Tel Aviv/Athens - Days 80-83

It's been a bit difficult getting uninterrupted access to internet here in Athens, which is a bit ironic given my host owns an internet cafe. I haven't updated since my last day in Tel Aviv.

I'll just skip to the Athens portion since my last day in Tel Aviv was uneventful. I basically just hung out with my host since he was off from work and we walked to a little street stand to eat a terrific sabih (sp?). He had been talking about this place since the first day I arrived, so there was no way I was gonna leave Tel Aviv without trying it! He made it sound like it was just down the street but when we walked out of his apartment he said, "It's about 2.5km from here, is that okay?" Of course it's okay...as long as I'm awarded by food. It was basically a pita impossibly stuffed with eggplant, egg, salad, hummus and other assorted spices. And I'm missing it as I write this...

Anyway, my flight to Athens was at 7am and it being Israel, I was advised to arrive at the airport 3 hours in advance. 4am arrival would mean a 3am departure and of course I can't rely on public transportation at that hour. So I just decided to take the last train at midnight and wait it out at the airport :) I surprised myself given my level of alertness at 5am and thought I was still quite spry in my old age, but that all went to pieces when I passed out the minute after I boarded the plane. I remember nothing about the flight...not the takeoff nor the landing...but I do remember they served Greek yogurt.

Athens is smaller than I expected. Of course I'm only exploring the central part of the city but everything seems to be within a 15 minute walk. My host, Rony, lives smack dab right in the middle of the all the action so I totally lucked out in terms of location. However, he is a very eccentric character. Like I said, he runs an internet cafe and also a barber shop next door. Originally from India, he grew up in the village slums always hungry and hunting for food. Perhaps because of this, he is very spiritual and genuinely kind. He lives a VERY simple and minimalistic life and uses his income to fund an orphanage in India. Impressive. Rony is also an amateur philosopher and is constantly asking me questions like, "What has life taught you?" "What is a friend?" "How can I live more simply?" We've been staying up until the early hours of the morning examining life and I'm a bit sleep deprived, haha.

I've been walking around the city exploring the area at the base of the Acropolis. It seems like everything is a "tourist" street. They are lined with gift shops and restaurants, but are constantly filled with foreigners and locals alike. The Greek have a joy of life and apparently really enjoy eating out. However, since the economic crisis...they've been forced to limit these outings to maybe once a week instead of every other day :) That's a major generalization but true of many. Yesterday I visited the Acropolis/Parthenon and also the New Acropolis Museum. I remember studying the Parthenon years ago in an architectural history class and how it's an example of perfect construction. The columns are tapered and angled so they appear straight from a distance, and you can really see this up close. Unfortunately I was also sharing the space with about 100 American teenagers on a educational field trip. The New Acropolis Museum opened just a couple of years ago and is indeed a "masterpiece." The design is brilliant and beautifully set up. It is a very modern structure but based on the ancient design principles. Probably the most worthwhile 5euros I've spent.

I have another day here before going to Lefkada - an Ionian island. I decided to skip the famous islands like Santorini and Mykonos and save them for a return trip. Lefkada is on the Western coast and is on my way to Albania so it works out well. Today I will take the bus out to Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon. It's supposed to have amazing sunsets but the weather isn't really cooperating so we shall see. I tried to do this yesterday but waited for an hour and the bus never came.

Now I'm gonna grab some food. A fresh baguette, some olives, maybe a gyro?

Tel Aviv - Days 78-79

People say Tel Aviv is the anti-Jerusalem - night and day. And they're right. Just from walking around these past couple of days, I can see that Tel Aviv is a very liveable city where religion takes a backseat to modernity and hedonism. Whereas one can explore Jerusalem and the Old City for days and days, Tel Aviv lacks some of the exotic appeal and most of the "attractions" can be seen within a day or two.

On day one I inadvertently saw everything I wanted to see in the city...and I didn't even take any buses. The various museums here don't really interest me so I decided to focus on the several markets and craft fairs and also the oceanfront Promenade and Old Jaffa city. For architecture buffs, there are some cool neighborhoods here with distinctive architectural styles. For example, Sheinken Street and its surroundings are dotted with Bauhaus style buildings and tons of upscale boutique shops and al fresco restaurants.

I managed to catch an arts and crafts fair in a different neighborhood. It was absolutely buzzing with people on a Tuesday morning...who would've thought? I suppose it's partially because Passover is this Friday and people are out shopping for gifts. Most of the things were Jewish themed - hamsas, menorahs, mezuzahs, and matzah holders.

Anyway, after the madness of the market, I took a stroll along the oceanfront Promenade and enjoyed some people watching and book reading. It was a perfect, sunny, breezy, 73 degree day :) The reading didn't last long since the book was called "Extreme Rambling" and about a British man who decides to walk the entire Wall dividing Israel and Palestine. It just seemed so incongruous for the setting.

The Promenade naturally leads to Jaffa and its old city in the very South end. It is yet another city in Israel with biblical significance - shocking. In this case, it is because of the prophet Jonah and the whale. It's also where Andromeda was rescued by Perseus.

That was my first day in Tel Aviv and today I was a total bum. I read (that depressing book) in a park, window-shopped in a mall, and bought some groceries. Ask me how much hummus, shawarma, falafel, pita, and baba ganoush I've had in the past two weeks. Those items have been 95% of my diet since Dubai. Not complaining though. By the way, hummus is pronounced like "who moos" with a throaty "h."

Haifa/Tivon - Days 74-77

I've done absolutely nothing in the past three days except for pig out on home cooking, surf the internet, watch Youtube videos, and walk around town visiting little boutique stores and galleries - glorious!

The bus from Jerusalem to Tivon (a little town about 20km outside of Haifa) took a little less than two hours and my host kindly picked me up from the local McDonalds. From then on I was fed continuously around the clock until I gained back all the weight I lost on this trip. Okay, not sure about the latter, but definitely the former. Barry and Beverly, my hosts, are American and Canadian respectively but have lived their lives in Israel for the past 50 years or so. They now divide their time between Israel and Tampa since Barry teaches in the fall semester at USF. I met him briefly in the beginning of the year since he and my dad are neighbors at work; that's when he extended an invitation to visit him in Israel. I don't think he really expected me to visit, but that's what happens when people invite me anywhere foreign!

They were such gracious hosts and showed me around their tiny town of Tivon. I was fortunate enough to catch the annual art festival so the place was packed with weekend visitors. There really isn't much to update since I just hung out and rejuvenated at home. But I will say it was nice to have a hot, CLEAN shower without having to wear shower shoes. I rediscovered some of the little joys in life and the benefits of having a base. I did laundry, made coffee in the mornings, watched movies on TV, washed dishes, etc...

Today Barry took me to the University of Haifa campus and then on to the train station in Haifa. I'm now in my new hosts' home and I think they expect another CSer later this evening from Russia. Traveling and living in Israel is NOT cheap. I thought Jordan was expensive but I can only wish for Jordan prices right now. Israel is expensive not only in comparison to Jordan but to the US as well. In absolute cost, some things are outrageous. However, in relative cost when you factor in the average Israeli salary...I don't understand how people live here. Of course, that is also the major complaint of Israelis living here. That and the political and religious tensions. Like my host said today, "You know there will be a war, you just don't know when." The Jew/Arab and Israel/Palestine conflict can be seen and felt everywhere. Neighborhoods are very divided and just a couple of days ago, Arab students threw makeshift bombs onto a city bus that carried mostly Jews. The suburbs are"Arab villages" and "Jewish villages" and the Jews who live in the Muslim quarter of the Old City need security detail around the clock. Kids can't even walk to school alone or play in the streets. Quite a sacrifice in my opinion.

Anyway, just a couple observations. I realized I have been just reporting facts in my blogs and that's probably not very interesting to many people. I'll try to do better :) I'm halfway through my journey and the Capetown to Cairo portion is obviously over. From now on, I expect the trip to take on a different tone purely because of the destinations. Africa and the Middle East offered tons of natural and historic attractions such as Vic Falls, safari, Petra, Great Pyramids, etc. I could be wrong but the latter half will probably be more general observation and just walking around cities rather than sight-seeing. We shall see...some people have said Eastern Europe is so "sterile" compared to the Middle East but I'm sure it has something special to offer.