An Arab, a Christian, and a Jew

DAY THREE - Sun. Dec. 28, 2008

Our arrival in Tel Aviv at 2:30 a.m., with a check-in time at our hostel of 10 a.m., left us with several hours to burn. Although dead on our feet, and having been up over 36 hours with only a few hours dozing on the plane, we drove to the Mediterranean Sea at Joppa to watch the sunrise. It was totally awesome to see the dawning of a new day and to let it sink in that we were in Israel!

We drove around Joppa a bit, taking in the culture. Most of the houses are made of the native stone or concrete, badly eroding in the salty, humid air. The streets are narrow and winding, confusing, often leading to a dead end. It took me awhile to get my bearings, and it was easy to get lost - (but I didn’t!) I just performed one of many circle tours!

We got out of the car looking for food. We hadn’t eaten since the night before on the plane, which was really lunch as far as our tummies were concerned, so we were very hungry. We meandered around town a bit on foot and found a beautiful courtyard. There was a McDonalds, but it was closed, so we walked down to a street bakery where we bought some Israeli pastries. Not as good as Dutch pastries - rather bland.

It was finally time to go to our hostel. We arrived, but our room still was not ready. We were all so tired we ended up falling asleep on the couches in the lobby, in full view of the guests coming in and out. (Don’t tell my mother!) There was a family with three girls staying there. They were all over the place - and noisy! I don’t think I’ve ever heard such noisy kids, and it was quite something that we slept pretty much through them. In fact, I woke up with a start when they left the building and it got suddenly quiet!

Finally, we got our room and were able to get some sleep. Two hours later, though, someone came through the halls ringing a bell and yelling in Hebrew, so we woke up, not quite refreshed, but eager to get out and see the sights. We toured more of the city, went to the beach at the Mediterranean Sea, explored the old military fort and ate a wonderful dinner that even finicky eater me enjoyed.

Seeing Joppa brought a little bit of history into a reality. It is from the port of Joppa that Jonah set sail on his journey to Ninevah with his message of repentance. As I looked out at the Mediterranean Sea in front of me, I wondered what big fish was lurking in the crystal blue waters ready to gobble another disobedient, wayward soul.

On the sea front at Old Joppa, is a historical military post, harbor, lighthouse and houses. They are in the process of restoring the area and there is an archaeological dig site. It is in this cluster of houses that Simon the Tanner’s house is - where Peter visited and had the vision of the unclean/clean animals. We were unable to see it, but being that close made the story come to life.

At the same place, out a ways in the sea, are the fabled rocks of Andromeda. As the legend goes, it was on these rocks that Andromeda was tied as a sacrifice to the sea monster, the Kraken, when Perseus flew in on Pegasus and rescued her from her fate.

While on our walking tour, a Muslim call to prayer went out. For over an hour a chant was broadcast over a loudspeaker from a mosque. The difference in cultures here is amazing! To actually see, hear, smell and taste the different cultures living side by side, yet so differently, was an eye-opener.

While exploring the fort, and looking for Simon’s house, I drove into a parking lot the wrong way, right over a spike. Amazing what a large, sharp metal object will do to a tire. It was completely flat in less than 5 minutes! We were lucky it didn‘t get all four! I went looking for help and finally found a young Arab who changed our tire for us. He was very friendly and talkative about how he wanted to visit America. Now, we just needed a tire store that was open on a Sunday night.

It is different in Israel. They do not have stores like in America. Rather, they open up shop along the sidewalk, opening their garage door to the public. I remembered there was a mechanical looking shop right next to the bakery we had visited earlier in the day. We drove over there and he was a Jew who, fortunately for us, spoke English. He called a tire shop who sent a helper right away - on foot! This young man didn’t speak a word of English, so he called his manager to translate for me. He ended up getting in the car with us to guide us to the shop, where it ended up that we needed a new tire.

On the way the traffic was fierce, especially for a Sunday night. So, this young man hopped out of the car and literally started yelling at some drivers to get them to move out of my way so I could get through to his shop. It was incredible! Our own “parting” of the sea (of cars). The guy who changed our tire was very happy to show us his cross and informed us he was Greek Orthodox. So, in our tire situation, we had been blessed by an Arab, a Jew and a Christian, one each from the warring factions in the Land.

Tel Aviv is the largest city in Israel, but it is different than I imagined. It is a concrete metropolis that is dirty and noisy. It took me awhile to learn the road signs so got honked at many, many times. (I think honking in Israel is a national pastime). Nonetheless, I soon became an accomplished Israeli driver - one hand on the wheel and the other on the horn. I have yet to honk at someone (other than Delores), but it is on my list of things to do while in Israel. It is disconcerting how much these people honk - nudniks! (This is my new Jewish word. Anyone guess what it means?)

We read in the newspaper that the day before, Israel bombed the Gaza Strip, so that was a bit of a shock. It was sobering thinking that people were being bombed and dying only one hour away to the south. Good thing we're heading north! We are trusting the Lord with our safety!