Tel Aviv for the Weekend

Last Thursday was Islamic New Years so we had another day off. This week we actually have a five-day week but then next weekend is a three-day weekend for MLK and one of the days this week I am going down to Petra which while still work is still easier than a day in the office.

This weekend we traveled with a colleague to Tel Aviv. She had not yet been to Israel and we know how much we appreciated having a colleague take us across the border the first time - just to know which window to go to and which steps diplomats do and do not have to do. It is also helpful to Israel on a 3-day weekend because so much of the country shuts-down for the Sabbath - so it was nice having Thursday when things were open.

We spent most of Thursday in Jaffa - which is sort of Old Town Tel Aviv.

Minaret in Jaffa

In Jaffa, which I think is the site of Simon the Tailor from the Bible, the government has been building up a park and it is the most touristy area of Tel Aviv but it is also a beautiful park with views of Tel Aviv's sky line. Here I am on the "wishing bridge" where you make a wish on your zodiac sign.

In Jaffa we also saw busloads of participants in Birthright the program that brought Rachel and Joel to Israel.

Same skyline. Same Mediterranean sea which really was this blue

Friday, we toured a crafts market and a produce market before going to the movies. We saw Dan in Real Life which was sweet and we really liked. We also saw Michael Clayton which I think got great reviews but which none of us adored. Maybe we were tired from 2 days of walking - but the movie didn't seem to go anywhere except to point out that when companies poison people it is bad (which it is) and that companies shouldn't have people assassinated (which they shouldn't.) It was not clear to us that these were disputed points.