Tel Aviv Diary - September 7-11, 2007

September 7, 2007

A full house in Jerusalem, and the poetry and music was wonderful, but I didn't get to meet all the people because the taxi was in a hurry to get back. So was Arieh Sivan who rode with me.

Every time I come to Jerusalem I feel like a bland man feeling a different part of the elephant and concluding something else about the city from the little piece i saw. Last week Jerusalem was something else to me - partitioned between the congregants begging for mercy from God and the street guys unable to shake hands and say they are sorry. Yesterday I had a different kind of experience and jerusalem is suddenly intellectual, wise, open.

Because of the reading last night I missed meeting Prince Edward yesterda and becayse of the cold I caught there it looks like i'm going to be missing the regatta tomorrow. After all it is 2 a.m. and I'm trying to find relief in my tea kettle. and ginger cookies.

September 8, 2007

Let's see, I have a lot of catching up to do on my kvetching. Tika Restaurant in Herzlia. Argh. I was so looking forward to turkish food, but, to begin with, there was a gasoline taste in the broiled meat, the light wasn't good enough to read the menu, and the bamia was frozen. Since we're heard it was a very popular and important place, we were even more disappointed.

Now we're going off to see a play.

Didn't make it. We had a delivery to make at Papa's Pizza and Pasta and it took too long. So we walked around the neighborhood of Allenby and Nachalat. I didn't really expect much - it's Shabbat afternoon and I thought no one would be around. But there were all kinds of people wandering about, sitting in cafes, talking. If it weren't for the garbage bins and the innumerable skinny cats slinking around, it would have been ideal.

September 9, 2007

I've been missing parties right and left. Too many things to do before the trip. Tonight was a concert in memory of Thomas Ungar that I couldn't possibly miss, however.

September 10, 2007

I think i should tell you that I will have no right to my diary for the next month. I will not be in Tel Aviv. ARGHH! How can I leave on the holy days? How can I miss all the action? Everything is happening around here - and I'll be out of it! ARGHHHH! I'll even miss the wonderful health aides who take care of all our older and injured neighbors. And the Panic concert on the 13th - erev hag. And another one of Ezi's family reunions. And a great dinner party of friends. And the opening of Pappa's on 13 Nagara Street. You can call to make sure it's opened at 5166498.

After we took Shusha to Hagit's we stopped at Barbunya which is sometimes a favorite fish place of ours - but i found it kind of bland tonight. I always forget they don't have french fries and it always seems lacking to me. I like cutting my fish with other tastes but they serve the salads and then a single, perfect fish. I'm probably the only one who kvetches about that, however.

So much for Tel Aviv. I will see if I can keep up as we wander around.

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