APR. 24th -- HAIFA, ISRAEL, DAY 2

FYI -- 72°F/13°C 🌞🌞

We have an excursion today called "Tel Aviv Orientation and Jaffa".  It is 7 hours long and we leave at 7:15 AM.  It is a 1 1/2 hour drive to Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv is often called "The Miami of the Middle East".  Here is a description  we got from a brochure describing Tel Aviv.  It's a good blurb.

"...the most exciting city in the Middle East!  Tel Aviv is a city on the edge -- where land meets the sea, where history meets the future, where West meets East.  To the north of Jaffa lay nothing but sand dunes and the trails of camels carrying the ancient city's famous oranges to distant markets.  Out of those sand dunes would rise the skyscrapers of a new city: the most liberal, the most technologically advanced, most socially progressive, most democratic city of the Middle East.
It's a young city but Tel Aviv's story is the culmination of thousands of years of history.  At once old and new, the city's fascinating fusion of tradition and modernity has lessons to teach all cultures all over the world."

We leave the pier and head out along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.  There are beautiful beaches and shoreline all along the way to Tel Aviv and Jaffa.

Pictures taken from the bus while passing

Just entering Tel Aviv

Our first stop in Tel Aviv is at the memorial of the Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, who was murdered on November 4, 1995.

He was giving a speech in a public square and a man stepped forward and shot him three times in the chest.
This is comparative to the Kennedy Assassination...everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news.

Carry on to Old Jaffa, the historic area.  We have a walking tour throughout the town and see museums, fountains and head up to Azrieli Lookout which gives a great view of the city, Tel Aviv,  and also we go to the Wishing Bridge.

There were cobblestone walkways and the buildings were reminiscent of some European villages.

This museum was amusing in that there were statues all over the roof area.

The view of Tel Aviv from Azrieli Lookout

The Zodiac Fountain and there's Pisces right in the middle!

The Wishing Bridge

At the Wishing Bridge, you place your hand or hands on your zodiac sign and make a wish while you look at the sea and your wish will come true.  So, we did this.  Why not...we're here & it's free.

Barry wishing on Virgo

Me wishing on Pisces

St. Peter's Church.

After about 2 hours of walking we have a free-time break of 45-minutes and after that, we are to meet at St. Peter's Church.  There are all the typical souvenir shops around the square and we stop at a gelato shop.  Gelato & coffee -- a perfect lunch!

2 scoops each...me/vanilla & pistachio--Barry/panna cotta & chocolate

Israeli coffee - I tried but couldn't do it!  Yuk!

We now have a drive-thru Tel Aviv to see all of the skyscrapers.  This is done from the bus and there aren't any stops.

Here is a sampling of what we saw.

We head back to the pier...it is a little early but we don't want to get caught in traffic.  Yesterday's tour group had a three-hour trip back instead of an hour & a half.
We are back on board by 2:00 PM.
All is good ... it was an average tour as the tour guide had a very thick accent and was a "soft talker" so we missed a lot of what was being said.

We meet Rich & Carol for a drink in Star's Lounge to catch  up with them.  Poor Carol fell in her cabin the other night and hurt her hip.  (Carol is the one that fell on our third day at sea and dislocated her hip.) So, she is back using a walker and on pain meds.
When we leave them, we go back to our room and sit on the balcony and watch the sun set.

Music & red wine in our parkas, on the balcony

Sunset as we leave Haifa..

Dinner in our room...there is Alaskan Wild Halibut on the menu -- Yes, please!!
It is a sea-day tomorrow...YAY...we're sleeping in!