May 29: Tel Aviv - first day in Israel

I think everyone else is asleep, but I suddenly have a second wind. Which is too bad, because it's  nearly midnight, and we plan to get up at 6:30 again tomorrow.

That's what we did today, and it let us get in a lot of fun before it got hot.

The breakfast here at the Sheraton is an incredibly lavish spread - I may even be moved to photograph it some time. The themes of the sections are roughly -- various types of cream cheese, smoked meats, fruits in syrups, hot foods like potato or penne in cream sauce, french toast/ pancakes, assorted breads and pastries, more hot regional foods (several of us ate Shakshouka, a delicious baked egg dish in a spicy tomato sauce), a section of yogurts, then the cereals and dried fruits section, and finally the fresh fruit area. And it was all pretty tasty. Even Sam was impressed (he came down later).

the dining room at the Sheraton

Ted, Cris, Josh and I ate at 6:30, then we walked down the promenade by the sea almost all the way to Jaffa. The promenade is beautiful and wide, with special sections for bikes in parts of it. 

We passed the place from which we redeemed our towed car last year - I was surprised at how close it actually was to the hotel - probably less than a 1.5 miles. That lot is across the street from the Dolphinarium, which you may recall was attacked by terrorists in 2001, and a lot of teenagers were killed. Now it's closed down behind a fence, and covered with graffiti.

There is a park there -- it seems like they are still developing it. One thing it already has is a set of the ubiquitous workout equipment. 

After our stroll we collected Sam and we all headed across the street to the beach. We rented some long chairs and umbrellas. We threw a frisbee in the water for a while. The water was warm and calm -- we walked out more than 50 feet and it was still lower than waist high. Josh, of course, was like a little dolphin, in and out of the water.

We lounged about on shore while Ted and Josh built sand castles, and then Josh buried himself in sand. The beach is so delightful. The chairs and umbrellas are all set up and waiting for you. A guy from the nearby restaurant wanders about, asking if anybody wants lunch or a drink. There were lots of older couples, and young families with toddlers.

We got some fresh-pressed juices on the way back to the hotel -- those fruit stands are everywhere. Delicious. We lounged about, then headed out to eat shwarma and felafel. For many in the group, this was a first. It was a big success. After that we split up -- Ted took Josh back to the hotel to play in the pool. It's a salt pool rather than chlorine - they said it was delightful.

I led Sam and Cris off on a walk that took us over to Rothschild boulevard. There was a tent encampment there last year. But now it is all clear. At the end is my favorite juice place yet -- I had a ginger/banana/orange drink that was incredibly refreshing.

We walked through the alleyways of Neve Tzedek for a bit --- I hope to do more exploring there. Seems like a hotspot for interesting restaurants and quirky clothing shops run by the designers.

Back at the hotel we played some 5 Crowns - I won (yay!). We ate at a very nearby Italian place - I nodded off at the table briefly...  afterwards, Ted and I explored around till I rediscovered the bakery at the corner of Arlozorov and Ben Yehuda. 

I can see the half-moon through the floor-to-ceiling window that makes up the front wall of our hotel room. Everyone's asleep but me...