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Published: July 21st 2010
Shalom one last time before I head home. I've been in Tel Aviv for a few days and have enjoyed myself like nothing else!
7/16
I found myself up around 7:30am and headed out to the Shuk HaCarmel and Nakalot Benyamin markets. The shuk is open every day, but the other is a sort of street fair/ flea market on Tuesday and Friday only. I was so pleased with myself for getting up early enough to get the best deals. Bummer that no one told me that nothing really happens until after 10. Nothing at all. So I window shopped Sheinkin street in the 85 degree weather and found a sweet little cafe to order my 9 am iced coffee. Bummer that no one told me that most of the icy machines don't start running until around 10. A steaming hot frothy cappuccino didn't really hit the spot, but I did have a wonderful conversation with Igal, the owner. His father had come to Palestine right after the war and having survived being captured by Italians. He told me how his dad took a shovel and helped to clear this very difficult land to build his own house that is now
in the hands of the Palestinian authority with all their family treasures from Romania. Then I found out his dad died the same day as mine, the year before. When I return one day to Israel, Igal will be someone I look up right away. I saw it was 10:00 and headed back down Sheinken to the shuks. I was on a mission to buy a small carry one suitcase to carry some of the overload bought in the last 3 weeks and my mission was successfu. I'm now the proud owner of a red carry on, and now I have to shlep it all over the markets. Hmmm....should have bought it at the END of the excursion! By noon, in 90 heat, I've hauled this suitcase, now full of grapes, art, raisins, water, sunscreen and a CocaCola shirt (written in Hebrew) about 10 miles (it seems) back to the hotel. Yes, I needed a Mediterranean cool down so I headed across the street with some of the suitcase fruit and water. Once settled in my lounge with umbrella, I met Eitan, Eydal, Ilan and Ital...huh? Ital, the wife of Eydal, though I was a super fashion model and wanted
a picture of me. Rather than argue, I simply went along and engaged in a quick photo shoot. I swam in that 85 degree water for over 2 hours, walked along the beach and noticed it was about 94 outside. Back into the 85 water! I met up later with David and Davida for an Israeli shabbat service at the beach near the Marina. It was perfectly casual with only a few men wearing kippot and it wasn't religious at all. Think Peter, Paul and Mary in Hebrew. Fortunately, I know many of the prayers by heart so it wasn't hard to follow at all. We ate dinner afterward with some other people from the Hartman Institute where David has been studying the last 4 years. They walked home with me part of the way, and I strolled along the Promenade by myself the remainder. 85 degrees at night - no sweater necessary. How am I going to manage sweaters when I return home?
7/17
It's now Shabbat, and while Tel Aviv isn't as observant a city as Jerusalem, most things are still closed. I took a long walk to Dizengoff street to scout out shopping for later. I
made a 4 mile loop back to Allenby and then Hayarkon street to my hotel, with a quick detour to Aroma (they were open!) to get the all important Iced Coffee. I had been invited to a little beach party with some South Africans staying at the hotel at 3, so I headed out to rent a bike to wander up and down the promenade for a few hours. I made it to Neve Tzedek - a beautiful little community near Jaffa - art galleries, dance studio, sweet cafes -all closed for Shabbat. Still, it was shady and beautiful and I enjoyed just wandering the streets for a little while. Then I headed to the beach. My shabbat afternoon consisted of swimming to the jetty a few times, a Magnum gold ice cream bar, a second iced coffee, and an international incident with Egyptians. Right near my chair, the security lifeguards stopped and questioned some men. I asked the guys sitting next to me if we were in some sort of danger...they listened and decided the detainees were Egyptian, but spoke Hebrew and we were safe. I watched a little warily until they walked down the beach. Ok, not really
an international incident....but sort of kind of close. I never found the S. Africans on the very crowded beach, so I showered and went to dinner at a restaurant called "Ducks". A small black and white cat sat by my table (there are cats ALL over Israel and I found out Arabs are afraid of dogs.) and waited for any sort of attention I would give. He was very friendly and didn't beg or cry, so I gave him a bite of risotto. On the way home, I turned left instead of right and thought I was back in the US. I was in an enormous American style mall, complete with McDonalds and Toys R Us. I hightailed it out of there as fast as I could back to Tel Aviv. I did call Will from the Celio store - a shop he loved in Paris, but had no interest - it's like the Gap.
7/18
Packing Panic part 2? 3?4? I'm always in a packing panic.
Trying to sort out receipts in case I want to do the VAT thing and pack so as to leave 2 bags with the concierge and lug one with me. I don't
have to be at the airport until 8:30 pm so I don't want any weight with me during the day. I decided to walk back to Dizengoff to peek inside the store I scouted the night before. Had a fine time and bought a few little things. Headed back thru the Shuk and had the best shwarma of my life (and I've eaten LOTS of shwarma!) back at the beach. I had dinner in Cafe Metzah and changed to head to the airport with Amir, the taxi driver. I was a little worried about the super efficient and difficult Israeli security and gave myself plenty of time. Israeli security IS tough, but I somehow made it through all 3 security checks in record time and now find myself cooling my heels for a few long hours in the Tel Aviv airport. THe guards ask questions why you came to Israel, do you have a community at home? what is your purpose for the visit? what is your rabbi's name? who did you stay with? They aren't looking really for answers - they look at your response, your eyes, do you hesitate when answering. They are so well trained and racially
profile so as to avoid any issues. Obviously, and American woman with the name Kelli Cox didn't raise any terror flags, but it was a little intense. I had lots of time to think about it before my flight boarded 2 hours later. I was so exhausted from my day that I didn't even duty free shop!
Would I want to live in Israel? Not at all, but I'd love to visit again and again. It's a small country but packed with so much and I feel like I didn't see enough. Even though my family has traveled quite extensively, I feel the same way about my own USA and want to explore my own home country, too. So much travel. so little time. Israel is a hard country in which to live - it's intense when one is surrounded by those who would rather bomb you off the map than see you succeed (which Israel does...) danger can be perceived everywhere (although I personally felt safer in Israel than San Diego. I walked alone many times and never felt a threat. The land is gorgeous and I get the "vibe" that is Israel. I thought I understood the
crazy political, social, religious and economic complications, but I so get that "vibe" too. It's so complicated and convoluted and SO long standing, all the hatred and mistrust between the region. I had my doubts about coming here, especially with my emotional state so raw, but I feel like I'm a better person for being here. I'd urge anyone - Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Hare Krishne, Nothing, to come see for themselves.
Thanks and SHALOM one last time!
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kellicox
Kelli Cox
Oh well...
I think I already published some of these photos...oh well!