Beach and Shopping!

Wow! A long day, and I haven't even started classes yet!

So, the first thing they SHOULD have told us when we got here would have been how to get hot water in our shower. For the past two days, I just took frigid showers because I was too tired to even complain that much. This morning, however, we figured it out. There's a timer/knob in our kitchen that turns on the electricity for the water heater in the apartment. So, you have to turn on the knob for at least 30 minutes so the water will get hot, and then you have to take your shower before all the water gets cold again, which is surprisingly quickly.

After breakfast and a hot shower (finally), I met up with some girls around 11 and we started walking towards the beach. Tel Aviv University is in the north part of the city, over a little river, and is about three miles from the city center (officially). We were told that the beach was 15 minutes from campus, though, and we thought it'd be nice to walk down to the market (Shuk HaCarmel), which is in the southern part of the city, while walking along the beach. Well, we turned towards the beach and started walking, but we ran into the little baby airport and had to make a detour and made it to the beach in about 35 minutes.

The "beach" that we were on was in fact a boardwalk, and really pretty and nice. What's super interesting is that they have outdoor gym equipment for public use.  It's pretty much just your basic machines, and they use your body weight rather than built-in weights.  Also on this boardwalk were huge jungle gyms and swing sets and all sorts of playground equipment that looked like it was for adults. (At least it was big enough for adults.)

We finally did hit the beach and walked some through the sand and felt the water. The temperature while we were walking was fairly high - probably the mid/high 70's, but the water was relatively cold. There were some people in the water, and quite a few on the beach, but still was a lot quieter than I've seen it in the past.

Walking down the beach was nice, and we finally found the market after about three hours of walking. I got a trashcan and a blanket and some delicious strawberries in the market. Some of the other girls got some things, too. We asked at a stall where to get falafel, and we were sent down a side alley for some that was both good and cheap. (Six shekel! That's less than $2.) Then we headed back to campus, where I took a nap. It was about five hours of walking, overall.

I must say, Israelis love to shop. The market was huge, and there was everything from fresh fruit and bread to clothing and shoes to towels and bedding. And it's all relatively cheap. The food is amazing and fresh and smells wonderful. The clothing is all the latest fashions and comfortable. It's just a fun place to be, especially if you like shopping, and even if you don't, like me.

My roommate woke me up around 7 for tonight's Tel Aviv Nightlife Tour, which was really interesting. We saw some cool places and learned a tiny bit of history, but mostly it was about, "Here's a bar. There's a bar. That's a gay bar. This is a pickup bar. You should go to that bar." Apparently there's a lot of drinking and a lot of bars. It's what all the Israeli's do - go out and get drunk. It costs about the same as in the States for a drink ($6 for a draft beer at a more expensive place), but they do sometimes have specials, like 60 Shekel for unlimited drinks (about $18/20).

Tonight's tour really drove home the whole temperature duality for me. During the day, I wore shorts and a tee and was comfortably warm.  Tonight, I wore long pants and a jacket and was on the chilly side. It goes from a high of 80/85 during the day to a low of 55/60. It makes dressing for the afternoon and evening difficult, but I'm sure I'll get better at it.

Tomorrow is Friday, so it's our official weekend. (SO weird!) Classes start on Sunday. Hopefully I can get my final things in order and catch up on sleep before then.

Lilah tov!