Family fun in Tel Aviv

Another fun (if slightly random day) in Tel Aviv with the Golds. The morning started slowly (as is expected recovering from jet lag), but happily Jonah was feeling completely better (supporting the salt water theory). We ate a hearty breakfast and set out for the Eretz Israel Museum - a somewhat off the beaten track complex of several small exhibits which had received mixed reviews on line (Ranging from "could go here every day for a week" to "There is not a whole lot to see here, but the restaurant has really good sandwiches"). We tended toward the latter opinion, although we didn't try the sandwiches. The museum (which we needed 2 buses to get to) is an odd collection of an archeological tel and various exhibits housed in buildings spread out over a campus. We hadn't anticipated being outside so much, so we planned poorly on water. The one thing which sounds *really* cool was the giant sand sculpture exhibit. However we planned poorly on this front too and didn't realize that this exhibit was only open at night, when the rest of the museum was closed. 

We arrived and got on line for tickets and a very friendly seeming woman approached us and asked "can I help you with anything?" Sure, we told her, can you tell us about the museum? "I'm sorry," she replied, "I don't speak English." Ohhh-kay... We managed to understand in Hebrew that she mostly wanted our kids to participate in the clay workshop they had going on (we decided to pass) and we went into the museum. 

We think it was an ancient entertainment center

The first exhibit was a fire truck which was a gift from New York to the new State of Israel. Somewhat cool. The kids (possibly encouraged by the grown ups) began a game of assigning a value in shekels to each thing we saw, to see if the total (reasonable) cost of entry was worthwhile. I think the fire truck was worth something like 5 shekels. The next exhibit was a collection of displays which depicted various trades (baker, blacksmith, etc). However, as Charles put it, the information density was very low (i.e., there was nothing to indicate when, where, who, why...) for the exhibits, so we couldn't get much out of it (2 shekels). Next, was a pretty courtyard with some random farm equipment displayed around it, and even more random use of quotation marks (e.g., one thing was labeled as being an animal pulled "millstone" (in quote marks as if to imply that it wasn't actually a mill, but that's just what they told the donkey so he would feel useful). One shekel. Along the path, the kids found a water fountain which squirted the water really high - perfect for a water fight (5 shekels).

The next exhibit was inside (airconditioning - 10 shekels!) and was actually pretty interesting. it was about Rothschild and his role in the creation of the state of Israel. We've heard a lot about Rothschild and this was a cool summary of the whole story.

Upstairs from that was the most pretentious pottery exhibit I have ever seen. There were pieces like a stool made out of clay hanging upside down from the ceiling by wire, with explanations such as, "fashioning the ordinary stool from clay epitomizes the detachment of the individual from the mundane reality of the dialectic with the unknown"). Minus 20 shekels. 


It went on like that, until we were hot and tired and ready for lunch. So, we decided to cut our losses and head out. On the way to the exit, happy surprise! We passed the sand exhibit, and the gate was open. So, we figured we'd go in until someone asked us to leave. The sand sculptures were absolutely amazing. They were huge, detailed depictions of themes ranging from marvel comics to the little prince to Adam and Eve riding an elephant. I don't know how they made them, but I am really glad we got to see them! We saw most of the exhibit, before a friendly guard directed us to the exit. 


From there, we walked to the Ramat Aviv mall (a nice mall in an upscale area of Tel Aviv). Along the way, we were very grateful to find a drink kiosk! The mall was really nice. First stop was a baby store to finally buy a pacifier with Pooh on it, which Sylvia has been talking about since Eilat. Amazingly, they had a selection of three different kinds of Pooh pacis and Sylvia chose the one she wanted stating emphatically "me love it." Great, we bought it, opened it, and she was happy (p.s. an hour later, she had a crisis and realized she really wanted the other [pink] Pooh paci - ah, two year olds!). Next stop, food court, where everyone was able to get exactly what thy wanted - ranging from kosher McDonalds (what, no cheeseburger?) to falafel to Chinese. We did a little window shopping, a quick trip to the grocery store, and the bus home. 

Bus surfing

Photo credit: CG

After taking it easy for an hour or so, we went out to the beach. The kids had a blast playing in the water (being more careful not to swallow any this time!). While the kids were showering and changing, Amy and I went out and picked them up a pizza (from Agvaniot on Dizengoff Circle - actually very good) and some other goodies. The kids enjoyed dinner at home and then the adults went out for a grown up meal at Wineberg. This was an excellent choice - 2 bottles of wine (including a very good Israeli Sauvignon Blanc), and several tapas (including delicious tzatziki, greek salad, focaccia, cauliflower and more) served by a friendly, if slightly clueless waiter ("There is a special on a really nice wine, delicious, a great price, you will love it." Ok, we'll try that" "sorry, that special ended.")



We walked home along Dizengoff checking out the busy bars and clubs and the manicurists open until 2 am, with A * C marveling at the highs and lows that Israel brings to you. At one moment you are going nuts arguing with a bus driver about whether you can transfer from one bus to another without paying another fare, and the next moment you are in love with a city that really knows how to have fun and is just waiting for you to take advantage of it.