5.may.2006 _ tel aviv

After 4 hours of flying, and 2 hours of questioning in the Brussels Airport by the annoying and very ridiculous questioning knights from the El Al flight company from Israel! It showed right away what this holiday was about to be, one fragile country trying to take over another one... or just about anyone.

this was the first thing I saw when I arrived in Tel Aviv...

very good after all of the stress of the airport, all the questions, all the undressing and mechanical devices they search you with, and the 3 times "are you sure you sleep in the same bed as him?" or "how long have you been together?", "why are you portuguese and he is italian?" ... or amazing things such as, "what do you mean you're Architects?", "what is a portfolio?", "what's your address? (I answered "st. antoniusstraat") WHAT'S THAT???!" I said "a street..."

so as you can see... just a good chit chat amongs friendly people! I was glad most of all to be asked this in my bra and underwear!!!!

it was easy to visit Tel Aviv that day... we were tired, exausted actually, but it was nice being received in such a suspicious country by "family".
they took us right where we'd forget the bad things... the sea... the sun... and just plain Tel Aviv, where the fishing boats sit still, where children fish, where restaurants start their grills... and where the sun sets.

details...




ah this sun... and night fun is about to start in Tel Aviv... people start coming out of their jobs, it's friday night, and apparently also here they know how to enjoy it...


of course no night is a fun night in the summer... or just in very good weather, without a dinner in a Hebrew country in a Russian fish restaurant!!!! almost like home!

with good food, good company... and cute new friends...

it was a full day, filled with what we understood to be the normal whirl of emotions... this was just the first day... the first of what became the most interesting, fullfilling and emotional holiday I ever took... and to think that we had thought of just going for 3 days for New Year's... it would have never been enough.

The fear of going to the Middle East just flew away, as soon as you notice just how normal this country can be... or should I say for now, how normal people look... this was just a taste of "normal" life... but nothing in this side of the world is "normal" to me.

We ended the night laughing about the amazing decoration in our friends' place in Jerusalem! Is was decorated by an Arab (no racism, just division... it's how it works over there!). He was so proud of his furniture!!!!

A good laugh to a great day...

Tomorrow... the holiday will really start... the lesson of my life!