My preferred method of transportation between the largest of Israel's cities is the sherut, a shared taxi service. These minivans exist for intra-city service in some areas and also between cities. Two great things about the service:
1 - When the van reaches capacity (10), it leaves. No need to wait in line in the bus station to buy tickets or to wait for the bus to depart at the designated time.
2 - The trip costs just 22 shekels ($5.80 - which is the same price of the bus I believe) to/from Jerusalem/Tel Aviv. So cheap.
And off I go...
Upon my arrival, I headed to the beach to relax on the tayelet (boardwalk). Soon after I sat down, a German girl and an American woman with her child (who were both living in Germany) approached me and asked me to take part in a survey about religion. It was pretty interesting and made me challenge myself to answer some tough philosophical questions.
Continuing the German tradition, I met up with a new & also
German friend, and walked along the Mediterranean boardwalk to Jaffa, the southern part of Tel Aviv. Thursday nights in the summer are great for going to Shuk haPishpushim, the flea market. Crowded with people, art, jewelry and antiques, the shuk is a great place to walk around and enjoy the scenery while listening to live music. We ate at a great restaurant called Puah which offered a nice atmosphere, tasty Mediterranean fare and good mojitos (pronounced in Israel as mo-chee-to with guttural emphasis instead of a soft 'h.' We walked back along the boardwalk and paused at the memorial for the 21 teenagers who were killed in a terror attack on the Dolphinarium nightclub in 2001. Just one year earlier, I celebrated Israel's Independence Day with my friends at that same club and have always been saddened when remembering the tragedy that befell the community in Israel.Friday night brought with it a nice Shabbat meal with Ofer and Avital. They offer a truly great example of warm Israeli hospitality: having called them on a whim since earlier accommodations fell through, they let me stay at their place with just moments' notice and offered great meals and company. I will say that, for my part, I am always a good house guest and do dishes for those who cook for me - please bring on the invitations!
During the sunlight hours on Friday and Saturday, I met up with a bunch of friends from various circles on the Tel Aviv beaches, Gordon Beach being my sand spot of choice. So relaxing was my time at the beach that I fell asleep under our sunbrella (shimshiya) and woke up when the sun began to set. As borrowed from the always eclectic Israeli radio station Galgalatz, it was a relaxing weekend (sof shavua ragua)...
1 comment:
hi, new to the site, thanks.
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