First day and evening--May 8th, 2006

First Day-May 8th

The next morning we got up bright and early, having slept reasonably well for about 6 hours. Israeli hotels are known for providing bountiful breakfasts. There is usually cold cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt, cheese, assorted salads, some herring or fish appetizer, and fresh-baked pastries and breads, as well as tea, milk, coffeee and juice. It's easy to "eat large" so early in the morning, but remember to pace yourselves as the whole day lays ahead and there is a lot of touring to do; too much food and you'll want to nap and might miss out on something truly special, like an amazing multi-thousand year old site or a uniue lunch spot!
After breakfast we headed up the road to the neighboring city of Jaffa. We walked around a bit along the sea and then drove through the new and old portions of town, stopping for some gallery viewing along the way. There are interesting walks, restaurants by the sea, and plenty of galleries--as well as some of the best and most varied baklava in the country. We missed those flaky treats this trip due to time constraints, but next time we'll schedule things differently. After Jaffa, we went to the Diaspora Museum on the campus of Tel Aviv University. This museum tells the story of various Jewish communities throughout the world and through the centuries (dating from 516 B.C.E.). I find it to be an interesting place from a historical perspective, but it is a bit dated in its presentation and could really use an update by including more modern graphic, video and computer presentations. Lunch, that first day, was at one of my favorite spots in Tel Aviv--a restaurant in the old part of Tel Aviv called Suzanna (located on Shabazi St); take a cab here if you are not fond of driving on very narrow streets that meander all over the place. There's lots to love about this favorite haunt, not the least of which is sitting on a patio under a huge, majestic tree and sampling such delicacies as the stuffed fruit w/chopped lamb (fig, apricot, and prune served with rice and pumkin) or the chicken meatballs in a sweet sauce.

Second night--dinner with the family--

All this good food, mixed in with a small dose of jet-lag, made an afternoon schnooze seem like a great idea and one that both Rae-ann and I heartedly endorsed. We got up, feeling much less the worse for wear, and headed out to meet Pam's nieces Shira and Dana, her nephew Yaron, and first cousin Ilan at a local Italian restaurant called Amore Miro (100 Ibn Gabriol St--a 10 minute walk from our hotel). This get-together was one of the moments whose anticipation had been causing me and Rae-ann a lot of angst. After all, these were family members to whom Pam was incredibly close. They, along with their parents (Pam's sister Bev and brother-in-law Chezi) and 2 uncles (a brother Steve in South Africa, and another brother Alan in NY) were all been part of Pam's large, amaingly loving and supportive family. How would we all react to each other? My nerves must have been showing as we were getting ready to leave the hotel. Rae-ann touched me very gently and asked "if I was ok" and "whether I was anxious about dinner" and I told her that I was. I then asked her how she was feeling and she said "the same"; we gave each other a hug, grabbed each other's hand, and headed out to the restaurant.
We were the first to arrive but only waited a few moments for eveyone else to appear. I think that everyone felt a bit awkward at first, but those feelings seemed to pass quickly enough as we ordered food and got into 3 or 4 conversations at one time. Rae-ann and I split 2 interesting dishes--ravioli with Jerusalem artichokes (which are not really artichokes at all, but a veggie nonetheless) served in a cream sauce (rarely see me going this route but that was what was on the menu) and a spaghetti served with sweet potatoes, herbs and cooked in olive oil. We enjoyed our dishes, but they were nothing to rave about. The restaurant is not kosher, a not uncommon situation in Tel Aviv, so keep that in mind if kashruth is a major issue for you. (I do keep kosher at home, but eat out and make sure I know how things are prepared.) We split a half bottle of 2004 Gamla Merlot that went well with the meal. (Total bill was about $100 for the 6 of us.)