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One of the most famous whale stories of all time is ???Jonah
and the Whale??™. We??™ve all heard how Jonah, wanting to escape
God, hired a ship. A storm came up and Jonah was thrown
overboard. He was swallowed by a whale, only to be belched
out a few days later on a beach far away. Joppa, the town
where this story begins is where Jonah went to hire the
boat. Now known as Jaffa, the town has been incorporated
into Tel Aviv, Israel??™s capital.
During a recent trip to the Holy Land,
I visited Jaffa. It sits on a sandy promontory on the shores
of the Mediterranean Sea, where blue-green waters wash
against the rocky shore. Once a busy port city, Jaffa, which
means beautiful, has been visited by Egyptian and Phoenician
sailors and been under the rule of Richard the Lionhearted,
Napoleon, and Turkish sultans. I was thrilled to be touring
a place so rich in history.
Though I knew better than to leave the
others in the tour group, I wandered off by myself, going up
and down many steps. Some lead to narrow streets with the
most unusual street signs. Local artists have used their
imaginations and made bronze signs, decorated with small
whales and other designs and set in the stones of the
buildings. The aroma of delicious pastries did its best to
lure me inside the bakeries. As I walked past them, I forced
myself to resist the temptation and continued exploring
Jaffa. After a few more turns I came upon a statue of a
whale. Several giggling children climbed on top of it and
hung by their fingers, swinging their legs back and forth
from the tail. I snapped several shots and enjoyed the shade
of a palm tree. The sea was at my back. I could hear the
waves as they rushed in and crashed against the sea walls.
I left the children playing on the
statue and climbed another flight of steep steps. At the top
I discovered a museum. Though the sea air felt good as it
caressed my face, I appreciated the air-conditioning inside.
When I left the museum I walked down a narrow, winding road
and was surprised to find myself once again standing in
front of the whale statue. The children and their mothers
had disappeared and I stood alone gazing at the Smiling
Whale. It looked comical with that grin on its face, but
sadly, it was rather weather-beaten. I took a few more
pictures and sat on a wall wondering how I ended up back
here. I must have gone in a big circle! Nearby, pansies
nodded as the sea breeze blew between the stone buildings.
I backtracked up the winding road,
starting to feel tired from climbing so many steep inclines.
I saw gardens full of bougainvillea and roses. The further I
walked, the more I noticed the air filled with a tangy,
sweet scent. I turned a corner and discovered an orchard of
fragrant orange trees. They smelled lovely! Not being able
to resist, I took a few more photographs and headed down
another narrow road. I couldn??™t believe it when I ended up
standing in front of the whale statue. What was going on
here? ???I??™m lost,??? I sighed. Not ready to give up, I went
down one road and then another, searching for a way back to
my tour bus. I climbed up so many flights of stone steps
that my legs were shaking like they were made of jelly. No
matter what way I went, the roads always lead back to the
Smiling Whale.
I collapsed on a patch of grass and
looked at the big, bronze fish. ???Is that why you??™re
smiling? You??™re getting quite a kick out of this, aren??™t
you? You probably think it??™s funny that people get lost. Why
do all roads lead to you???? Tired as I was, I found humor in
the moment and laughed along with the whale.
I glanced at my watch and noticed the
time had passed quicker than I thought. I had one hour until
the bus left for our hotel in Tel Aviv. I??™d gone several
ways and always ended up back here, so I tried one more
path, heading down towards the sea. And that??™s exactly where
it leads ??“ to the sea. I stood on the crumbling wall,
noticing several large rocks jutting out of the water.
???That??™s the rock Andromeda was chained to,??? a voice said. I
turned to see a boy about ten years old.
???Andromeda???? I had never heard this
story before.
???It??™s a Greek legend. Andromeda was
going to be sacrificed to a monster and she was chained to
that rock,??? he said. I squinted and noticed there was
something made of rusty iron sticking out of the rock.
???Perseus rescued her just as the monster came to eat her.???
???Why, that??™s a fascinating story,??? I
replied, making a mental note to look up more about it when
I got back home to the U.S.A. ???Thank you for sharing it with
me. What is your name????
???Jacob.???
I had an idea. ???Say, Jacob, do you
know the way back to Simon the Tanner??™s house???? I knew this
historical site was near the area where my bus was parked.
He smiled at me and nodded yes. ???Will you take me there? I
seem to be lost.???
He started running up the hill, waving
at me to follow. I chuckled to myself when we came back to
the whale statue, as I knew we would. ???Have you seen the
Smiling Whale statue???? he asked.
???Yes! Several times,??? I answered.
We walked past a row of artist studios.
I wanted to take a closer look at the paintings, but was
afraid to let Jacob out of my sight. He pointed ahead.
???There??™s Simon the Tanner??™s house.???
I slipped some money into his hand.
Politely, he refused it, but I insisted. I knew my way back
to the bus and felt relief when I climbed on board with the
others. They were chatting away about the history of Jaffa,
the sea, and the artwork they??™d purchased. I was envious.
I??™d spent so much time wandering around lost that I??™d not
had a chance to buy anything. ???Oh, did anyone see the whale
statue? I looked and looked but couldn??™t find it,??? Cindy,
one of my fellow tourists asked.
I started to laugh out loud. ???I did,??? I
said, raising my hand.
???We??™ve got plenty of time. Would you
take me to it???? Cindy pleaded.
I laughed so hard that I had tears
rolling down my face. ???Sorry!??? I wiped my eyes. ???Just pick a
road and follow it. All roads lead to the Smiling Whale.???
She gave me a strange look and disappeared. ???Well, if she??™s
got enough time then so do I,??? I said. I jumped off the bus
and ran to the closest art studio, making careful note of
the way I came.
Satisfied with my purchase, I walked
toward the bus. When I reached the bottom of a flight of
stairs, I was horrified to see I stood next to the whale
statue again! I couldn??™t believe it! How did I do that? I
was about ready to cry, knowing I??™d never find my way back
to the bus in time, when Cindy called my name. ???What are you
doing back here? Oh well, since you??™re here, will you take a
picture of me with the whale???? she begged.
I took a few steps back and when I
looked through the viewfinder, I could swear the whale
winked at me. I snapped the shot and followed Cindy back to
the bus. She knew exactly where to go and it took less than
a minute to get there. ???How did you find your way???? I asked,
dumbfounded.
???It was no bother. I simply followed
the road,??? she answered, wondering what the big deal was.
To this day, whenever I hear the story
of Jonah and the whale, I think of Jaffa and I can still see
the Smiling Whale statue winking at me!
(c) 2004 Margo Fallis |
