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.

Israel Edition: Friday, Part I

The following morning, the conference over and the travel home getting eventually under way, I had some time to explore.

After breakfast, (wherein I was the only guest in the breakfast room and the manager had the kitchen make me a cheese omelette from scratch that nearly brought me to tears with its goodness after a week of not-very-good and upon which I dubbed the title "day-after-birthday gift #1")

 I hit the streets of Nazareth with my friends Laura and Amanda.

 Our first stop, Mary's well, located just down the street from our hotel, 

and supposedly the site where Mary got her water.

According to Greek Orthodox tradition, this is also where she got the word that she would get something else,

 and hence, there is a church built just up the road (at the source of the spring).

 There was a service going on, so after perusing the courtyard (and the gift shop), 

 we continued our way into the city,

(wherein a lovely man gifted me with a warm pita from the piles of pita at the door of his shop, heretofor known as "day-after-birthday gift #2")

 starting with the Market.

 Emerging from the market,

we came upon the Basilica of the Annunciation,

 the spot in the Catholic tradition where Mary got her word (and also supposedly set on the spot where she lived).

 The outdoor courtyard contains depictions of Mary and baby Jesus

 from all around the world.

 Inside, a service was occurring,

and I found more beauteous things.

I left my friends here then,  

and wandered just across the way to the Church of St. Joseph,

 

which I will let this sign tell you all about.

 I explored the caves beneath

 but then had to be on my way.

Winding back through the market,

 I bargained for olives for my dinner,

 and ate some birthday fruit.

A fig seller, however, told me I was eating the wrong thing, pointing to his figs. I could only reply "Well...give me some to try!',

 and sure enough, he did.

["day-after birthday gift #3"]

He was right about one thing; that fig was dang tasty.

I ate it as I wandered back,

 taking in my final Nazareth sites,

and one last convenience store stop.

And that, was only Friday morning.