[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img] Dateline Jerusalem — Glistening Mediterranean Sea waters, turquoise. aqua and deeper shades of blue, with white foam gently rippling as the waves tumbled onto the Tel Aviv shore, converged from three directions and met at the apex of a triangle of wet sand.
The water was surprisingly warm as I waded ankle-deep for the first time since I have been living here in Israel. The sand on the beach was clean, white, and with a texture so fine that I felt like I was walking on mounds of talcum powder. Although I was totally out of place, dressed in a long skirt, stockings on my feet, and shoes in my hand, hardly anyone seemed to notice for they, too, were enjoying the cloudless blue sky, salt air breeze, and calm clear water.
I took the train into Tel Aviv to meet the Israeli cousin of a friend of mine from the States. We had spoken several times since I arrived here two years ago, but with my job and her family commitments, we never seemed to find an opportunity to meet face to face. Sometimes being out of work isn't so bad after all. Finally I was able to go to the beach and see Tel Aviv as I have never seen it before.
She met me at the train station and gave me a walking tour of central Tel Aviv. Close to the train station were three adjacent high rise buildings, one shaped like a circle, one like a square, and one like a triangle. Then as we strolled down shady tree lined avenues, she pointed out the sights.
Picture This Scene
Amid modern buildings we observed a complex of several older bungalows built in the 1940s. Although slightly different in style and color, they had windows with shutters and heavy looking wooden doors that seemed as if they could withstand a storm. But as we crossed the street and came closer to them, it turned out that the windows and doors were nothing more than expertly painted pictures nailed onto slats of wood along the sides of the bungalows! These fake facades reminded me of the make-believe buildings like those seen on a tour at Universal Studios’ movie back lot. My friend explained that these windowless buildings used to house government offices years ago.
In the distance, I noticed three modern high-rise buildings adjacent to one another. At first I thought it was my imagination. One of the buildings appeared to be leaning, like the Tower of Pisa. Architecture always fascinated me, and a skyscraper purposely built on a slant was something to see. Each modern building in Tel Aviv is unique in form and material. One thing about Israel, the old and new blend beautifully together.
As we walked down a major boulevard in the city, I was reminded of Europe with its outdoor cafes where people leisurely congregate and read newspapers while awaiting their meals served under wide, colorful patio umbrellas. We stopped for lunch at a kosher dairy cafe. Everything on the menu looked good. I chose a dish of several kinds of cheeses wrapped in rolls of baked eggplant smothered in tomato sauce and topped with melted mozzarella cheese. It came with a salad which had just the right amount of citrus dressing. It was delicious, but the best part of all was the freshly baked bread that accompanied the meal.
From there, we continued to view the sights of the city as we made our way to the Mediterranean Sea. Tel Aviv is usually hot and humid, but the weather was absolutely perfect for our little trek.
L'hitraot. Shachar.
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff who moved to Israel two years ago
