In the Tel Aviv ‘burbs October 18, 2008

I have my family friends’ apartment to myself this weekend. They went to the Negev for a zimmer weekend, and offered up their place. Although I want to be in Jerusalem, I can’t say no to an offer of a full apartment with a huge flat panel TV, Wii, internet access, and a large balcony.

 

Yesterday, I stepped on the scale for the first time since I arrived in Israel and found that I lost about 5-7 pounds. I can attribute this only to no delicious morning scones, less restaurants (but oh how I miss them!), and of course, little to no booze. Two nights ago, I had half a glass of pomegranate wine, and I had to pace myself because I felt flushed. I’ve been eating quite heartily, so the weight loss is definitely not the result of appetite reduction or healthier eating.

 

I went to the beach in Tel Aviv on Monday for the first time since I came here! I enjoyed it greatly, and the water was really warm. On the way to the bus, I picked up a falafel (again, my first since I got here!) and ate it at the stop.

 

On Wednesday, I went to Tel Aviv for the day and walked around, tried to shop, but finding nothing under $100 that I know I could get in New York for $15. There was a store on Shenkin that sold Free People clothes for hundreds of shekels, but in New York- Marshalls, TJ Maxx- $25-40 maybe, but usually on sale too. For all the designer shops and boutiques in the area, I ended up getting a shirt at the Castro Outlet.

 

I also ate pizza at a popular place on Shenkin, but was disappointed.

 

 

It was made thin crust style, and even though I got the slice just as it came out of the oven, it was cold cardboard by the time I ate it- which is why I don’t enjoy thin crust in general.

 

One of many fruit juice and smoothie stands in the area, where I like to get my fresh pomegranate juice! Yum!

 

I walked around some more, and then I went to a lovely cafe/used bookstore on a tiny street off of King George (when will I remember to look for names?), and drank a cappuccino and looked at their mostly Hebrew book collection.

 

An alley off the tiny street where the cafe is located.

 

As I walked out, a creepy guy standing outside managed to turn “Hag Sameach” into a catcall. I then found another used bookstore, breezed my way through a Doctor Seuss story in Hebrew (yeah, I got skillz, and what?!), and then found my way back to the number 19 bus, which was filled with Russian women of varying shades of bright plumage, as usual.

 

I sat and watched them play on Allenby before I caught my bus.

 

When I returned to Rishon LeZiyyon (LeZion, LeTzion, whichever!), I followed the crowds in anticipation of the annual “wine” festival. The city center was flooded with people of all ages, but strutting teens ruled the crowd. There were multiple stages set up for various types of music. One stage featured Israel Baron, the winner of the 6th season of the Israeli version of American Idol, כוכב נולד, or “A Star is Born,” and the runner-up, Lee Biran, or “Libi.” He sang what I assume are covers, including a song that my Hebrew teacher made my class sing back in New York, while the preteen girls squealed. I’ve been in a few pits in my day, but this was worse, not because of any violence, but because of the constant nudge here, small push there, every time I thought I found a safe zone. 

Baron and Biran at the festival. This photo was not easy to get because every time I stuck my camera up in the air, I saw someone's cell phone in my view finder

 

 

The crowd watching the two. The pre-teens were concentrated in the front.

 

“Libi” left the stage, Baron continued to charm the crowd (he sings with his eyes!), praised the great city of Rishon, and the show was over. The crowd quickly dispersed, and I tried to escape it, but ended up directly in the path of the group of solders rushing Baron through the crowd. I heard squeals, I was pushed around in circles, I tried to take photos, but they were all a big blur.

 

Normal life returned to Rishon, and I continued down a nearby street, and fell upon a smaller, but somehow more jovial crowd, who were perhaps trying to look more fun than the other performances. They did not stop circling and twirling, so I could not get a decent shot.

 

 

 I continued to walk and found what seemed to be the grand entrance to the the festival, and I could almost taste the wine…

 

 

.. but the wine was not there. There were vendors that sold burekas, socks, jewelry, stained glass Simpsons characters, matroshkas, and other non-alcoholic goods. There were so many kids! I kept walking in the hopes of finding some dark, smokey tent with red lights marked “Adults Only,” where the wine would be,  but I didn’t find anything! It may have taken place earlier in the day- but who wants to drink wine outdoors in 80 degree humid heat? Maybe it was in a winery nearby? I should have asked someone, but I figured that if the wine tasting area wasn’t big enough to be very visible, it wasn’t worth it. And anyway, kosher wine doesn’t do much for me. You basically have to pay $40 here to get one that doesn’t burn going down, but I did want the experience. 

 

I found three more stages with free perfomances, but I have no idea who these people are, nor am I inspired to look them up.

 

 

This was the band for the older crowd.

 

 

And this dance boy-band played for a more… trying to be nice… mixed crowd.

 

 

And this group played folkey music while the girl in the top left corner did some broken doll interpretative dance moves, while the guy on the right just looked out the window. I saw one woman hold a glass of wine, and raised my eyebrows hopefully, but she must have brought a bottle with her.

 

People looked at my camera with suspicion. It’s not that big or impressive looking, but maybe because I was alone, they thought I was some sort of photographer, terrorist, I don’t know what! Two guys asked me to take a photo of them, so I did.

 

 

Except as my camera struggled with focusing, they became impatient and yelled, “Nu, come on!” which made me regret being nice! Then I got the ol’ “Why are you studying HERE?” from them. Well meaning, I guess, but really, tact is a virtue yet to be acquired by many here.

 

I left the park area where the perfomances took place and walked down another street, where more teens eyed eachother and more sinful greasy food was sold, and then I made my way home.

 

Back to Jerusalem tomorrow. I didn’t expect to stay out here so long.

 

Next week is my birthday, and then next Saturday, I have a very special friend visiting!