Melbourne to Tel Aviv

It is early evening Monday in Tel Aviv.

 

Left Melbourne on Saturday evening - by bizarre coincidence D, K and E arrived at the airport to move to Australia as H and I were leaving, so we had a chance to say hello.  E is very cute.

 

Qantas economy to Hong Kong.  I subsisted for 9 fairly painful hours.  The idiot in front put his seat as far back as possible as soon as possible, then left it there as long as possible.  Lots of fun with a sore lower back and broken shoulder.  I slept a little and the nice girl next to me helpfully let me know that I snored as I slept.

 

5 hours in Hong Kong airport.  A few of them spent organising AirFrance boarding pass, then I ate a fairly good bowl of congee for breakfast.

 

12 hours from Hong Kong to Paris on AirFrance.  Premium Economy.  Plenty of room and moderately comfortable seats.  Easily the least attentive service I've experienced on a plane - totally ignored for many hours in a row.  They served cognac after dinner which was a bonus.  The meals contained pork and seafood in abundance.

 

Almost 2 hours at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.  Tight security for an Israel flight.  H had a fairly intensive pat-down, with particular attention paid to her groin.  I had to totally empty and repack my hand luggage.  Feeling fairly light-headed by this time.

 

5 hours from Paris to Tel Aviv, arriving at 12:30am local time after 33+ hours of travel.  Amazingly our luggage was successfully checked through all the way from Melbourne.  Immigration was stress-free.  Shimon, the taxi driver recommended by D, met us at the airport and we made it to our hotel by 1:30ish.

 

Sleep.

 

Today started with an Israeli breakfast buffet at the hotel.  So much to choose from. 

5 types of white cheese.  Various yellow cheeses.  Multiple kinds of eggs.  Numerous salads.  Two types of cheesecake. Halva.   Fruit.  Yoghurt.  More.

 

Then a walk towards Jaffa along the boardwalk.  So good to feel the sun and see the beautiful beach.  H rested and I walked almost to Jaffa.  Incredibly hot - a taxi driver told us it was 43 degrees.  Not sure if he was exaggerating.

 

After a rest lunch at a cafe on Dizengof and then the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.  The art museum was great.  A smallish but really good collection of art from the last few centuries (stopping at around the 1930s, other than some really good contemporary Israeli art).  Impressionists, post-impressionists, German expressionists - lots of good stuff and some particularly good sculptures.  Eventually we stumbled on their old masters section - the overtly christian art was not exactly highlighted - it was in the basement and could only be reached via an unmarked set of curtains through a loud Israeli installation piece about a burial ground.  Some beautiful Dutch masters, a pretty good Pieta.  Again a fairly small collection but some nice 16th and 16th century works.

 

A swim in the Sheraton pool overlooking the sea.  Watching the teenagers circle each other until evenetually a conversation was started.

 

Now off to dinner in Jaffa.