Day Nine - The Viv

The post for Day Nine was written by Heather Cole:

We began our day once again with an incredible variety of foods for breakfast, Oy vey, the food! A buffet filled with sweets and savories: from vegetables and vegetable salads; to varieties of cheeses and sour creams and fishes; to eggs and potatoes and French toast; to cereals and fruit, nuts and grains; to a wide variety of sweets! I'm sure I missed something, needless to say the breakfasts on this trip have certainly nourished us to begin our days of touring. 

From breakfast we rode the bus to an area of Tel Aviv which was filled with street art and carpenter shops mixed with a neighborhood of residences and cafés. It was here where I was almost run over by two bicyclists. Israelis bike like they drive, and like they walk: Fast and Furious. 

We met our guide, Guy Sharett, who walked us through the 'local life' of the community. Professionally, he works at Google in Israel, but he is also a teacher of modern Hebrew and culture. As he led us through the area, we were given mini lessons on streetwise Hebrew with his teaching tools being street signs, storefronts, and images within the graffiti art. 

As we strolled, he pointed out the works of various artists, some of whom even do work in other parts of the world, and Guy identified how they are recognized by their specific trademarks. One artist's theme is bandaides and monkeys- yup I said bandaids, another ducks, and a third - known as C-215 - has his signature placed inside a cube. The art, I thought, was fantastic. We ended in a small gallery where the artists put their work on canvas and such for the opportunity to be sold. We learned that this area was soon to be demolished and among many parts of Tel Aviv, to be apart of the gentrification of the city; and as Guy told us, the city that now wishes to be called 'The Viv.'

From there we traveled to Jaffa, where we explored the narrow stone streets filled with beautiful homes, galleries and boutiques. All while taking in the picturesque view of Tel Aviv lining the Mediterranean sea. Standing at a great lookout point, our guide, Muki, pointed out 6 cranes in one swivel, noting all of the new construction surrounding The Viv. 

Hot and hungry - Jeezz! How on earth could we be hungry again!?! - we moved on to the shuk where we had the most aaaaaamaaaazing hummus and shopped a bit. 

Back at the hotel, we  then had a few hours before Shabbat. Some shopped,  some rested, and some of us went to the beach or pool. Sarah and I walked the two city blocks to the beach and took our first swim in the very warm Mediterranean Sea. How much fun riding the waves in Israel!!!

We met as a group again and set out for Shabbat services. Our destination was Beit Tefilah Yisraeli, a boardwalk-type setting with plastic red chairs set up facing the Mediterranean. A most untraditional service more like an outreach, with song leaders, musicians, mass singing, and a bit of dancing and praying to all kinds of tunes (including 'Let It Be'!) and oh, kids riding a merry-go-round right next to us. It was incredible welcoming in Shabbat by watching the sun set over the sea with a group of people who had such energy. It was a beautiful sight to see, but even more beautiful to feel. The vibe was tantalizing. The feeling I would use to describe would simply be "ALIVE." 

As we made our way back to the hotel for dinner, walking along the shoreline, we witnessed the invigorating Friday night of Tel Aviv. We ate with a Lone Soldier, named Avi, who told us his story of moving from Chicago to join the Israeli army. He talked about army life, guarding the border and touched on his experience in combat last year on the front line. And he knew someone from Ohev! (Of course...)

To sum it up, another fantastic day in Israel!!