Israel – Arrival and Visit to Tel Aviv and Jaffa

On the following day morning we are about to make a cosniderable relocation. We plan to travel to Tel Aviv. We would leave Eilat for the final part of our journey. Local public transportation works like a charm. Buses and trains travel on time. Israel is much more expensive than the Czech Republic. This, however, doesn't apply to public transportation which is only insignificantly more expensive than in the Czech Republic. A four hour ride to Tel Aviv is very fast, even by bus. Apart from the possibility to observe beautiful landscape of Negev desert, we browse the Internet. All buses here are equipped with perfect wi-fi signal plus USB chargers.

We should add, the the departure is early in the morning. It is Friday and in the afternoon everybody stops working before sabbat on Saturday. This means that almost all stores and public transportation stop working. Sabbat says that nobody should work during this holiday as the day is solely for purpose of rest.  Working week starts on Sunday. Everything works by then again. So, when we want to travel by public transportation at three in the afternoon to get closer to our destination of choice which means Jaffa, we spend half an hour with two other Israeli at bus stop. They give and give us advice how to get there. So we walk. And we don't want to. Tel Aviv is quite a dirthole. Isreali are not worried about where they throw garbage. Moreover, of all places, here are cats everywhere and we seem to can't avoid fragrance of cats.

Eventually, the journeyi s quite pleasant. We walk through huge marketplace. There you may buy everthing. Starting with colorful spices to local desserts, souvenirs, or items to decorate your home. A boardwalk along the Mediterranean sea  is just behind the marketplace. It is truly beautiful place, a nice refuge from busy city. During sunset, Jaffa hill rises up at 40 meters above sea level. Below, there is one world's oldest ports, over 4 thousand years old. We leave the port for the historic center of Jaffa. First we get tu Kdumin Square by following staircase. There are many cafes, galleries, and visitor's center. At stands, you can try, for instance, fried beans. St Peter's church, a Roman-Catholic one, stands above the square. Next to the square, you may visit Gan HaPisga gardens offering amazing vista over Tel Aviv's modern downtown.

Pokud plánujete navštívit Jaffu mimo šabat, určitě nevynechejte také zdejší bleší trh či nedalekou hodinovou věž z roku 1903, nacházející se na Clock Tower Square.

GPS: (letiště Ovda) 29°57'03.2"N 34°56'10.7"E

Text and photos: Veronika Schubertová