Give or take 5 pm n Friday 2 and a half weeks ago we landed in cottage tnuva airport, did not pass go, or collected anything from the duty free ; but we did something I wouldn’t never think I would have to do; took a free map of Israel from the tourist ministry; I am officially a tourist now; alla was mystified by the free cart for the luggage.
We went to the visitors halls to the hugging arms of my dad and sister, rented a phone and drove home.
After a quick shower, we sat down for a proper Israeli family feast; poor alla a bit overwhelmed by so many new and inquisitive people, but there was not time to pause and think , a couple of hours later my friends began to arrive and a very nice night passed with laughter, water melon and cakes.
Around 1am or so we crashed into bed, only to wake at 5am (yes FIVE, the one before before seven), took 1 shoko in sakit, bread with shachar (mmmmm…) and another shoko to go and headed north to Nazareth to meet alla’s friends (the couple we met in Toronto). Apparently the kid who met me once was asking about me (or Alla tries to stir paternal emotions in meJ) , so when we got there a simple gourmet breakfast awaited us; a simple scrambled eggs, cucumbers ,Zfatit, cottage ; the US ahs more cheeses and bigger vegetables- but they are definitely not as good; I guess because here they are actually fresh, like real fresh; then we played ball with the kid for a while; after which alla went with them to the pool and I took a little critical snatch.
After a while a tired group came in after a pool visit and we continued to our 2nd destination- after a short detour to Alla’s former neighborhood.
Alon hagalil is a small but lovely Moshav, not far from Nazareth; I was hiking there in my previous trip and it was blooming all over; now the bloom was gone, but the trees were blossoming which was very nice. We met another childhood friend of Alla’s and there (since we were so hungry, from eating so much) they made a taboon oven on the outside, we helped making the flat bread, and they made bread in their back yard (very cool, except the oven which was hot), yogurt and some other irrelevant things (vegis) and good olives. After a while more of their friends arrived, they are all friends of Alla’s family from Moscow- and one of the guys kept finding reasons to toast; drinking lovers usually find lots of reasons to toast, and I helped myself to a couple (or 3) shots; this may become a habit; I still don’t enjoy vodka, but I drink it more and more. We stayed there for hours in friendly company , moving from their house to their friends house (sorry I am bad with names, you cannot expect me to remember names after 2 weeks, right), the drinking friends and he told me a story on the properties of a Portuguese brandy, which they use to kill the yeast when making wine; I don’t know if the story is true or not, but it was a reason to drink (soooo anooothhehrr shotttt).
Sober later we moved on, barely escaping a kind invitation to stay the night and headed west. If you recall we were meant to be in rosh hanikra and acre today, but chanign plans is the nature of my trips and at 5 and something we were on the beach in kibuts nachsholim – a beach I never visited (after not entering a neighboring Dor beach who wanted to charge entry, hutzpa).
Quickly we were in the water. Alla did not see the sea in some years, but even in the afternoon breeze it was worth it.
It was still early in the day- around 7pm and we went north again to Dado beach ; I was in the area but never in this beach - living to my new reputation as a bona fie tourist; where we met more of Alla’s friends and sat down for dinner, where I had a Jachnoon matrif and alla had a malawach magniv – the matrif part was lots of melted cheese on the jachnoon (because, otherwise it is not fattening enough).I forgot what was the magniv edition. Around later we drove back to Ra’anana, got in around midnight and quickly crashed again.
In retrospect, this 1st night and day of not enough sleep affected our entire trip- I was sleepy the whole time; next time sleep in the 1st night.
Sunday is a strange day, I am not used to working on Sunday(though I had no problem not working Friday). Alla went shopping (and bonding) with my mom and sister, got some dresses, burekas and other stuff (but that’s her blog). After wards we went, where did we go? oh I just remembered (after Alla told me). But before we got there, we stopped by derech eretz – which is a wedding hall- our first option for the wedding. The place was lovely; a garden with lots of hidden statues and things to see if you only took the time to look (perfect for me), the catering was good , and we had our lead option, though the peacocks were shouting a bit too much.
There was a photographer at the door, taking photos of incoming guests. I asked the guy for a business card, he didn’t think twice and left his post to fetch a card, then walked to his car to find a card and hand to us. I guess he wants the business, but he missed people coming in, lots of them; I don’t want my photographer to leave for future prospects – so this guy was checked off the potential photographers list; which contains only 1 photographer at this time.
We moved on to an Irish pub for noomi’s birthday and a very nice evening ending with a crappy crepe. Optimistic about our potential wedding place, we crashed.
It is time I crash too; unlike the guy in this story, I need my beauty sleep.
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