By: Natalie Potts
Today we had a block of free time in the afternoon, and I chose to follow Avi to Jaffa. We started in the flea market, where we bartered, shopped, and ate. We then met as a group to walk through the oldest part of the city where artists and craftsman now live and work. I was particularly struck by a contemporary
public sculpture (1993) in the Old City by Ran Morin called Oranger Suspendu. The artist grew an orange tree in a suspended spherical structure so the tree’s roots never enter the ground. Jaffa oranges were a famous export from the city, and the orange is meant to represent the town’s Arab population. Beyond the sculpture, the streets were narrow, winding, beautiful, and shady — a nice respite from the heat. When we made our way out of the maze we took in a beautiful view of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea from a look out point, capping off another wonderful afternoon spent in Israel.