The connection

Recently, i have discovered an amazing secret. Something i did not know how to fully appreciate but knew of its presence.
It was on a recent trip to Tel aviv where i stumbled upon (and i say stumbled because it was not something i had planned, but merely an accident that i came across this great secret, or was it?) In order to make this secret my own, i had to stop looking - so i could really see, i had to be still - so i could really travel. To see with an unnatural eye and to travel with my mind beyond the laws of logic and understanding.
The plan was to visit a dear friend, but sometimes my plans are not always the correct road map that i am meant to follow. My friend was unfortunately sick, which left me in a city where i was a stranger and for two days with an empty diary. So i had a choice...i could feel sorry for myself or i could fill it with moments of exploring and adventure. I had taken the friday morning off from work to travel and been stuck on a train for over 2 hours, so it was a waste not to explore something at least. After numerous conversations with myself about what i could do, i decided to explore the ancient port of Jaffa, a dream i had hoped for to share with my friend but situations had changed and my friend was not available to explore with me so i decided to be the brave explorer that i have known is deep within my heart. As i started to walk towards Jaffa, my expectations rose of what i might find. Having seen the pictures and imagined my journey, i found myself becoming excited that a dream of mine was coming true. A simple dream, walking around a town is not a dream surely.....but when you sit on a beach and see a town in the distance it creates a desire to see it, to walk around it, to smell it, but more than that.....to feel part of it, To make it real, to allow it to come alive and to show you something more than the ever-ready tourist postcard on every street corner could show. The sea was a blue that i had never seen before, it had a depth to it, it had a story to tell and it held many secrets. Maybe the secrets of lost sailors from years gone by. Maybe a secret of Jonah and the story of a whale. Maybe even a few stories of smugglers exporting the pure Israeli diamonds to gain a cheap reward for their efforts. Either way, the sea was alive but carried an air of mystery upon its waves. I looked around and saw a young boy sheltering in the shade from the blistering heat, flying an army coloured kite in the afternoon breeze, smiling as he imagines himself flying that army jet high above the clouds defending his beloved country.
Upon arrival in Jaffa i was overwhelmed with the sense of history and beauty. A present place of calm and tranquillity but yet a history of violence and bloodshed. To me, Jaffa was a place that could only be described as the calm after the storm. People sitting drinking coffee surrounded by brightly coloured flowers and wooden seats, smoking cigarettes and letting the gentle breeze carry the smoke down the passageways of time. Streets and ally-ways clothed with stone steps and overgrown plants, a real treat for the avid explorer like myself. Doorsteps filled with rich colours of old china and doors that speak of majestic carvings that only a wealthy person could afford, yet on a simple and beautiful home, to make a statement perhaps or to reveal a deep secret that what's behind the solid doors is worth protecting. The flowers and greenery reaching up into the skies from the shadowed path-ways filled with a desire to reach into the light however difficult it might seem.
As i wander slowly around the streets of Jaffa i embrace the peace that now lives there and i find myself enjoying the present more than the locals before me would have enjoyed the past.

After Jaffa, i headed into what they call "old Tel Aviv".A historical place filled with charismatic creations of buildings and sculptures. A place that fills the natural eye with the same excitement that i imagine a child would feel on their 6th birthday as they stand in-front of a collection of gifts brought and decorated just for them, wrapped in bright colours and filled with moments of surprise.
I found a simple but beautiful small french style cafe where i sat in the refreshing shade and had a well awaited cold drink. As i turned around to see a nearby building my imagination arose and declared its worth yet again. A house covered in old china, maybe broken plates from years of families arguments, weddings and birthday celebrations belonging to a Greek family who travelled for a different kind of life. Multi-colured plates and tea cups , different shapes and sizes, all pieced together in a 3 dimensional memory wall of art.
My exploring was full of flavour and a richness that i tried to catch on camera but unfortunately a picture does not speak of a journey but only the prize after the eyes have explored and searched high and low. A pirates map shows only the route and not the journey. The fierce wind, the drowning waves, the man who fell over board, all this can not be seen from a map. It will show the treasure, it will show the findings but it does not speak of the journey to find that hidden sparkling wealth. But some timeless moments can be caught on camera. An artist desperate for his neighbours to turn the music down so he can concentrate on his inspiration, His only way of communication is to draw what he feels and with the sound of the bass booming through his walls he struggles to even hold his brush in his arthritic right hand. His way of expression is deeper than words can explain and he is so desperate to release his inner self. So in the middle of the night when everyone is sleeping off the nights parties, in his pyjamas, he quietly tip-toes downs the stone steps of his weather worn apartment block, carrying his paint and an essay of emotions just waiting to be read. He draws, he expresses, he quietly sings an operatic melody he remembers from previous inspirations. He begins to explain his heart, he communicates to the world his deepest emotions in a way that only from true silence and admiration are his desires really heard.

As the sun set on this beautiful city, Tel Aviv began to show me her inner beauty in a different way. The sea became colourful, the buildings became more majestic in the moonlight and the atmosphere began to change. A party spirit was being born under the dark sky. Reds, blues, greens and every colour known to man began to appear as a reflection on what now was a dark black sea. Apartment blocks came alive with kitchen lights that allowed families to prepare their evening meal. Bedroom lights of lovers wanting to spend as much time with other as possible, and lights that made a statement of "Bar is now open"
Sitting on the beach is where i had the greatest discovery. My sandal's were by the side of my chair and my toes were dancing in the sand. The sound of a Van Morrison live album was playing through my ipod.. filled with smooth jazz notes and a atmospheric crying out in his voice i started to observe the people on the beach. A group of teenagers were sitting in the sand when suddenly 3 of them jumped up and ran into the rainbow coloured sea. The 4th young lady was hesitant, you could see she wanted to join her fellow bathers but was anxious. After minutes of clearly battling with herself she undressed to her underwear and suddenly jumped into the air, laughing and feeling free. She ran into the sea to follow her friends alive with the sense of freedom pumping through her veins.
A shadow walks towards me, its a lady with a red and white stripped backpack, her shoes in her hand with the sea gently brushing against her ankles. She puts her bag down on the sand, takes a look at the sea and picks her bag up again and continues walking. A fear of leaving her bag perhaps, she does the same thing moments later, places her bag down and looks at the sea. Clearly she wants to be brave but what if everything she owns is in that bag? can she trust the people on the beach with her belongings? Time after time she places her bag down and pauses, then suddenly a voice comes from an observer sitting in a yellow plastic chair, " would you like to swim? i can watch your bag for you." Obviously scared and shocked she picks up her bag and walks away quickly but returns within 30 minutes to do the same hesitant action again. This time she had made a decison and sat down on the sand with her bag next to her. She had the look of disappointment and regret on her face as she stared at the multicoloured waves, maybe next time she will overcome her fear.
A couple are holding hands walking along the sand, he is taller than her and desperately trying to win her heart by forcing her to dance under the moonlight. The tiny partner was trying to resist his romantic ways as she kept pulling his hand down to her side. A look of despair came across his face and then suddenly everything changed. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek and as he raised his eyes to the sky there was a soft voice coming from his revived heart "thankyou".

When i started this blog i mentioned a secret, a secret that i could only see when i stopped looking. A secret that i could only find when i stood still, and through that stillness i allowed my mind to travel.
The secret is that i have discovered that people all over the world are trying to do one thing. Animals all over the world are trying to do one thing. Plants all over the world are trying to do one thing......
We are all trying to connect, to connect with each other, with ourselves, with history, with the future and with the present.

What did i go to Tel Aviv for? .....
I went because i wanted to connect to the world that sometimes i don't feel part of.




© Travelling Boy content belongs to Philip D Norris