Efo Sherutim
This was the first of several posts about our recent trip. To see the other posts, click on the links below:
Jerusalem: The Old City
Jerusalem: The Ancient City
Israel: The North: Including Haifa, Safat, the Galilee, Caesaria & Rosh HaNiqra
Israel: The South: Including the Negev, Petra (Jordan) & Jerusalem: the New City
İstanbul, Türkey
Efo Sherutim
When one visits a foreign land, there are two important terms to know: 'I demand to see the American ambassador' and 'Where is the bathroom'. The first you can say in English because you are going to be ignored. The second is best said in the local vernacular. In Israel, the magic words are 'efo sherutim'.
This trip was four weeks in Israel and ten days in Türkey. We spent about a week each in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem and about a week in the south going through the Negev and staying at Eilat, the Dead Sea and Jordan's Petra. Rosh HaNiqra, Safed, the Galilee and the ancient seaport of Caesarea were day trips with family and friends.
Except for a day cruise up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea, our time in Türkey was spent in İstanbul, mostly on the Historic Peninsula. BTW: The magic word in Türkey is 'tuvalet'.
Sherutim in Israel are generally free, but some charge a shekel (about a quarter); in Türkey it often cost me 12 lira (about $8) for Sarah to use the tuvalet. As Sarah would not use the common eastern squatting toilet (pictured right), a tuvalet with a western commode came with cheesecake and a cup of tea (and often something for me) in a restaurant.
We left NYC in January and returned home in March. There is a lot to tell, but I'll let the photos do most of the talking. Generally speaking, a photo is worth a thousand words, but the way that I write, a photo is worth at least 1500 words, and with the current rate of exchange, maybe 2,000 words.
Choosing photos was not an easy task; we have more than 3,000. It took me several days just to rotate the vertical shots and to organize the photos by area as they are not chronological.
As far as our travels in Israel went, we literally saw the country from top to bottom. We were at the border with Lebanon at Rosh HaNiqra and swam in the Red Sea at Eilat; we touched the Mediterranean and walked along the shore of the Jordan River; we went so far east in Israel that we were in the West Bank and Jordan; we visited Safed, the highest point, and floated in/on the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth.
Traveling for some of our excursions with people who really know the country and getting their advice about other places played a major role in our enjoyment of this trip.
We even toured a local supermarket. It was huge, as were some of the produce items. I was surprised to learn that Israel not only produces 95% of its own food, but exports food to Europe and the US. In the photo, Sarah shows a giant pepper. Maybe its the longer growing season.
While traveling around the country, we saw many date, olive, orange and banana groves as well as many fields and hothouses.
Grape vines, of course, were all over the place. No photos because they just look like dead bushes at this time of year.
Pictured are date, banana and orange trees.
Cranes
Food was relatively inexpensive and we took advantage of the local cuisine,...
[One of the advantages of a McFalafel is that it comes with free and clean McSherutim.]
For much of the month that we were in Israel, we stayed with Sarah's cousins, who are excellent cooks. Under these circumstances, trying to keep my weight under control was a daunting process. Now that I'm back home, it's back to raisin bran and herring for breakfast, and maybe lunch.
There are more words in the English language than there are in Hebrew, so many American terms have been incorporated into the Israeli lexicon.
Clockwise from the upper left: American Pizza, Discount, Super Sol, Sex Style.
We saw several memorials for the victims of terrorist attacks. Above is one for the bombing of a bus on King George V Street in Tel Aviv. Below is one for the bombing at Maxim's restaurant in Haifa.
Tel Aviv/Jaffa (Yafo)
Jaffa is one of Israel's ancient sea ports and is now a suburb of Tel Aviv, which was build about 100 years ago. Tel Aviv's architecture is much like that of Miami, Florida; built about the same time and has a similar climate.
Tel Aviv has the world's largest collection of Bauhaus-style buildings done in the 1920s & 30s by architects that fled Germany. See example to the right. As the buildings were white, Tel Aviv became known as 'The White City' and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of them.
Many of the more conservative members of Israel's Jewish and Muslim society avoid Tel Aviv considering it the modern Gomorrah with its nightclubs and lively singles scene. Sort of a mini-New York City.
Except for a day cruise up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea, our time in Türkey was spent in İstanbul, mostly on the Historic Peninsula. BTW: The magic word in Türkey is 'tuvalet'.
Sherutim in Israel are generally free, but some charge a shekel (about a quarter); in Türkey it often cost me 12 lira (about $8) for Sarah to use the tuvalet. As Sarah would not use the common eastern squatting toilet (pictured right), a tuvalet with a western commode came with cheesecake and a cup of tea (and often something for me) in a restaurant.We left NYC in January and returned home in March. There is a lot to tell, but I'll let the photos do most of the talking. Generally speaking, a photo is worth a thousand words, but the way that I write, a photo is worth at least 1500 words, and with the current rate of exchange, maybe 2,000 words.
Choosing photos was not an easy task; we have more than 3,000. It took me several days just to rotate the vertical shots and to organize the photos by area as they are not chronological.
As far as our travels in Israel went, we literally saw the country from top to bottom. We were at the border with Lebanon at Rosh HaNiqra and swam in the Red Sea at Eilat; we touched the Mediterranean and walked along the shore of the Jordan River; we went so far east in Israel that we were in the West Bank and Jordan; we visited Safed, the highest point, and floated in/on the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth.
Traveling for some of our excursions with people who really know the country and getting their advice about other places played a major role in our enjoyment of this trip.
We even toured a local supermarket. It was huge, as were some of the produce items. I was surprised to learn that Israel not only produces 95% of its own food, but exports food to Europe and the US. In the photo, Sarah shows a giant pepper. Maybe its the longer growing season.While traveling around the country, we saw many date, olive, orange and banana groves as well as many fields and hothouses.
Grape vines, of course, were all over the place. No photos because they just look like dead bushes at this time of year.
Pictured are date, banana and orange trees.
We saw so much construction during our travels throughout Israel that I suspect the crane is the national bird.
Cranes
...tried the newly introduced McFalafel,...
[One of the advantages of a McFalafel is that it comes with free and clean McSherutim.]...and this did not include the feasts in the homes of family and friends
which included many delicious foods which were new to us.
which included many delicious foods which were new to us.
For much of the month that we were in Israel, we stayed with Sarah's cousins, who are excellent cooks. Under these circumstances, trying to keep my weight under control was a daunting process. Now that I'm back home, it's back to raisin bran and herring for breakfast, and maybe lunch.
There are more words in the English language than there are in Hebrew, so many American terms have been incorporated into the Israeli lexicon.
Clockwise from the upper left: American Pizza, Discount, Super Sol, Sex Style.
We saw several memorials for the victims of terrorist attacks. Above is one for the bombing of a bus on King George V Street in Tel Aviv. Below is one for the bombing at Maxim's restaurant in Haifa.
Tel Aviv/Jaffa (Yafo)
Jaffa is one of Israel's ancient sea ports and is now a suburb of Tel Aviv, which was build about 100 years ago. Tel Aviv's architecture is much like that of Miami, Florida; built about the same time and has a similar climate.Tel Aviv has the world's largest collection of Bauhaus-style buildings done in the 1920s & 30s by architects that fled Germany. See example to the right. As the buildings were white, Tel Aviv became known as 'The White City' and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of them.
Many of the more conservative members of Israel's Jewish and Muslim society avoid Tel Aviv considering it the modern Gomorrah with its nightclubs and lively singles scene. Sort of a mini-New York City.
In the several days that we visited Tel Aviv/Jaffa we ate local foods such as falafel, shwarma and shakshuka. To the right, Sarah is trying just what the doctor ordered. The doctor in this case was 'Dr. Shakshuka' who has his 'office' in Jaffa. This shakshuka, prepared to order in a skillet, has tomato, egg and sausage. Other combinations are available. The shakshuka was brought to Israel by Jews from North Africa.
Comparing the older style architecture with the new:
Carmel Market: You can get anything that you want, maybe Alice, too,at this large open-air shuk in Tel Aviv.
The Dizengoff Center is a major downtown shopping mall.
There are many museums in Tel Aviv. The one which we chose to visit was the Eretz Israel Museum, which has several buildings each devoted to different aspects of history or culture. I glazed over at the numismatic collection, but found the ancient pottery of interest.
Tel Qasile, the first archeological site excavated by the Israelis,
was originally settled by the Philistines in the 12 century BCE.
The Eretz Israel Museum was built to incorporate this site.
was originally settled by the Philistines in the 12 century BCE.
The Eretz Israel Museum was built to incorporate this site.
Memorial to assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
Sarah takes a coffee break along Rothschild Boulevard, the Champs Elysee of Tel Aviv, which is lined with expensive homes and upscale restaurants.
Port of Tel Aviv
Cousin Ruth watches a young couple getting their wedding photos taken on the boardwalk.
Saying good-bye to Tel AvivThere is a limit to what I can put into a single post on blogspot (I got an alert) and to how much you are willing to read. I think that I've reached that limit, too. Also, there is so much to write and so many photos to go through that it will take a longer time than usual to create the posts of this trip.
I plan to make several posts over a period of time. Watch for the announcement of the next post in an e-mail. As you might imagine, we've got a lot to do right now, so the post won't come right away. Don't sit at your computer waiting.
posted by Allen and Sarah at 9:17 AM
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