I have just come back from a lovely walk around the part of Tel-Aviv that was built from 1909 to 1924. The original neighbourhood built outside of Jaffa was called Ahuzat Bayit, and was considered a sleeper neighbourhood for the Jewish merchants working in Jaffa. Many houses no longer exist, others are falling down and a few have been restored, but the atmosphere is charming and quite European. At the northern end – around Rothschild Avenue, it is very leafy with mature trees providing a lot of shade; the noise of the cars does not penetrate and there are wonderful overhanging balconies replete with flowering plants. The whole neighbourhood is full of street cafes – definitely continental in feel.
A couple of weeks ago, in the middle of the dead period for work, we took a walk in and around Jaffa, looking at the original Arab buildings and the Templar buildings. In the renovated railway station (originally providing pilgrims with a way to get from Jaffa to Jerusalem), you actually see both styles right next to each other.
So one of the benefits of working for myself is the ability to take a few hours off and just walk and relearn the city.
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