Day 11 brought a change of scenery as our bus delivered us
safely to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem, albeit after an extended stay in Jaffa. The
bus trip provided a much needed time for relaxation and sleep as well as
forming our mode of transport for our journey. In Jaffa we were able to sample
a much more relaxed vibe as we toured around an area which featured such sites
as a mosque, theatre, port and beach until it was time to partake in a lunch,
for which we ventured further on foot into the nearby shuk. People ate a variety
of cuisines, largely felafel, salads and shwarma. Adi, Harry, Jason, Robbie and
myself put in a bit extra effort and were rewarded accordingly as we stumbled
upon an absolute gem of a shwarma joint.
Following lunch we continued on foot through Jaffa and
stopped at a well renowned nearby ice creamery and sunk our sweet teeth into a
large variety of flavours, chocolate wafer was the most popular choice. After
all had completed their delicious treats we were retrieved by our trusty bus
and made our way to our accommodation for the next 4 nights; Bnei Dan, a highly
anticipated hostel nestled rather close to Tel Aviv Beach. Rooms were allotted
and bags unpacked before showers were undertaken. Due to it being a free night,
we dressed up nicely one and all and hit the town. Once again, drinks were
flowing however I am not at liberty to discuss the specifics of our rather
relaxed first night out in Israel’s party capital Tel Aviv. At the end of the
night cabs delivered us home and as each and every head hit the pillow we
happily discovered that sleep would be no issue upon mattresses which made
those of Kiryat Moria feel as though they had just been retrieved from a
junkyard.
Day 12 began bright and early as breakfast at Bnei Dan got
the day off to a spectacular start, pancakes the featured element. However, it
was all downhill from there as we headed off to independence hall, arriving
half an hour early, facilitating time for the best hot chocolate of my life, before
we entered the very space in which the state of Israel was signed into
existence. After a less than riveting video and talk we exited and were given
another half an hour free time to spend how we wished. Shwarma was delivered
directly to us for lunch and its deliciousness was acknowledged by all.
Next stop was the Palmuch Museum, dedicated to the history
of, obviously, the palmuch who were a fighting force in Israel in the 1940s and
helped defend Israel during its struggle for independence. The museum was
unique and used a video journey following a few of the group’s members
throughout their 7 year involvement in the force, in order to document a
history which is undeniably important to the establishment of the state of
Israel. The bus was taken back to Bnei Dan by most aside from Lindi, Jason, Azi
and Alexa who decided their immense tiredness was too much and hailed a cab in
order to commute back to the hostel.
One more (slightly less) awesome day down, 138 days to look
forward to!
Jake
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