Getting around on Shabbat

I was invited to a birthday brunch for my nephew Dan at the home of his father. They all live in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. When I take the bus, it is no problem. From the central bus station I take a bus to a stop that is a 5 minute walk to their home. The bus takes about an hour and costs about $8 each way. No problem- except when the party is on Saturday. The buses don't run from about 2 hours before sunset on Friday until about 2 hours after sunset on Saturday.

I began my adventure after leaving work on Saturday morning at 10:00 am. Brunch was called for 12:30. I walked about a mile straight uphill (I am always walking uphill- I haven't figured out how that keeps happening!) until I found a taxi to take me to center city for a price of about $10. From there, I took a sherut. A sherut is a loosely organized private bus/taxi service. There is a meeting place and once the sherut is full, they will take off to some of the popular destinations. I easily found a sherut going to Tel Aviv and left within minutes of my arrival at the corner of center city Jerusalem. Once I got to Tel Aviv I had 2 choices to get me to their little town. I could hire a private taxi for a cost of $47 or I could take another sherut for $4. The problem was that they would not leave until the sherut was full and not many people were going to this small town. So I cooled my heels in Tel Aviv for an hour until the sherut filled. From there I walked to their home. The whole process took me about 3.5 hours- a lot longer then a weekday but I made it without problems and was proud of myself in the process. I arrived about an hour late but, in typical Israeli fashion, it had gotten underway late too. Yaacov served wonderful salads and egg dishes and freshly made apple juice which was delicious. It was so much fun being with the family.

After brunch, the 4 year old son of Tal and Natalie approached me. He does not speak a word of English. I was told that he asked me if I wanted to play with him. He is so cute, of course I said yes. So he took me by the hand and led me across the drive from his grandfather's home to his home. We went into his room and found a common language in play figures such as his Superman, Batman and Spiderman. So we were playing alone in his home for about 15 minutes when he mentioned that he had to go to the bathroom (I understood that) and off he went. When he returned, he said something about a bulbul. I had no idea what he was saying so I asked him "Mah ze bulbul?", what's a bulbul? He then proceeded to pull down his pants and show me his "bulbul"- so I learned a new word! I started laughing hysterically because I was caught by surprise. He of course started laughing too. I said "lo, lo bulbul" (no, no penis)! It was very funny.

After the party, I went to Brinda's home and spent the night. Today we went shopping and had a nice lunch out. From there I hopped the bus and was back in Jerusalem in no time. It was a great weekend and I loved being able to share Dan's birthday with him.

The pictures are as follows: Me and the birthday boy Dan, then Dan and his new wife Tanya, Yaacov and Edna and Natalie and Tal.

I am leaving on Saturday to meet Zach in Istanbul. I am very excited about the trip. I will post my adventures in Turkey when I return.

My interesting observation of Israel: The movie theaters have assigned seats. When you buy a ticket you are given a choice of available seats and must sit in the assigned one as though you are at a broadway show. They also have an intermission. In the middle of the movie the lights go on and the movie stops for 10 minutes so you can get snacks. It is odd and disruptive to me.