Postcard from Israel: Jaffa and the Ottoman Train Station

 A guest post by AKUS

After spending a morning at Shuk HaCarmel, it was time to head to the mother of all shuks in Israel – the flea market in Jaffa. As usual, it was a beautiful day, with Jaffa beckoning in the distance over Tel Aviv’s golden beaches.

 

Old Jaffa still has not been completely taken over by various development efforts and retains a typically Mediterranean flavor:

 

 

The flea market has something for everyone, and a great deal that seems to have been collected at random and often whose purpose or use can only be guessed at:

 

 

Tucked away in the tiny store of a Persian Jew, I spotted the magnificent tray shown below. After some serious haggling, much talk about how hard times are and how bad business is to gain my sympathy, we shook hands on a deal for half the initial asking price, and it now occupies pride of place at home:

 

 

Exhausted by our shopping and the constant negotiations, it was time to repair to the restaurant owned by the well-known Abulafia family, tucked into one of the old buildings near Jaffa’s clock tower, for a wonderful lunch of fish caught that morning before heading back to the hotel for a siesta:

 

 

In the evening, what better place for a meal than the restored Ottoman Railway Station near Jaffa:

 

There are a variety of restaurants at this location – this one was being used for a bridal party: 

 

 

After a meal, there is a bar serving drinks out doors in the cooling evening air:

 

 

We ended the evening looking for souvenirs in the gift shop, ending another active day in one of the best cities in the world to visit – Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

 

 

More from Guest/Cross Post
The Muslim Brotherhood are turning into Leninists in Islamist dress. Egypt is in real trouble
(Alan Johnson’s essays on the the dangers posed by the rise of Islamism...
Read More
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *