Email to Friends: Tel Aviv

Shalom from Israel!

Ah, the last leg of my trip. I fell behind in my updates and am just getting caught up. My first day in Israel consisted of hanging out with the family I am staying with as the mom made homemade matzo ball soup to take to her brother's house. Danielle and her boyfriend drop me off in Tel Aviv. It is an amazingly nice city. It is still a holiday (Passover/Easter) so a lot of stuff in the city is closed and it is pretty quiet. But that makes it far easier to navigate and get my bearings. It is a very clean, walkable city with gardens and parks, childrens play areas, dog parks, and public beaches. People of the neighborhoods walk through little streets lined with colorful, nice-smelling flowers as they walk their dogs or stop at one of the many outside cafes. I wander to the promenade next to the beach along the Mediterranean sea and walk the length of Tel Aviv into Jaffa, since it is Arabic area (stores are open as it is not their holiday). I enjoy the views and flowers, watching the families BBQ along the beach and kids flying kites on the grassy hills. I wander around and find a parade and stop to watch. I then head down to the busy port area and grab some of the delicious hummus I have heard so much about. It is creamy and super good. Head back into town and wander around more, finally stopping to enjoy the sunset over the beach as it casts pretty light on the newer, modern downtown towers.

I was going to go meet Danielle at her work but get a bit tired. People help me find the bus stop to get back to the family's home in Herzliya. Everything is written in both Hebrew and Arabic, so there is little English to go off of, making catching buses and shared taxis difficult. But the family has written out directions for me in English with a Hebrew translation that I can hand people (sort of like a sad puppy "If lost please return to..." sign). It works pretty well, even with the confusing holiday bus schedule. There is a little strangeness here in being Asian. A friend who had lived here warned me about it in advance, but apparently there are a lot of Filipino and Thai people here as illegal immigrants to do housecleaning and such. They are not always treated very well and some people don't approve. So I sometimes get strange or dirty looks. When I was wandering around their super nice neighborhood (some of he houses are mansions), I ask a man for directions and he asks if I am looking for a job as he is "looking." Uhh... No thanks?!?

The next day, Danielle's mom helps me do a load of laundry so I have cleanish clothes for the plane next week. I head to the beach near their house which is nice and quiet. I walk the beach, checking out a funky beach house. The sand is soft, and it could be paradise except for the occasional military planes buzzing by. I head back to the house as Danielle offers me a ride to the city as she has to work. She feeds me at the restaurant she works at and it is delicious! Not sure of the spelling as things are spelled all different ways here when done phonetically from Hebrew (street signs sometimes have different spellings for the same place so you have to read it aloud in your head), but it is a place called Miznon on King George Street and Ibn Gvirol 21. It is pita sandwiches using all super fresh ingredients (some grow on the roof) such herbs, veggies and meat. There is a snack tray with tahini and fresh tomato sauce made from scratch that tastes like sunshine. She also give me an ice cream treat in a pita with some sweet tree sap/syrup and roasted bananas. Apparently the chef has several restaurants, some really fancy and upscale and they will be opening one in French and maybe New York. All full, I go off to wander the streets and marketplace. Some man sees me from his apartment balcony on the beach and has the phone number of the parking attendant of the lot I am passing. The parking attendant motions me over and hands me the phone, saying "it's for you." Strange, but he really wants to buy me a drink (I choose coffee as I am unsure if he is creepy or not). He turned out okay, but just wants to buy me stuff and I am not interested. So I wander off some more and head to a lively place with beer, the soccer match, and live music upstairs. People seem to stay up til all hours here and people are still walking, jogging, and roller blading at 11pm. I meet Danielle after her shift and she gives me a ride back to the house.

Today, Danielle and her sister have off in the morning. So we all head to Cesaria, some ruins along the beach. Enjoy the views and flowers and then they take me to a local beach spot for shakshouka, the traditional Israeli breakfast of eggs and tomatoes with some hummus and pita. We talk about their military service and religion and just enjoy each others company. I plan to head to Jerusalem in the afternoon and while on the beach, Danielle puts out a Facebook message and gets a place for me to stay with a friend. They help give me directions for the bus and write out everything for me to show people if I get lost. I made it to Jerusalem (with a bit of help from more strangers) and the friend, Alon, left me his key in the mailbox as he is away tonight. It is a quiet neighborhood but centrally located near really nice hotels, an Art House, and a few blocks from Ben Yehuda Street with restaurants and bars. I enter an empty house (there are 2 other roommates, but no one is home), drop my stuff and head for a walk to the Old City. Pass the US Consulate (it is rather nice to see our flag after all this traveling) and catch the last of the sunset in the Old City. Lots of tourists and people with America accents that have moved here. Head back to Ben Yehuda Street for dinner and then back to the house where I meet Alon's roommate, who seems nice. He is a physics student at the university here and is from a kibbutz up north. Now, off to bed as I am sure there will be lots of walking through Jerusalem tomorrow!

Love,
Betsy