Jaffa Tour and Invasion of the Amsterdam Hoard

This morning Albert is going to take us on a tour of old town Jaffa.  We met at the Clock Tower.  It took us 30 minutes to walk from our apt to the tower.  The walking tour lasted 3 1/2 hours and then walked home, another 40 minutes.  Needless to see we were exhausted.  The pictures are not in order. 

This picture below is of the Tel Aviv skyline, taken from the beach near the fish restaurant we went to dinner.  We met a business acquaintance who just happened to be here at the same time on a Jewish heritiage tour with rabi's from the Temple Albert in Albuquerque. 

 The Mediterranean.

 Serious photography going on here.

 First stop of the tour.  This is not a fountain - The directions tell you to wash your hands and feet before you go to the Mosque, which is just around the corner.

Water front buildings.  This is the location that used to be a famous castle.

Ottoman Customs House on left.  View of harbor and Tel Aviv in back ground.

Street views old town Jaffa.   Famous house of Simon the Tanner. where the apostle Peter once stayed.

Ha-Pisga garden.  Three pillers tell three different Bible stories.

 Monastery of St. Peter.

 The Egyptian Gate.  During the Egyptian period it was the gate into the city of Joppa.

 The Clock Tower - popular spot for tours to start.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this shop behind the Clock Tower.

 Detail of the clock tower.

 Clock tower with a mosque in the background.

 Last place on the tour was to the American/German quarter.  Interesting story - some Protestants from Maine decided that Christ was not going to come back until the Jews returned to their homeland.  So a group of about 44 families took a ship to Israel and started several different colonies in Israel in 1866.  They were going to help the Jews come home.  They built New England style homes in a section near Old town Jaffa.  They lasted 2 years and decided life was just too difficult.  Lucky for them, a group of Protestants from Germany took on the mission.  TheAmericans sold their homes to the Germans and went back to Maine.  The Germans added more homes in the area more in the German bulding style.  These are all so different than what you see all over Israel.  Below -a cool tree.

 We could not take pictures in the Monastery of St Peter (Catholic church) as there was a service going on.  But it was in sharp contrast to the simple church below.  The steaple 2nd photo below is this simple church.

 Random art work in the middle of the roadway.

 Fake orange tree - one of several we saw.  The oranges are an added decoration.

The kids arrived around 3pm.  It was pretty much bedlem after that.  Very hungry little girls.  Quickly fed them.  Dad and I still exhausted.  Kids go shopping for food for dinner and then take little ones to playground,  Dad and I nap.  Made dinner at Airbnb and then to bed.