is the place where the daughter of King Cepheus was chained to be sacrificed to a sea monster. Perseus was able to rescue Andromeda and then he married her. Jacob's Dream and the Gate of Faith were two sculptures that we saw in a small park with ocean views.
As we moved further into the town there was an old clock tower that was built in 1902 as a gift to Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Nearby is an old archway with neoclassical pillars. This archway, which is from the same time period as the clocktower, was once part of the residence of the Ottoman governor. Across the street is the newly remodeled Setai hotel. This building was once Jaffa's jailhouse. The last picture shows the plaque above the door on the hotel.
During our visit to Jaffa, we wandered into numerous art galleries. One in particular tickled our sense of whimsy. It was a delightful way to spend an afternoon.
Returning home turned out to be quite an adventure. It began when we disembarked from the ship in Haifa. Next, we boarded a bus for a leisurely and scenic three hour drive down the coast road to the airport in Tel Aviv. Our flight was supposed to leave about noon. Unfortunately, when the airplane landed the landing gear was damaged and so our outgoing flight was cancelled.
A whole plane full of people then began to scramble to get onto a new flight. Fortunately, we were able to get a new flight back to Los Angeles with only one stopover in New York. Unfortunately, it was not until midnight that night. Our next task was trying to locate our luggage so we could check it in for the new flight. Somehow, this was a lot more difficult than it needed to be and took several hours. We ended up sitting at Ben Gurion airport for about 15 hours in all... longer than the time we would actually be in flight.
We took off as scheduled about midnight on October 6 and landed in New York about 12 hours later. When we arrived, we were shocked and horrified to hear that Israel had been attacked and was now at war.
While our journey had a happy ending, we are hoping that the conflict in the Middle East will soon resolve and that peaceful coexistence will help create a happy ending for everyone involved.
