Super Weekend

Wow.  Today's been busy.  We did so much.  But first let me catch you up on Saturday...

We slept in because we were both still tired, and then I made a nice big breakfast of muffins, fruit and tea.  Very tasty, if I do say so myself. =]

Then we took the metro to the tram to the Atomium.  It was a nice, long ride, but we enjoyed seeing Brussels.  I learned there's a river!  Anyways, we got to the Atomium and looked at the lines and decided there was no way we would have time to see everything.  So we took a different tram back to our station.  It was really cool to see everything from the tram, plus it was nice and warm.

Then we headed back to the apartment and packed before making a quick trip to the grocery store and the nearby mall.  We got some interesting and tasty chocoltes and headed to the airport after going back to get our things. 

We got through security no problem and sat at the gate a while.  We dined on nutella and peanut butter or speculoos sandwiches, fresh fruit and delicious homemade granola bars.  When we boarded, there was nothing really special, but they came through with drinks and then quite possibly the most disgusting meal I have ever had.  It was beef in a weird sauce that we couldn't identify, sweet potatoes that were oddly cooked, pasta in a sour salad, and bread, which wasn't too bad.  We also had smelly cheese and pre-packaged waffles.  The waffles were saved for another time. 

The flight was four hours and not unpleasant.  Customs was a breeze and we got our luggage quickly (they made us check it).  The airport was incredible - one of, if not the, nicest airports I have ever been in, and it seems I've been in a lot of airports recently.  It was all circular and clean and just gorgeous.  Kindof put's the opening line of Douglas Adams's "Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul" to the test...

Anyways, we made it to the apartment quickly and went to bed after a bit to eat.

This morning we got up and both took showers before going out to breakfast with Inge.  It was delicious.  Three types of bread with at least six types of toppings - apricot jam, apple cinnamon, butter, tuna salad, red pepper something or other and some green chili or something, plus two eggs sunny side up to split, some weird cheeeses and a cup of coffee and tea.  It was very good.  Then we walked around a little bit, got a loaf of bread, saw the main plaza and walked through the mall. 

What was interesting was that, before you could enter the mall, there was a cop standing there checking purses and bags.  It was obviously a security measure, but it was unexpected for me.  There weren't any problems, and we went through to see all the shops. 

We headed back to the apartment to change before going down to the beach.  The boardwalk was nice, and we sat and had hummus and shared a lemon-mint smoothie.  Both were very tasty - better than any I've had before, except for a couple of homemade versions.  We were going to go in the water, but it was decently cold so we didn't.

Inge left to go take her siesta about 2, and we stayed on the beach a while before wandering around the streets of Tel Aviv.  We had basic directions and the address, so we started out following them but followed the crowds, ending up on a big street with lots of shops and interesting things.  When we hit a cross-road we recognized from taking the taxi to the beach, we turned and headed up, back towards the apartment.  We ended up back at the main plaza and walked around trying to find a place to get lunch.

After walking a ridiculous distance, we finally found a little place.  It was delicious.  I've never actually liked falafel, which we were determined to get, but it was really good.  We shared a plate with a big salad, falafel and hummus, and a lemonade.  It's so cool how many names and things are the same, just phonetically spelled in Hebrew.  There were things like "Doritos" and "Sprite" and of course "Coca-Cola", but also things like lemonade and burger. 

Anyways, we had lunch about 4 and then walked back to the apartment, getting back around 4:30.  It was a lot of walking. 

Inge then went through her clothes and I had to try a whole bunch on to see what I could wear and what I wanted.  We got halfway through and then we had to leave to meet up with some friends of Inge's, who took us to Jaffa, which was the old town.  The buildings were really pretty and we watched the sunset over the ocean.  It was very cool.  Then we wandered around a bit, took some cool pictures and looked at jewelry before we were wisked away for a big dinner at Rachel's house- another friend of Inge's.

Wow.  so. Much. Food. We started off with a whole bunch of salad things, and then there was fish (and gefilte fish, eww...), which I understood to be dinner... And then there was the meat course with meatballs in peas, roast beef, schnitzel and chicken.  Then there was the soup. Then there was the fruit (amazing - grapefruits with juice mixed with grated apples). Then there was the fresh fruit. Then there was the tea and nuts.  It was all so delicious. 

Don't ask me who was who or who belonged with whom, but there were a lot of people.  Rachel, her daughter, two grandkids with their hubbies and kids... You know what? It was just twelve people or so. Very interesting.

Then we got a ride home with one family and are now going to bed.

Goodnight, world.