It is Monday, and in spite of our fears that all the museums would be closed, we discover that not to be the case.
It is cooler today, too, and what we at first thought to be haze was really dust, blowing in over the desert from Egypt (so everyone tells us). After yesterday's walking marathon, though, we decide to take cabs today, the only reasonably inexpensive thing in Tel Aviv (and plentiful, too). Our first stop is the University of Tel Aviv, to the north of the city.
It is a lovely campus, and very interesting to be there when the siren sounded for the two minutes of silence in honour of the holocaust victems. It was hugely respectful and, later, a cermony with music, poetry and speeches was very well attended, and again, very respectful.
We were up that way to see the Beit Hatefutsoth Museum, which tells the story - beautifully, Hank and I agreed - of the Jewish exile and global diaspora.
I know a surprising amount of this history - the genes can't be denied, I tell you. I was more moved than I expected to be.
To continue our museum marathon, we went on to the Hagana Museum, a museum depicting the history of the Hagana, the beginning of the Israeli Defence forces. Again, this was very much a part orf my history. When I was going to camp (Jewish camp,of course), it was in the 50s, so not long after independence. We were singing songs about the Hagana, and the Palmach (the commando forces), and were filled with pride that we were ghetto Jews no more, and that we were fighters now. It is hard to recapture that now, or even describe it, but I remember it distinctly. As for Hank, I finally found a war that he didn't know everything about, and he was charmed as well.
Finally, we ended up at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Perhaps because we were tired, but more likely because the collection wasn't all that good, we made short shrift of it, and, tired puppies, took a cab home.
We were bound and determined to get a good dinner tonight, and so asked for a recommendation from the friendly folks at the hotel. They recommended Berties, a neighborhood place, and we had the best meal of the trip to date - fish (we are at the Mediterranean, after all), beauifully prepared and served, a beautiful end to a successful day.
Tomorrow, we are back to an escorted tour, to Cessaria and beyond, ending at Jerusalem, and the King David Hotel where we will be staying. (A place very much involved in Hagana history; the Hagana bombed the British High Command, who were headquarted in the King David Hotel).
I somehow feel as if I have been giving you short shrift, being a travelogue rather than a personal journal of my travels. I will try to do better.
It is cooler today, too, and what we at first thought to be haze was really dust, blowing in over the desert from Egypt (so everyone tells us). After yesterday's walking marathon, though, we decide to take cabs today, the only reasonably inexpensive thing in Tel Aviv (and plentiful, too). Our first stop is the University of Tel Aviv, to the north of the city.
It is a lovely campus, and very interesting to be there when the siren sounded for the two minutes of silence in honour of the holocaust victems. It was hugely respectful and, later, a cermony with music, poetry and speeches was very well attended, and again, very respectful.
We were up that way to see the Beit Hatefutsoth Museum, which tells the story - beautifully, Hank and I agreed - of the Jewish exile and global diaspora.
To continue our museum marathon, we went on to the Hagana Museum, a museum depicting the history of the Hagana, the beginning of the Israeli Defence forces. Again, this was very much a part orf my history. When I was going to camp (Jewish camp,of course), it was in the 50s, so not long after independence. We were singing songs about the Hagana, and the Palmach (the commando forces), and were filled with pride that we were ghetto Jews no more, and that we were fighters now. It is hard to recapture that now, or even describe it, but I remember it distinctly. As for Hank, I finally found a war that he didn't know everything about, and he was charmed as well.
Finally, we ended up at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Perhaps because we were tired, but more likely because the collection wasn't all that good, we made short shrift of it, and, tired puppies, took a cab home.
We were bound and determined to get a good dinner tonight, and so asked for a recommendation from the friendly folks at the hotel. They recommended Berties, a neighborhood place, and we had the best meal of the trip to date - fish (we are at the Mediterranean, after all), beauifully prepared and served, a beautiful end to a successful day.
Tomorrow, we are back to an escorted tour, to Cessaria and beyond, ending at Jerusalem, and the King David Hotel where we will be staying. (A place very much involved in Hagana history; the Hagana bombed the British High Command, who were headquarted in the King David Hotel).
I somehow feel as if I have been giving you short shrift, being a travelogue rather than a personal journal of my travels. I will try to do better.
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