Farewell Jerusalem & Hello Tel Aviv

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Tuesday 22 June

Yesterday morning we packed our belongings and vacated our Jerusalem abode. While not the height of luxury, the flat was very well located and it sufficed for our needs. The five major requirements we had when searching for accommodation on the internet were: 3 bedrooms, 2 toilets, air-conditioning, parking and position. Of course the price was also a consideration!

I have realised that when travelling with kids (all kids or just my kids?) it is important to have a base to which you can return during the day for down-time. It is just too much for them to be on-the-go the whole day, day in and day out. Dean’s favourite activity during any free time is to tell car stories, or to get one of his brothers to tell him a car story. Ryan has been reading and has finished the two books he brought with him. He has now ordered a book for his Kindle. Both he and Greg have been writing a travel journal, but have already fallen behind as they are putting in so much detail. Greg has been following the soccer World Cup and we have had the TV going at the appropriate times, Hebrew commentary and all. All of this requires that they have a bit of space and are not on top of each other all the time, so apartments are definitely the way to go for us.

None of us have been sleeping particularly well, and have all reached a stage where we are quite cranky. Dean had a late afternoon sleep in the car and then the pram yesterday, and was then up until midnight last night. Ryan has been going to sleep very late generally. We have also had some very early starts, so none of us is doing too well in that department. The strange beds and surroundings don’t help either! Each time we have moved, Dean has had a bad night and has disturbed whoever he is sharing with. He doesn’t want to sleep alone, unsurprisingly, in a strange new place, so the other two have been alternating sharing with him. Anyway, I don’t want to complain, but the lack of sleep has definitely been one of the major downsides of travel. This blog isn’t helping either, as I’ve mostly been writing it late at night.

Anyway, to get back to our day yesterday, we jam-packed our suitcases, as well as Steven’s case, into the car. Poor Greg landed up sitting on top of my overnight case as the little Corolla was filled to the brim. We headed for Latrun, about mid-way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, to visit the Armoured Corps Museum and Mini Israel. Both of these sites were well worth a visit, but unfortunately walking around outdoors in the 40 degree heat completely took it out of us. The Armoured Corps, or Tank Museum, is a memorial site to all the soldiers who have fallen in Israel’s wars. The central building is surrounded by dozens of tanks used by Israel during the wars, as well as enemy tanks that had been captured by the IDF. Some of the tanks had staircases for easy access and Ryan in particular enjoyed climbing on and inside them and posing for photos. Dean meanwhile was wilting in the heat and Russel landed up carrying him around once again. Fortunately there were plenty of water coolers and we made sure we all had a lot to drink.

We had lunch at a nearby cafeteria - thank goodness for schnitzel as Ryan has been living on it. I had a salad plate as I couldn’t face a hot meal. We then headed off down the road to Mini Israel, which will be the most expensive activity of our Israel trip! It is a “theme park” consisting of models of important sites and areas in Israel, these being exact replicas on a scale of 1:25. We each borrowed an umbrella to use for shade but again the heat was deadly and we didn’t spend as long as we should have examining the miniature scenes before us. We would have got a lot more out of the visit on a cooler day!

Back in the air-conditioned car, we headed to Tel Aviv, our final destination in Israel. We left the highway and followed the convoluted GPS directions to the apartment we had booked (the GPS has been simultaneously a blessing and a curse!). Again we had selected a great location in Shalom Aleichem St, one block back from the beach. The flat is modern and spacious, and after all the forewarnings about the accommodation in Tel Aviv, we think we did really well (again through searching the net). We unpacked once again. Dean was asleep in the pram and the older boys didn’t want to leave the flat, so Russel and I went for a short walk along the beach front towards the north. The beaches were pretty busy in the hot weather and the sea looked very inviting. We bought an iced coffee which went down really well in the 39 degree heat. We then walked back to Shalom Aleichem St to the corner store to stock up on some provisions, including loads of drinks. I’ve never drunk so much in my life as in the last week! Apparently these temperatures are not normal for this time of the year, although they are more common in July/August. Trust our luck.

We had the aircon in the flat going all night last night. Steven slept on the couch and will do again tonight. He leaves tomorrow early morning for Sydney via a day in London. This morning Russel and Greg ran to Jaffa and back. They had a swim at the beach and spotted jelly fish in the water. The wind had come up and all in all it was not a day for the beach. Eventually we got the boys ready to go, and walked to Carmel market. We headed down through the main thoroughfare, perusing the clothes, nuts, fruit and vegetables, buying bits and pieces to eat and drink as we walked. Once we reached the end, we turned around and walked about half way back up before heading east to the craft market. Here the wares were very different and much more interesting: handcrafted jewellery, nick-nacks and trinkets. We made a very small purchase of a spinning top for Dean and a key-ring for Greg at one of the stalls. Then we headed back to flat, picking up a take-away for lunch along the way.

We spent a couple of hours at the flat and then decided we had to get out again quickly before the SA vs France started (and I must say the timing of the matches has been much more convenient here than in Australia). After eventually getting the car out of the parking garage (they build them tight here), we headed to Ha Yarkon Park as I thought that the boys would enjoy a run-around. They had not particularly enjoyed the markets! The GPS took us right through the city to the highway, and we were caught in the afternoon traffic, taking much longer to get there than we should have. When we got there at last, we weren’t quite sure we were at the right park as it was quite deserted. We headed for the playground and the boys went off to explore the unusual equipment. I went for a quick walk around to see what there was to see: an aviary that was closed, a lake with a boatshed that looked closed, and a garden of some sort that was also closed! It did appear to have some nice running and cycling paths, but I’m not too sure we’ll ever get a chance to try those out! The boys enjoyed their quick play there and Dean asked if we can come back another time. We headed back to the flat along the coastal road which was a lot quicker than the way there, and also much more scenic.

And that was the extent of our activities for the day. Dean and Greg are asleep, and I hope we all have a better night than last night!

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Comments

[nana]

We are having rain and cold!! I am sure that you will never complain about the heat here again. You really are getting the most out of your trip. Much love Nana