Parking in Tel Aviv

Forgot to include this photo in last post.  Really glad we don't have a car in Tel Aviv!

Saturday Shabbat in Tel Aviv

After our delicious and filling breakfast, Yael and I decided to walk to the Tel Aviv Art Museum. 

The walk was an incredible experience of Shabbat.  All the hustle and bustle of yesterday was gone.  The streets were relatively empty and most of the stores and restaurants were closed.  For the first time I truly appreciated the concept of Shabbat.  As we strolled the quiet streets, I was able to observe some real urban wonders. First, there are beautiful flowers in front of people's residences. While there is some garbage in the streets, there are numerous places to recycle bottles.  Because there are so many cars, people will park wherever they think they can find a space, even if there isn't one. And, I got to sit in one of the many Sukkahs left open for anyone. 

It took us about 1/2 hour to walk to the museum but it was well worth it.  The museum has an eclectic collection --- Picasso, Renoir, Matisse as well as Chagall can be found in the many rooms. We bought some souvenirs -- an unusual picture viewer of a Chagall painting, a 2009 Israeli calendar and an artistic salt and pepper shaker for Yael's cousins.  We had fun posing our stuffed moose, Gunter, on various sculptures.  Note... Gunter will be appearing in places throughout this blog, so keep watching! 

When we got back, we decided to go to the beach.  The sand was smooth, the water was warm and the view was soothing.  We rented a couple of lounge chairs and just gazed out on the Mediterranean Sea.  Yael spotted a couple of women sunbathing in the nude. What a country! A young Arab boy came by to sell delicious, fresh pretzels. We watched another sunset. A great way to celebrate Shabbat.

After a quick shower, we arranged for a taxi to take us to Yael's cousin, Izzy who lives in Ashdod.  We learned a traveler's lesson.... we didn't negotiate the price nor ask for a receipt so we paid about 60 NIS more than we should have.  We had a short visit because Izzy had to go to work at the Sheraton near the diamond center.  We took a train back to Tel Aviv (only 34 NIS) and then grabbed a taxi (35 NIS) back to our hotel.  Because Shabbat was over, the train was quite crowded.  There were many young soldiers.  I watched two soldiers, one male and female, no more than 19 years old, try to clear his machine gun which has gotten jammed with dust.  They were giggling as they were pulling at the hopefully unloaded gun as if it were a toy.  When we arrived at the station, they were joined by scores of their fellow soldiers. 

It was nine o'clock and we hadn't eaten dinner yet.  We had heard good things from Yehudah about Mike's Place, a restaurant near the American Embassy.  As we walked by the Embassy, we noticed a lot of security.  Mike's Place was like being in a US restaurant.  I ordered a hamburger and a Maccabee beer while listening to live jazz music.

The  Mediterranean Sea could be seen and heard across the street.  So ends night two.

Shabbat Breakfast

Woke up and went to a wonderful Israeli breakfast.  The choices were all excellent.  It's funny that I had to travel all the way to Israel to eat smoked white fish.  Heard a lot of different languages around the breakfast cafe.  There is a tour group from Norway.  However, everything was very orderly and relaxed.

Shabbat in Tel Aviv

Yael and I caught the sunset over the Mediterranean Sea.  There were giant kites that looked fantastic in the sunset. We strolled along the promenade enjoying the incredible views and weather. There are lots of hotels overlooking the beach. We will stop in at the better known Dan Tel Aviv tomorrow but spotted some unusually designed ones. Can't wait to dip our toes in the water tomorrow!

Then, we met Dalit's parents, Tamar & Yehudah for dinner. They treated us to a wonderful meal at Forelin on Frishman Street. Yael had a fish stew and fish kabobs.  They also prepared a special iced tea for her. I had a delicious salad followed by a tasty trout FROM northern Israel. I also had a Maccabee beer and an espresso.

We then drove to the harbor which has been redeveloped over the past five years. We strolled from 9:30 to Midnight along the boardwalk. The place was hopping with many restaurants, stores and people. While Yehudah was giving me a guided tour and history, I was marveling at how wonderful it felt to be among so many Jews. There is a vibrancy to the place, as well as a strong sense of security. There was an art exhibit from students at an advertising class. Their assignment was to develop a poster that promotes the harbor. My favorite was "Why go to Greece when everything is here."  We stopped at Aroma, an Israeli version of Starbucks (which is no longer in Israel), for cappacinos. It was so relaxing. As I looked out into the sea, I imagined what it was like to watch ships like Exodus arrive in Israel. Tamar and Yehudah were excellent hosts and have become really good friends. As we were leaving the harbor, I spotted a sign for the NY Times Square subway stop.  The world really is a small space

We arrived in Tel Aviv

The 11-hour trip was uneventful.  Amazing that 300 people can fly through the air non stop and arrive in Tel Aviv.  Interesting mix of people with a lot of praying going on. Applause as the plane landed. 

We were going to lease a car but those plans got changed.  We ended up taking a taxi from the airport to our hotel.  Just as well as I don't think driving here is easy.  And, the signs are all in Hebrew!

Our room wasn't ready at the Metropolitan Hotel so we took a walk to Dizengoff Square.  It was like being in New York's Chinatown. What a contrast from 28 years ago. Found an air conditioned place to have our first falafel.  

Got into our room (711) with a fantastic view of the Mediterranean Sea.

Taking a short nap before visiting the beach and going out to dinner with Dalit's parents.

Connecting to Our Land — Itinerary

Connecting to Our Land — Tour to Israel with Rabbi Alan Ullman

Yael and I will be arriving five days before our group with Rabbi Ullman.  We will be based in Tel Aviv.  Plans so far include visiting Yael's aunt and cousin, attending a Haifa Rotary Club meeting and meeting folks from the Israel film distribution company that I have been emailing for the past two years.

We will meet up with Alan and our group on Wednesday, October 22.  I will post our itinerary in next post.