Aviv-a La Vida

Once again, I am sorry to say, this post will be devoid of pictures. Sorry! Blame the lack of technological advancement here.

I really want to start with today, but I have to take it like and man and tell you, reader, that last night, I got some Chinese food (because I couldn't handle another falafel) and watched -gasp!- an awful Kevin Coster movie on Arabic television. It was fun, though, because a bunch of the hostelites were commenting on it the whole way through. Overall, a pleasant night.

This morning, I got up and boarded the train to Tel Aviv. Israel's rail system pretty much only goes up and down the coast, so going to Tel Aviv from Haifa was simple, and the ride was only about an hour. When I was about to disembark, a young Israeli guy asked me if I needed help finding something, which I did since I hadn't the foggiest where my hostel was. I gladly accepted his offer and he helped me get to the bus station.

On the walk there I found out that he was on his last day of 3 years of compulsory military duty as a paratrooper! How awesome is that? He had mixed feelings about leaving, and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do after. I was really grateful for his help. Once I found my bus I hopped aboard and had a decent idea of where to go. Getting off when I thought was the best time, I began a rather long search for my hostel. Some more helpful Israelis pointed me in the right direction and I eventually got here, only to find that my online reservation hadn't gone through. No worries- they had room anyways.

I was then free to explore Tel Aviv, no longer the official capital of the country but still the commercial hub. I'm staying in an old town just south of Tel Aviv, where there are historic buildings on the coast and great views of the city. Since there aren't really specific sites to see here, I spent the day wandering around the beaches, roads, and markets of the city. My travel guide had a walking tour mapped out, which kept me entertained. The focal point of my day, though, was meeting up with Dr. Hollander, who is a lawyer in the city.

The reason I met up with a man I had never met was because back at Jolta Java, some customers were interested in my trip and connected me to this man. We met in his office and had a great conversation about my trip and where I've been as well as his history as a lawyer- he even studied at Harvard. He gave me some great tips for Tel Aviv and his card for future contact. I'm very thankful to the DeVauls for their generosity- thanks!

Then I was in for some more wandering. I went through the ancient part of Tel Aviv, started about 100 years ago. It's an old Jewish neighborhood and offered a brief relief from the noisy and crowded streets of downtown. All in all, Tel Aviv is much more of a resort city and relaxing getaway than other parts in Israel, so I look forward to returning with a swim suit and a much more leisurely itinerary- definitely not what this trip has to offer.

So now I'm back to the Old World, where I will finish up with Austria, continue to Germany and Switzerland, and then end with Amsterdam and Belgium. Two and a half weeks- lets make them count.

Thanks for reading!