First Shabbat in Tel Aviv

It's amazing how many people speak Hebrew here! And fluently too! We are playing catch up and have already used several useful terms: where is the bathroom? what is that? how much does this cost? chocolate ice cream, please; one half felafel with everything,please; everything is good, in order, excellent (pick one). The most useful phrase on Friday turned out to be s'licha which means, excuse me. That was because we didn't get to the supermarket, which is just across the street, until after noon. A big mistake!!!!! You have not experienced congestion until you shop in an Israeli supermarket just before they are closing for Shabbat at around 1:30 or 2 pm. We need to work on our cart navigation skills as well as our assertiveness!! It was very exciting trying to communicate to the clerks who don't speak English which of the dozens of similar looking cheeses and salamis we wanted. It was also fun figuring out which price went with which fruit or vegetable. On the plus side, the tomatoes, carrots, cukes, strawberries, dates, yogurt, and challah are outstanding. Also, I am able to once again satisfy my addiction to a certain kind of very thin, crisp anise cookie/biscuit that I discovered last time we were here. Good thing we are walking it all off every day.

We enjoyed a long walk on Shabbat through nearby Hayarkon park-the largest park in Tel Aviv, kind of like Central Park but with a river running through it- to the new port area which is not a working port anymore but has a boardwalk with lots of shops, cafes, bars, ice cream/gelato shops and street entertainment. Very good for people and dog watching. The dog lovers among you will be happy to know that Hayarkon has an enclosed dog play area. Also, there seem to be almost as many pet stores as cafes in this town. Well, not quite. The number of cafes in Tel Aviv is several times larger than the number of churches in North Carolina! Back to Shabbat--the entire city appeared to be out enjoying the beautiful sunny day. We saw children and adults in every kind of conveyance imaginable, including bicycles, scooters, skateboards, roller blades, motor boats, pedal boats, row boats, motorbikes, wheelchairs, and so on. Not to mention the car which put me in mind of L.A. Speaking of L.A., I feel very much at home here because of the many parallels between the two cities. I am so happy to see the sun setting over the sea in the West and to smell the delicious eucalyptus trees.

More about our lovely Bavli neighborhood next time, except to report that the local health club with indoor and outdoor pools, exercise machines, snack bar, classes, etc. is close by and is called a "country club." Also we are right across the HaYarkon river from Tel Aviv University.