Winter Sets In

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv finally received some significant rain this week, as a cold front moved in. Not Minnesota or Montana but definitely brisk, compared to what we have been experiencing. We'd been warned about the possibility of cold, wet weather in November and December but until now it has been surprisingly mild and dry.  (Our visitors really lucked out on the weather). But this week the rains finally came, mobilizing the motor oil and grease that has accumulated on the streets over the summer and fall. That first flushing of oil and dirt by the rain always results in highly polluted storm water runoff. (And also reminded me of walking down icy streets in New York winters, especially on those ancient cobbles).

Chow Down that Haute Cuisine

So we took a rain day and headed to the Palmach Museum in Tel Aviv.  Heard an amazing and moving story of how Israel built its armed forces from virtually nothing (in the military equivalent of the blink of an eye) and then successfully defended the country in 1948 against 4 or 5 professional armies.

After the museum we headed for the old port in Tel Aviv which has been gentrified with shops, restaurants and the like.  Very scenic, with crashing surf and the setting sun but once inside the shopping areas, close your eyes and you could be in the Ferry Building or Stonestown. We ended up in our first chi-chi restaurant since we've been here.  I am so used to the downscale places where they put 10 little salads and side dishes in front of you, with a mound of pita bread, before you even get the menu, that I was getting impatient when they left us with the menus for 10 minutes.  Really, give me a cheap shwarma or falafel and humus any day of the week (but you have to love a kid - that would be Toby -  who orders the lamb tortellini and then chows it down).  An enjoyable last day of the holiday break - the kids are back to school on Dec 6 - and they want to go :)

Edible Art - looks better than it tasted