So on to the fun stuff! My cousin called me this week and invited me to come to Tel Aviv on his day off to check out the city, hang out, and meet people. We had so much fun. First and foremost I must say that I drove myself there and DIDN'T GET LOST or have any run ins with Palestinians or the cops. Mini yay!!
We walked for miles and miles all around Tel Aviv. We started in Yafo and grabbed a few beers and found a good spot to chill out, watch the water, and just talk. The ocean, errr I mean sea (still trying to get used to that) is like Soul Food for me. I've always said that if being a beach bum were a job I would be a professional! I love the smell of the water and its salty breezes. The sounds of the waves mesmerizes me, calms me, relaxes me. I find clarity there. The warm sun and the cold beer was a great combination too. There was the old city of Yafo on our left and the new city of Tel Aviv on our right. It was nice to sit and talk and get to know family that I haven't really known before. Before the marvels of facebook or myspace it was more challenging to keep in touch with cousins 10,000 miles away.
We walked all through the flea markets and shopping centers. We looked at cool and interesting stuff and a lot of crap too (as you'll see in the picture below). As we were walking through one of the markets my cousin, David, bought a kilo of mixed cherries and another fruit that I had never seen or heard of called... ok so I can't remember the name, but I'll ask and I'll comment later. It was red and roughly the size of a strawberry. You peel the skin off and eat the inside which looks like a large white skinless grape. It's sweet and juicy and absolutely delicious. You can get fresh squeezed juice everywhere in Israel as well, so we order up some fresh juices and kept walking. (I ordered half apple and half orange and David got carrot and ginger I think).
After we walked quite a ways (my whole sense of direction and distance is off here) we came to large intersection which had the pizza place where David works. It was slow there so David hoped behind the counter and made exquisite gourmet style pizza. Mmmm. We sat outside and ate and talked with his coworkers and friends while watching the world go by. His manager made me a delicious caffe au lait (or misto for all of us Starbucks junkies) with beautiful foam art on top (picture included). They wanted my "professional opinion". It was delicious. Perfect compliment to the meal.
From there we walked back to David's apartment and started talking about music. What do you like? What do I like? Common interests across the world for both of us are BB King, Eric Clapton, Led Zepplin, Alicia Keys (well now for him after I had him listen to it), etc. After a while David took out his guitar and started playing. Whatever it was that the mood struck for him. I have to say, my cousin David is an extreme musical talent. He has an ear for it and singing and playing come easily for him. So I got a mini concert while we sat on folding chairs in the kitchen. One friend came by who is taking classes about how to make rhythm through your body, sort of like the people who perform in "Stomp". That friend left and his roommate came home and without barely a word, he grabbed his guitar and the one man show turned into a jam session... with an audience of one. I loved it!
The sun went down and we decided to have some more coffee (turkish this time) and venture back out. We walked around to Florentine (the name of the area we were in) and met more people. Every where has big tvs or projection screens playing the current soccer game. Bars and restaurants are overflowing into the street with people cheering and enjoying the game. What has now turned in to a small group of people went and got more freshly squeezed juice and waited for the crowds to subside a little bit. When they did we found a cool pub and grabbed a few drinks. By now it was nearly 2am and no where near last call. We decided we had enough and walked back to the apartment to call it a night.
After being little buzzed... a little sunburned... and by now having some somewhat large hair from the wind and humidity... I was ready to knock out, which I promptly did.
It was a long day, but a wonderful day. A great way to end the week and I felt ready to welcome in my Sabbath and day of rest. After getting up and started on the day around noon, I drove back to Tekoa (again without incident.. mini yay again).
Shabbat Shalom. Have a peaceful and restful Sabbath.
So I can't seem to get the pictures in the order I want, but you get the idea...
Picture 1: Latte art
Picture 2: The market where we found the great fruit
Picture 3: David and I leaving the beach and heading into town, with Yafo in the back
Picture 4: The Mediterranean Sea
Picture 5: The Flea Market
Glad the trip waa better and you didn't get lost!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure this new adventure will be emotional at times but I am sure if anyone can make it through it's you.
Stay safe :)