Tel Aviv

Yesterday we took the train down to Tel Aviv. It took just over an hour from the Haifa central station.

Tel Aviv is a big, metropolitan city with a very different feel to it from either Jerusalem or Haifa. We went first to the Eretz Yisrael Museum, one of the best in the country. Fabulous exhibits on ancient coins, olive and wine presses, very modern ceramics, 6th century mosaics, and an archeological dig right in the middle of the museum complex, showing a town from the Canaanite period and Philistine temples from 3,000 years ago.

Unfortunately for us, everything closed early because it was Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), so I could not go shopping at the big Dizengoff Center (somehow, Jon was not as disappointed as I was). Also, the big shuk was closed. So we walked down to the beach instead.

Now, here was the kind of promenade I had been looking for! Lots of hotels, restaurants, shops, cafes, music, and people everywhere. And apparently they came from everywhere, too, because we heard a huge range of languages.

The boys got tired and we took the train home (riding on the upper level of a double-decker train -- very cool). We decided to get off at a different Haifa station: Hof HaCarmel, which is Carmel Beach, and lo and behold, here was a miniature version of the Tel Aviv promenade! We knew there had to be something like this somewhere in Haifa. So this is where we will go to the beach, hopefully tomorrow. Stay tuned!