Three Thursdays ago I went with the OSP group to one of the beaches in Tel Aviv. The water was warm and clear. The tide moderate and the breeze constant… it was magnificent!
On the way there...
After a few hours in the Mediterranean, the lovely ladies pictured below and myself setout to find falafel! My first Israeli Falafel!
Hmmm, the falafel far surpassed everything I had dreamed or imagined… However, I can offer no further description... There are too few sufficient adjectives in the English language to accurately portray my first real falafel experience… I guess you can try to imagine everything good in the world fried, put in a pita, and covered with hummus. Yeah…
After the falafel and more Mediterranean, My roommate/buddy from the University and I went to find our hostel. (A few of us from the group decided to stay in TA for the weekend rather than return to Beer Sheva.)
The hostel was a "clean, well lit place," and much to my joy we were able to sleep on the roof!
the roof lounge 
At the hostel we met and soon befriended a fellow adventurer who had recently returned from India. He shared his stories to a captivated and envious audience. He also agreed to join us for our night out in Tel Aviv.
We first met up with a few kids from the program at a beachside bar. The beach in front of the bar, extending all the way to the sea, was illuminated with red lanterns. These lanterns created an enchanting atmosphere as their reflections danced off the water and made the sand around us appear crimson. Once finished with cocktails, nargila, and beer the group decided to try out a few of Tel Aviv's clubs. However, after my cocktail I felt more apt to find a coffee shop than club.
Thus, new adventure buddy, roommie and I parted from the others to explore TA in search of coffee. Soon into our expedition we encountered a street hustler performing a card game. He had acquired a small crowd of spectator which we felt compelled to join. The game was simple, so I thought! He had three cards, two 8s and a king, which he quickly shuffled around on a table. At random intervals he stopped and people would put money on the card they thought was the king. Sometimes they won, mostly they lost. After watching the hustler for about 10 minutes I was sure I had the game figured out. 9 out of 10 times I had guessed right… Then I saw that during the last round he had accidently marked the king!
Sure enough, on the next round the marked king was turned up after people had placed their bets. I whispered this to my friends; though a few Israelis overheard they appeared skeptical or indifferent. Two more rounds were played, each time the marked king was flipped up! My friends, after a 2 minute squabble, persuaded me to put money on it. I watched another round to make sure. Then, induced by peer pressure and perhaps the cocktail I put 100nis on the marked card. The crowed quieted. The marked card was flipped. An EIGHT!!! I stared dumbfounded at the card, and then my eyes slowly rose to meet the hustler's. "But the card was marked," I bashfully stammered at the hustler… In a flash, without hesitation, remorse, or acknowledging my remark he grabbed the money, an "onlooker" grabbed the table, and both took off at a full sprint down the street. I took a stride or two in pursuit of the swindlers before realizing the undertaking was futile! I turned back to my friends, and saw a small stash of marked cards where the dealer had been sitting! I felt ashamed, cheated, used… It was like the time I discovered my mom, not Queen Elizabeth, was responding to my invitations for tea. I was sad!
My friends were quickly able to subdue my anger, and even restore some of my pride... A little later I was able to drowned my sorrow in coffee and Israeli pastries.
Here's a picture of the most expensive souvenir I have attained thus far in Israel. Approximately $30.
The next morning I was on my own. My roommie left for Jerusalem and adventure buddy for Haifa. So I decided to setout for Jaffa byway of the shore. About 20 minutes into my walk I noticed a piece of sea glass along the coast. I was so excited! It had been ages since I had found one! As a child, sea-glass had been a rare treasure, comparable to pearls. In my mind it conjured stories of sunken ships and far off places. I tried to guess how many decades the glass had spent caught in currents and wisped along coasts to produce its smooth edges. And here I had found one in Israel! I stooped to gasp it and spotted another! Two! Then I saw a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh… Turns out sea glass is not a rarity in Israel. This however, did not prevent me from combing the crowed beach for the next 40 minutes collecting the invaluable (to me) gems.
Here is my beautiful collection:
I then meandered to the Jaffa Shouk where I was physically forced to buy a bracelet… The old woman, mid 80s, was exceptionally strong!.. That's all I wish to share about the experience. My pride and street savvy persona have already been compromised in this post.
A little later I met up with a friend from the University of Iowa for lunch (falafel of course.) It was nice to talk with someone from home about familiar things. After lunch we made our way through the Tel Aviv Shouk, and then window shopped along one of the city's main streets.
Eggplants are really popular in graffiti art, I have no idea why.
A store that made bubbles… lots o'fun!
My friend and I
Anarchy sign, very Chestertonesq
All-in-all it was a good day, made even better by the beautiful sunset which I enjoyed from the drum beach… The video will help you to appreciate the wonders of the drum beach.
My good day/evening was slightly thwarted by getting lost in the bad part of TA and being assigned to the male dorm room by mistake at the hostel. But it was still a good day+evening+adventurous night!
The guys (and my) dorm room.
The next day, Saturday for those keeping track, I again started with a long walk along the coast. I then Wondered back towards my hostel through the interior of the city
Here are a few pics of what I saw
A toy shop that made me think of my nieces and nephews
I then spent much of the afternoon reading at a little gelato café I found during my explorations. An hour or two into my book I was surprised by a text. One of my friends had been gallivanting across Israel all weekend and suddenly and mysteriously turned up in TA on Shabbat.
I met up with him on the beach where I discovered his mysterious means of travel. (In Israel everything: buses, trains, markets, etc, is closed from about 4pm Friday through nightfall on Saturday. This makes travel over the weekend very limiting.) He had by chance met up with another friend from the program in Jerusalem and had been traveling with him, his mom and step-dad who owned a car. After a while on the Mediterranean my friend's parents offered me a ride back to Beer Sheva. I was indescribably grateful to them, not only did it save me 30nis, but it also allowed me to get back earlier to study.
On the way there...
After a few hours in the Mediterranean, the lovely ladies pictured below and myself setout to find falafel! My first Israeli Falafel!
Hmmm, the falafel far surpassed everything I had dreamed or imagined… However, I can offer no further description... There are too few sufficient adjectives in the English language to accurately portray my first real falafel experience… I guess you can try to imagine everything good in the world fried, put in a pita, and covered with hummus. Yeah…
After the falafel and more Mediterranean, My roommate/buddy from the University and I went to find our hostel. (A few of us from the group decided to stay in TA for the weekend rather than return to Beer Sheva.)
The hostel was a "clean, well lit place," and much to my joy we were able to sleep on the roof!
the roof lounge At the hostel we met and soon befriended a fellow adventurer who had recently returned from India. He shared his stories to a captivated and envious audience. He also agreed to join us for our night out in Tel Aviv.
We first met up with a few kids from the program at a beachside bar. The beach in front of the bar, extending all the way to the sea, was illuminated with red lanterns. These lanterns created an enchanting atmosphere as their reflections danced off the water and made the sand around us appear crimson. Once finished with cocktails, nargila, and beer the group decided to try out a few of Tel Aviv's clubs. However, after my cocktail I felt more apt to find a coffee shop than club.
Thus, new adventure buddy, roommie and I parted from the others to explore TA in search of coffee. Soon into our expedition we encountered a street hustler performing a card game. He had acquired a small crowd of spectator which we felt compelled to join. The game was simple, so I thought! He had three cards, two 8s and a king, which he quickly shuffled around on a table. At random intervals he stopped and people would put money on the card they thought was the king. Sometimes they won, mostly they lost. After watching the hustler for about 10 minutes I was sure I had the game figured out. 9 out of 10 times I had guessed right… Then I saw that during the last round he had accidently marked the king!
Sure enough, on the next round the marked king was turned up after people had placed their bets. I whispered this to my friends; though a few Israelis overheard they appeared skeptical or indifferent. Two more rounds were played, each time the marked king was flipped up! My friends, after a 2 minute squabble, persuaded me to put money on it. I watched another round to make sure. Then, induced by peer pressure and perhaps the cocktail I put 100nis on the marked card. The crowed quieted. The marked card was flipped. An EIGHT!!! I stared dumbfounded at the card, and then my eyes slowly rose to meet the hustler's. "But the card was marked," I bashfully stammered at the hustler… In a flash, without hesitation, remorse, or acknowledging my remark he grabbed the money, an "onlooker" grabbed the table, and both took off at a full sprint down the street. I took a stride or two in pursuit of the swindlers before realizing the undertaking was futile! I turned back to my friends, and saw a small stash of marked cards where the dealer had been sitting! I felt ashamed, cheated, used… It was like the time I discovered my mom, not Queen Elizabeth, was responding to my invitations for tea. I was sad!
My friends were quickly able to subdue my anger, and even restore some of my pride... A little later I was able to drowned my sorrow in coffee and Israeli pastries.
Here's a picture of the most expensive souvenir I have attained thus far in Israel. Approximately $30.
The next morning I was on my own. My roommie left for Jerusalem and adventure buddy for Haifa. So I decided to setout for Jaffa byway of the shore. About 20 minutes into my walk I noticed a piece of sea glass along the coast. I was so excited! It had been ages since I had found one! As a child, sea-glass had been a rare treasure, comparable to pearls. In my mind it conjured stories of sunken ships and far off places. I tried to guess how many decades the glass had spent caught in currents and wisped along coasts to produce its smooth edges. And here I had found one in Israel! I stooped to gasp it and spotted another! Two! Then I saw a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh… Turns out sea glass is not a rarity in Israel. This however, did not prevent me from combing the crowed beach for the next 40 minutes collecting the invaluable (to me) gems.
Here is my beautiful collection:
I then meandered to the Jaffa Shouk where I was physically forced to buy a bracelet… The old woman, mid 80s, was exceptionally strong!.. That's all I wish to share about the experience. My pride and street savvy persona have already been compromised in this post.
A little later I met up with a friend from the University of Iowa for lunch (falafel of course.) It was nice to talk with someone from home about familiar things. After lunch we made our way through the Tel Aviv Shouk, and then window shopped along one of the city's main streets.
Eggplants are really popular in graffiti art, I have no idea why.
A store that made bubbles… lots o'fun!
My friend and I
Anarchy sign, very Chestertonesq
All-in-all it was a good day, made even better by the beautiful sunset which I enjoyed from the drum beach… The video will help you to appreciate the wonders of the drum beach.
My good day/evening was slightly thwarted by getting lost in the bad part of TA and being assigned to the male dorm room by mistake at the hostel. But it was still a good day+evening+adventurous night!
The guys (and my) dorm room.The next day, Saturday for those keeping track, I again started with a long walk along the coast. I then Wondered back towards my hostel through the interior of the city
Here are a few pics of what I saw
A toy shop that made me think of my nieces and nephewsI then spent much of the afternoon reading at a little gelato café I found during my explorations. An hour or two into my book I was surprised by a text. One of my friends had been gallivanting across Israel all weekend and suddenly and mysteriously turned up in TA on Shabbat.
I met up with him on the beach where I discovered his mysterious means of travel. (In Israel everything: buses, trains, markets, etc, is closed from about 4pm Friday through nightfall on Saturday. This makes travel over the weekend very limiting.) He had by chance met up with another friend from the program in Jerusalem and had been traveling with him, his mom and step-dad who owned a car. After a while on the Mediterranean my friend's parents offered me a ride back to Beer Sheva. I was indescribably grateful to them, not only did it save me 30nis, but it also allowed me to get back earlier to study.
No comments:
Post a Comment