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.

 

 

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