Day 2. Jaffa. Or Yafo. Tel Aviv.

We are staying on the beach. Not camping on the beach. A hotel on the beach. Tel Aviv is like Miami, only with fewer Cubans. 
Today was a busy day at the beach. People playing volleyball with their feet. I'm not sure what this is called, but I was fascinated. No hands allowed. The players make a little tee for the serves. Head and chest is allowed, but no hands. Otherwise, it's the same as Volleyball. 

Another big hit on the Tel Aviv beach is Matzot. A game like tennis, only there's no net, using a squash ball, played on the beach, and there is apparently no winner. The players just whack the ball back and forth for fun, without a winner. 

Instead of kicking a volley ball or swatting at a squash ball, I decided to eat. For breakfast - salad. For Dinner - also salad. I watched the sunset both up and down over a nice meal of cucumbers.  I asked for the cucumber salad at dinner, but they did not have it.  I asked them what came in the Israel salad. Cucumbers. Obviously. 

We spent the morning in Jaffa, also known as Yafo. A cute little old port town. Like many other places in Israel, it shares a common history: existed for a long time, conquered by the Ottomans, Crusaders showed up and stuck a church in the city, now mostly Jewish. That's the abridged version, of course. In the background is a Franciscan Monastery: 

Also in Yafo, we were lucky enough to see the end of Divine Liturgy at St. Michael's Orthodox Church. 

We had a great time in Jaffa. There were quaint little streets, lots of magnificent views of the sea, plenty of shopping, plenty of places to stop for a coffee or a beer or some hummus. 

In case my good friend Barry is reading this, I found Abu Hassan! Sadly, Abu takes Saturdays off. From all I've heard about his hummus, both from Barry and from several other locals here in Tel Aviv, I missed out. I might take a special cab ride down to Jaffa tomorrow just to try again. Here's the spot:

After spending several hours in Jaffa, we decided that we would forego the taxi ride back to our hotel and opted instead for a walk. It's a pleasant and enjoyable stroll and it's a great way to get a better appreciation for Tel Aviv's marvelous beaches, especially on a Saturday afternoon. I walked on the promenade near the food stands and beer. Elaine enjoyed the beach and the sand in her toes. Ana picked up sea shells. Sam and Ben fought the sharks in the ocean.