A few weekends ago I met up with my friend Olivia and she took me on a walking tour of sorts through historic Jaffa. Though it was at night during lockdown and relatively deserted, it was like a mini vacation. Jaffa (that's the English version; Yafo in Hebrew and Yafa in Arabic) as I understand it is the more Arab section of the Tel Aviv Area. It is one of the oldest ports in the world.
Fun fact: The Jaffa Port is thought to be where Jonah left from in the story of the whale!
Since it is Arab, it felt Arab and I felt so comfortable. We were in the midst of the lockdown and the isolation was beginning to get to me. Wandering around Old Jaffa felt the same as many of the places in Abu Dhabi and a few in Dubai. The stairway in a few picture below, for example, felt just like the souk's in the UAE. After having such a difficult transition to UAE and being so ready to leave, I was shocked when I heard the adhan (the call to prayer) and it sent a wave of delight through me. The familiar can be surprisingly comforting, even if at the time it didn't feel like it filled me with joy.
Thank you, Olivia, for a delightful evening!
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| Photo by Olivia Favero. |
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| Photo by Oliva Favero |
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| Napoleon points the way to another historic site. |
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| The Catholic church in Jaffa. |
Beautiful day trip. Great memory.
ReplyDeleteThere will be saying of friends and family that will, over time, bring warm feelings...even if u hated them at the time. Like Poppy's "singing" Silver Bells