First Tel-Aviv weekend

Now that I have finally, if not hesitantly, come to the realization that I will be here for two months, I cleaned up my room as if I will be staying here for two months to usher in a concomitant psychological change towards the the state of things.  So this weekend – meaning Friday and Saturday (this will take a bit getting used to) – Adam (who leaves for India this Monday – and which means I will officially be alone as three people I know are all leaving for somewhere this week) showed me the stuff that tourists do during the weekend, e.g. going to the Arts & Crafts fair at the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian walkway and going around the Carmel Market. Here are some of the photos:

And then some of the fruits and vegetables here. I liked looking at the variety of colors in the market, with people shouting (in Hebrew, of course) closing time discounts and prices.

This remains to be my beacon of comfort and security though – located at the intersection of Sheinkin, King George and Nachalat Binyamin – but I didn’t eat there, of course.

Adam and I had a traditional hearty lunch of meatballs and rice/beans, and then walked around the picturesque neighborhood of Neve Tsedek where I had a banoffee and dulce de leche gelato combo. After that, we walked along Rothschild Blvd on our way home and here are some interesting scenes. It was a very relaxed Friday afternoon at Tel Aviv.

So we sat on a bench for awhile and watched people around us…including a group playing petanque. I spent Friday evening with another friend at Tvulun Beach over at Herzliya where we ate dinner literally on the beach. It was beautiful to see the almost-full moon shining brightly over the not-so violent waves of the Mediterranean crashing near our feet.

Today (Saturday), I just cleaned my room, had half a sandwich and lemonade at Landwer Coffee over at Ibn Gvirol, and then while wandering around the area of Kikar Rabin, found myself joining a demonstration protesting the 42 years of occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and supporting the two-state solution. From the streets of Manila to Tel Aviv – it seems I couldn’t get enough of rallies. For awhile, I felt like Forrest Gump or someone photoshopped in the middle of the whole scene. I mean, what am I doing here???

I met and walked alongside a nice Israeli student volunteer at UNHCR who translated for me all the Hebrew chants so at least I wasn’t that clueless. Tomorrow, I go back to work. Maybe more interesting stuff is on its way.