Israel Edition: Friday, Part II

I got back to the hotel in time to catch my taxi to Tel Aviv, the beginning of my travels homeward.

I had a hotel booked in the medical center district, a not very walkable part of town near the airport. And so, the taxi driver dropped me with my new friends Nita and Christina at Nita's hotel near the beach. Christina's friend who lived nearby met us and directed us around, and this easy-as-pie final afternoon is what I am calling "day-after birthday gift #infinitum".

 We walked along the beach to the Market,

 and found there a Romanian kebab shop tucked into an alley,

[wherein my winking habits got me... 

 a complimentary while-you-wait-to-order hunk of meat.]

 We ordered this refreshing lemonade [documented due to extremity of thirst=extremity of gratitude]

 and then delighted in our food.

Then, more wandering,

 entering deeper into the city,

 where we found the Art Market,

 wherein we found some beautiful things

[and wherein I didn't feel like I was missing quite so much of ArtsFest happening at home...].

Then, Christina and her friend left us, and Nita and I continued on to Joffa (the biblical port city of Joppa), just a bit further down the beach. 

 Upon entering this old city, we wandered, taking in all the sights:

 [Best almonds I've ever had in my life.]

 [It was HOT.]

We wandered into old alleyways

 and found what they say was Simon the Tanner's house,

[door at the end, and home of the current lighthouse keeper]

which, if true,

 puts Peter on this roof, having himself a vision.

 But directly up the alley, we spent some time in this art gallery 

[pot-shard-flooring courtesy of excavated Joffa]

 full of beautiful things.

Then,

 on to the port.

 and back toward Tel Aviv proper,

 to watch the setting of the sun [and a few other things, see below]. 

 We splashed our feet in the Mediterranean for a bit,

 and then plopped ourselves down in the sand

until it seemed like time to go.

Then I climbed in a taxi and made my way to my hotel where I did NOT put my feet up

 [photo cred: Saturday morning, after far too little and-can-we-even-call-it sleep] because I had far too much to do, organizing my things to fit into my bags.

I ate my final Israeli meal (thank you welcoming pita man, friendly olive vendor, my fruit/wine-giving friends and complimentary hotel jar-of-protein),

and that, as they say, was that.