bike riding to jaffa

Yesterday noa and i were going to go running, but we got a late start.  so instead, we decided to go on a bike ride to jaffa instead.  part of the reason was i wanted to go to dr shakshouka, and the other was i wanted to try out our new tel aviv bike rentals.

let me explain.  tel aviv has this new ((to me)its been around for a few years) bike rental system.  they are public bikes you can rent for half an hour at a time for free.  if you use them for longer you pay a little bit.  its pretty good.  we signed up for a year, and were eager to give it a try.  the stations where you can rent the bikes from are spread about 500m apart throughout the city.

as for shakshouka, if youve never had it, its a wonderful mix of tomatoes and egg.  you eat it with a whole loaf of bread.  well, i do.  its awesome.    anyways, last time i came to visit, i wanted to go, but we didint have a chance.  so now that im here, i thought it was prime time to seize the day.

So,  to get there, we walked to the nearest bike rental station, and then rode a few minutes to the beach, and then all the way down the boardwalk to the old town of jaffa.

 

this is us walking towards the bike rental.  this is what a typical street in tel aviv looks like

[flickr id=”8402144583″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

and i love these aloe’s.  look how happy they are.

[flickr id=”8402145035″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

 

riding bikes again was a lot of fun.  here we stopped along the way

[flickr id=”8402145507″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

[flickr id=”8403236006″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

[flickr id=”8403237104″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

not bad for mid january.

 

and we got to jaffa, and returned our bikes.

[flickr id=”8402147369″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

[flickr id=”8402147839″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

[flickr id=”8402148365″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

 

then we arrived there.  here are a few of the things we ate

[flickr id=”8403242314″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

shakshouka

[flickr id=”8402149245″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

a veggie salad

[flickr id=”8403240012″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

a veggie soup for the couscous

[flickr id=”8403240438″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

couscous

[flickr id=”8402150833″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

lechem  (bread)

[flickr id=”8402151603″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

it all was just as tasty as i remembered. so tasty.

 

then we went out and took a few more photos of Tel aviv waterfront this time.

[flickr id=”8403242864″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

[flickr id=”8402153577″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

[flickr id=”8403244114″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

[flickr id=”8403244514″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

 

 

and here is what the bike rental stations look like

[flickr id=”8403245274″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

 

lastly, we walked along the beach a little as we wanted to relax and sit and enjoy the beach.  we found the this lovley spot along the boardwalk, with a laid back bench.  i ordered a tea, and we sat there and relaxed to the sounds of the crashing waves.  i didnt get a photo with my camera, but noa and i took some self photos with the iphone.

 

we saw many interesting things passing

[flickr id=”8402155797″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]

 

but look at this view.  this beats sitting around in the cold.

[flickr id=”8403246476″ thumbnail=”large” overlay=”false” size=”large” group=”” align=”none”]