We all love Shabbat here! I want to live in Israel so that I can observe Shabbat every week! Everyone is home and off work and gets to have down time every friday evening and saturday. I mean. Who wouldnt want that?
Let me update you on yesterday
FRIDAY JUNE 6
We went to Tel Aviv yesterday. We took a sherut (I don't know if that's actually how you spell it). It's a mini bus van type thing that seats 10 people. They don't leave until they fill up with people. Seems like a legit way to get a cheap ride to Tel Aviv.
We went up there to volunteer with Russian children. Literally none of them spoke English, but so far they are the best behaved kids we've worked with on this trip.
So, we took them to the main Central Park in Tel Aviv and went paddle boating! Which turned into quite the adventure.
Boats from the bridge! Which had cutouts of the Star of David!
The river in the park
sweet bridge graffiti
paddle boats on paddle boats on paddle boats
YAY for paddle boating!!
There were three of us from the group on my boat along with three Russian boys. At first they wanted to do all the paddling, but then when we turned around (after 45 min of paddling) none of them would switch us back. We communicated by gestures and the 5 words we knew in Hebrew.
One little boy was really holding it and we had to pull over on the bank so that he could pee behind a tree. Welcome to life outside America. Then none of the other boys wanted to sit anywhere on the boat because he had mud all over his shoes. What divas. So I kept having to wipe off all the mud with my hand and river water.
I also got a good amount of sun. Ive been wearing maxi skirts almost every day (I hate shorts and pants now) and my legs are so white. So I rolled up my shorts while paddling and got both a work out and a nice leg tan. What a great way to multitask!
After boating we played games in the park. We set up a relay race for them and had some fresh cut watermelon to eat.
Matching outfits in Tel Aviv!
After we ate pizza and I was able to share my story with the kids (there were maybe 30 of them. I don't know it seemed like they kept multiplying). I had a translator and I told them about my hard time during middle school and the lack of friends, mean girls, and gossip I had to deal with. It was a very humbling experience and definitely once in a lifetime.
sketchy streets and alley cats on our way to Jaffa.
Clock tower in Jaffa
Then we walked to the beach. Tel Aviv and Jaffa are on the Mediterranean Sea!
looking toward Tel Aviv from Jaffa
LOVE feeling the Mediterranean on my toesies! And love knowing that my beloved Italia is right across the way.
Naturally I had to take a selfie. The ocean runs in my blood. I'm an island baby.
signature jump shot!
Six of us in the group walked to Tel Aviv, grapped a bite on the beach, and made our way to a Shabbat congregation meeting. It was such a fun experience! A few people there I had met at the picnic last weekend, it was so nice to see them again and reconnect!
Then the fun started. Since it was Shabbat after congregation we had to get a sherut from that area of town back to the central bus station. The buses don't run on Shabbat, but these sherut things do. So we grabbed a snack and an am/pm grocery store and jumped on a sherut to the station
This photo is not edited. There were these crazy blue lights on this sherut, kind of like cash cab but not as cool and WAY more sketch.
Once back at the station we hopped on a sherut to Jerusalem. The driver kept nodding off and those of us who were sitting up front were terrified for our life and muttering prayers under our breath and outloud. We kept asking him if he was okay and he got very mad and defensive. The normal drive of 45 min to Jerusalem took us 25... so not only was he nodding off, he had a death wish on us all with his speed demon ways.
When we were in Jerusalem we randomly got off somewhere we thought was close to our house because we'd rather be somewhat lost than die in a sherut. Thankfully some nice Orthodox jewish boys helped us find the right street. It was a long day and they always turn into a grand adventure!
SATURDAY JUNE 7
Sleeping in on Shabbat is seriously one of the only things getting me through the weeks. We have another early morning and cram packed day tomorrow, but today, I slept until 11:30.
We ate breakfast/lunch and then headed to the Israel Museum, a short 40 min walk from our house. And it was a walk we havent made so we got to see some new parts of the city!
We walked by an abandoned monastery, but there were a ton of people with cameras and stuff that seemed to be filming in it. So we didn't get to explore it.
The museum is one of the only places open on Shabbat. Everyone wanted to go to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, which I saw this past year in Fort Worth because they are traveling right now. But this museum had so so much more. And all their exhibits were phenomenally done.
They have a replica of Jerusalem during the Second Temple. It was amazing!
stumbled upon this beautiful Roman sculpture in the gardens of the museum
I studied this vase in my Ancient Roman and Greek Art History class!!! I love finding pieces randomly that I have seen before in a powerpoint or text book! This is a red figure vase illustrated with mythology.
This beaut is the Emperor Hadrian. And guess what?!! HES BRONZE!!! These are EXTREMELY rare because they would be melted down for tools or weapons in times of war. ALSO this bust is in the likeness of the emperor, which we know because of his earlobes! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! He had a heart disease that effected the shape of his earlobes and eventually was the cause of his death. This minor detail was picked up by the artist and is shown in this statue.
This commemorates the building of Jerusalem's walls by the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificient, who decided to rebuild the walls of the city on the remains of the ancient walls. This contruction lasted from 1535-1538.
An illuminated manuscript :D!!!! Have I mentioned that this museum is a compilation of ALL of my favorite things in art and history?! Ancient Empires, middle eastern traditional dress, judaica, the merging of cultures (Judaism and Islam)... like everything. Above is an illuminated manuscript and the part shown is how to keep the passover traditions. how cool is that?! usually when thinking of illuminated manuscripts the mind goes to early catholicism/christianity or even islam, but seeing this about the judaism was awesome.
ah... the beautiful Monet.
I have a story for you all now. i was looking at this painting when this cute german guy walks up right beside me and starts looking at it with me. As I walk to the next Monet I think to myself that he is quite the attractive young man (not uncommon in israel, as I have established) and he moves with me to the next Monet. And so we go along the impressionism exhibit like this. Following one another to paintings.
He starts walking into the contemporary exhibit room and sees that I make my way down a hallway with more paintings. so he joins me and reads the wall description and appreciates the art by my side. Once again he walks into the contemporary exhibit. I turn around and see beautifully decorated rooms with furniture of different time periods, so the interior designer in me going into those first. When I come out, there he is in the hall waiting on me. So we enter the next exhibit space together.
Then, as I round a corner leaving him a few steps behind i look at my watch and realize its the time i was supposed to meet the rest of the group at the museum entrance. So here I am in the bowels of this art museum not knowing the way out. So i had to bolt, and right in the middle of my "date" with the German. I didn't even leave him a shoe to find me with. not to worry, when we came out of the gift shop (after shopping in their cute store) there he was at the museum exit. So I was able to bid him adue.
It was the perfect date, but we decided to stay non-commital and open minded about this whole "relationship" thing. I mean, come on, no one really has time for those ;) But seriously, thinking back on it now I really wish I had said something to him. Especially since he has such great taste and an amazing appreciation for art!
ANYWAYS...
We decided to go get dinner after shabbat ended (at 9pm everything opens back up) at the waffle place in our neighborhood... it was insane.
I got vanilla cream with bananas, oreos, tim tams, and maple syrup. THEN you get all that other yummy stuff like ice cream and choclate bits to sprinkle on top
And I ate the whole thing....barely. The last three bites were difficult but I really wanted a happy plate!
I love exploring this city, especially as I start to figure out my way around (which has been relatively easy and quick).
View of Jerusalem from the top of the hill the Israel Museum is located.
Shabbat Shalom!
I didn't learn of the "ear lobe" when I was studying art history! I found it out about a year ago when I was being diagnosed with heart disease!
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