Our address on Ben Yehuda Street; in front of the door to the apartment building.
View from the terrace toward the sea- to the west:
last night.
This morning:
The light is so bright.
The neighborhood is close to markets and the tayelet. from the terrace we can see the Mediterranean. Etan (our landlord) told us that we will see it- until a new hotel is built. Construction is going on everywhere.
MTL: The apartment is beautiful. Last night we went wandering for dinner and found this place down Ben yehuda called Thai palace. Mom and dad split a whole sea bass and we shared a pad Thai- gluten free of course. Best pad Thai I've ever had! Pretty ironic for arriving in tel aviv but we were so happy. Dad loves it here. He says it feels like home. When we went through passport control the desk agent turned to him and said, "do you like visiting here, Levines?" We all responded with a resounding "YES!!"
SLL: wandered today- up to King George Street- and found a lovely place for breakfast. Typical breakfasts may include eggs, but, always includes salads of all kinds- chopped tomatoes and cucumber, and tuna fish, tahini, labeneh (a cheese/yogurt type dairy creamy) and fresh breads. This is a big coffee and tea drinking country and so there are many coffee shops. People sit outside- mostly smokers- and- though this is like a summer day in the U.P. -- pleasant for us, many locals are bundled up in coats and long pants and boots.
Also, like other places in Europe, the servers do not bring the check until you ask. So, dining is a relaxing experience.
After brunch, we found our way to Dizengoff Center- a couple of blocks from our brunch stop. There we found a natural food store with lots of GF breads, and a grocery store where we could purchase some groceries. We would like to make dinner here. Naturally, we needed a shopping cart. I am thrilled. Tomorrow, if we make our way to the shuk (outdoor market) we will have a cart to bring back local nuts and vegetables.
We rest a bit this afternoon. Reyna called us- here it is 4 in the afternoon- at home- she is walking to work at 9:00 a.m.
Lattes and freshly squeezed carrot juice and orange juice:
Randall at the corner- all the signs here are in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The sign points us to the beach.
After taking a short rest at the apartment- Randall opted for a longer rest and Maura and I decided we needed to keep moving. So, we walked up Ben Yehuda to Trumpledor, Turning left, we were a block from the beach. We headed north along the beach. The beach was active- people were playing a game called Matkot and lots of beach volleyball; on the beach, runners and bikers were moving along; and the beach also is a place of work-out equipment. Men and women of all ages are exercising and look strong.
Matkot (Hebrew: מטקות lit. "racquets") is a popular paddle ball game in Israel similar to beach tennis, often referred to as the country's national sport.[1][2] The goal of the game is to hit a small rubber Squash ball with a wooden racket as many times as possible without dropping it.[3]
Matkot is a non-competitive beach game in which two or more players hit a small ball back and forth using paddles.[4] The sport is named after the racquet, the matka; the origin of this word is unclear.[5]
The racquets are traditionally made of wood, although sometimes the handles are reinforced with a plastic covering. The head of a racquet may vary somewhat in size and shape. The heads are circular and about 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter. The racquet handles are short, and with very little trunk between the handle and the racquet head.
The standard ball used is the same ball as is used in squash. However, novice and intermediate players sometimes use a ball that is similar in size to a squash ball, but lighter and/or bouncier.
SLL: wandered today- up to King George Street- and found a lovely place for breakfast. Typical breakfasts may include eggs, but, always includes salads of all kinds- chopped tomatoes and cucumber, and tuna fish, tahini, labeneh (a cheese/yogurt type dairy creamy) and fresh breads. This is a big coffee and tea drinking country and so there are many coffee shops. People sit outside- mostly smokers- and- though this is like a summer day in the U.P. -- pleasant for us, many locals are bundled up in coats and long pants and boots.
Also, like other places in Europe, the servers do not bring the check until you ask. So, dining is a relaxing experience.
After brunch, we found our way to Dizengoff Center- a couple of blocks from our brunch stop. There we found a natural food store with lots of GF breads, and a grocery store where we could purchase some groceries. We would like to make dinner here. Naturally, we needed a shopping cart. I am thrilled. Tomorrow, if we make our way to the shuk (outdoor market) we will have a cart to bring back local nuts and vegetables.
We rest a bit this afternoon. Reyna called us- here it is 4 in the afternoon- at home- she is walking to work at 9:00 a.m.
Lattes and freshly squeezed carrot juice and orange juice:
Randall at the corner- all the signs here are in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The sign points us to the beach.
Matkot (Hebrew: מטקות lit. "racquets") is a popular paddle ball game in Israel similar to beach tennis, often referred to as the country's national sport.[1][2] The goal of the game is to hit a small rubber Squash ball with a wooden racket as many times as possible without dropping it.[3]
Matkot is a non-competitive beach game in which two or more players hit a small ball back and forth using paddles.[4] The sport is named after the racquet, the matka; the origin of this word is unclear.[5]
The racquets are traditionally made of wood, although sometimes the handles are reinforced with a plastic covering. The head of a racquet may vary somewhat in size and shape. The heads are circular and about 30 centimetres (12 in) in diameter. The racquet handles are short, and with very little trunk between the handle and the racquet head.
The standard ball used is the same ball as is used in squash. However, novice and intermediate players sometimes use a ball that is similar in size to a squash ball, but lighter and/or bouncier.
and then walking further up looking to the south:
Approaching the volleyball players and the exercise area:
we arrived just a few minutes later to the Carlton Hotel- next door to the famous Gordon pool:
Our walk back up the tayelet - walkway- brought us to the apartment in less than 30 minutes. Wahoo.
So you know now where we will stay. Oh joy! It's just a few days away!!
ReplyDeleteYour hotel is visible all the way up the tayelet!
ReplyDelete