My Journey Through Israel - Part 3

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:28:47

Statue of Moses - Yad Hashmona near Tel Aviv
(c) Daniel Yoffee Photography 

Today we left at 8:30 for Tel Aviv.  On the way we stopped at Yad Hashmona, a Biblical Garden and guest house/conference center.  Our driver’s son is the chef there.  It is about ten miles out of Jerusalem.  It is located on a mountain and has great views of Tel Aviv.  We took a lot of photos then were served free coffee.  Then we were off to the beach.  Tel Aviv was warmer then Jerusalem but was colder than we expected.  We had our jackets on most of the time.  We did see a few people in the water.  At the beach we were lucky to be able to photograph a guy feeding at least 50 birds, some older men playing a tile game, and a parrot who seemed to be lost among other scenes.

Clock tower - St. Peter's church, Jaffa, Israel
(c) Daniel Yoffee Photography 

Clock tower - St. Peter's church, Jaffa, Israel  After the beach we drove through different areas of Tel Aviv on the way to see Old Jaffa.  We saw many of the old structures including the Clock Tower and the tower of the Old Church.  We went to the markets, which were a lot of storefronts; many were basically indoor flea markets.

We had lunch at Margaret Tayar’s Fish restaurant, which has been in business for 33 years.  It was the best food of the trip despite the fact the fish was alive not long before we ate it.  We all split several dishes. At sundown we took pictures in a park that overlooked the outskirts of Tel Aviv.  We then celebrated the end of our photography tour with an ice cream stop.  I had sorbet.

Tomorrow we have to be up at 5:30 AM for those who need to get to the airport by 8 am.  I will be taking a taxi from the airport back to stay near the beach on Tel Aviv. I will be there until Saturday.  I will be shown around by one of our hotel co-op owners.

I have enjoyed helping out people with digital, point and shoot and phone questions.  One of our group members may plan a brunch the day of my photo exhibit reception.

The Road to Tel Aviv
(c) Daniel Yoffee Photography 

Some people are sorry the trip is over. I had a great time.  One person said that it seems like we were in two worlds this week.  We got to see how life is on a kibbutz including going above date trees on a plantation.  My other favorite moments were that I got to ride a camel, a donkey and to see Petra, Masada and Jerusalem.

I look forward to spending more time with group members and thinking about where I will take my next vacation.

Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:38:53

Bench Reflection – Tel Aviv, Israel
(c) Daniel Yoffee Photography 

I am writing this email on Thursday, about Wednesday, standing in front of a vacant store window that has the reflection of a bench.  I am waiting for people to move so I can take the picture.  Every time someone leaves somebody else sits down.  After 20 minutes I got the picture.  It isn't good as I thought it would be.

Yesterday morning I said goodbye to the group at the airport at 830.  By 9:30 I had checked into the Dan Beach Tel Aviv hotel and took a two-hour nap. 

Rubin Museum – Tel Aviv, Israel
(c) Daniel Yoffee Photography 

I later went to the Reuven Rubin museum.  He was the father of my friend David.  Reuven was a famous Israeli painter whose friends included Edward G. Robinson and Harpo Marx.  The museum was formerly the house where David was raised.  His wife Carmela is the executive director.  Reuven’s studio remains as it was and his work is shown when they do not have another exhibit. 

The Rubin Museum is on Bialik Street. Hayim Bialik was a scholar, businessman as well as a poet.  By writing his works in Hebrew, Bialik contributed significantly to the revival of the Hebrew language.  Bialik’s house just down the block from the Rubin Museum was also turned into a museum.  They were both interesting places.  At the end of the street is the original Tel Aviv city hall.  It is quite small compared to the current city hall.  Across the street is a small condo complex owned by the Lauder family that houses a small museum about Bauhaus architecture.  A style that was very popular in the 30's.

I met David at the museum and we did a five-hour driving tour of Tel Aviv and vicinity.  Our method of transportation, his Cadillac, was a bit different than the van that they use at the kibbutz.  We stopped for Lunch at a new farmers market at the Tel Aviv port in a recently converted airport hangar.  It is possibly one of the world’s nicest farmers’ markets.

The Old and The New – Tel Aviv, Israel
(c) Daniel Yoffee Photography 

Other stops included the site where Prime Minister Rabin was shot.  All of his guards were looking forward and not one had his back.  We went to an old train station that took people from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  I went along with David to see if one of his father’s sculptures was a fake.  It was.  We also went to a shopping mall.  The underground parking lot had green or red lights on top of each space depending on if it was empty or occupied.  I was dropped off and walked a bit back to the hotel.

Today I was going to take a Hop on- Hop off bus tour that David recommended but I decided to walk part of the route.  I spent a lot of time in the commercial area.  It is probably in the 60's weather wise.

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