Niklas Franken from Cologne, Germany.
"So much happens in such a small area."
Niklas Franken (photo: surfers' photos, Niklas Franken)
What a beautiful Jaffa observation point you have chosen for yourself.
"Yes, you can see the whole sea. You can also hear the calls of the man from the mosque very loudly here. What is his name?"
muezzin
_
"Oh, yes, in Jaffa you hear these calls everywhere. We have mosques in Cologne, but I have never heard these calls. Certainly not with such intensity. And what is amazing is that a few meters from here there is a church. So much happens in such a small area. For me it's an interesting experience."
What made you come to Israel?
"Here in Germany, we hear a lot about the Middle East in the news, and of course, we learn a lot about World War II in history classes and I was intrigued. I am not in contact with many Jews, and I wanted to come and get to know the people and the place myself. To learn through personal experience about this place that I had heard about all my life ".
And where have you been until now?
"I'm completely new here. I arrived in Tel Aviv only three days ago. So far I've only been to Jaffa and Florentine, but I intend to stay here for two weeks, so I have a lot of time to travel."
More tourists in the "passport inspection" section:
"We fell in love with this country": the tourists who decided to buy only Israeli goods The tourist who
doesn't understand
how there are so many Ashkenazim here
"The pace here is so fast that it puts you in the mode of doing" (photo: surfers' photos, Niklas Franken)
So how is Israel in the eyes of a person who just arrived here?
"Everything here is fast, busy and energetic. I arrived from the airport by train, got off and was supposed to catch a bus to Florentine. But for a moment I was not exactly at the station itself, but a little in front of it, and the bus drove so fast that it just passed the station without stopping. I said to myself, 'Okay, no big deal, I'll wait for the next bus.' This time I stood properly at the station, but when the next bus arrived I was just looking at the phone. So it turned out that I was only able to get on with one leg, and he closed the door on my other leg."
Oh, sounds scary.
"I was a little shocked, but I just realized that things need to be done here really quickly. Israel doesn't wait for you. Besides, the pace here is so fast that it puts you into action mode. Have you ever
interacted with Israelis?
"I play a little soccer on the beach, but I noticed that people here don't come up to talk to me. I can spend whole days without anyone coming up to me. It's not like other places in the world I've traveled to, where people are more interested. Here, not really."
And do you miss it?
Would you like people to talk to you?
"Oh, no, no. I really like that they let me be alone with myself. The truth is, I have a friend who lives here and told me that unlike Americans, for example, who are very open, Israelis are more closed at first. They seem rough and maybe even arrogant, but Then, when they open, they become warm and nice. I haven't experienced this stage yet."
The fact that Israel is in a tumultuous period of protests and demonstrations didn't bother you before you came?
"No, absolutely not. On the contrary. I really regretted not being at Saturday's demonstration. I intend to go see it next time. It's also part of the experience."
And the security situation here?
"I feel completely protected. Israel has an excellent army."
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