A Day on the Pier (of Tel Aviv)

With our patience with Jerusalem slowly waning, we decided to take a day trip to Tel Aviv for a few hours on Monday. Last year when my parents were here with my sister and her kids they went to watch the sunset along the pier and have dinner. My parents had a great time and decided to do it again with me.

Getting away from Jerusalem was a nice change of pace. Being in Tel Aviv was not all that different from being in Boston or New York at high rush-hour time. We spent at least an hour in the car just moving around the city. Thank god we got out and walked because if we hadn’t we would have missed some beautiful views of the beach in Yaffo. Walking along the boardwalk was a nice shift from walking around Jerusalem. I miss the air of the beach and actually look forward to going to the beach this summer.

While in the car for another 25-minute ride through traffic, we got a play by play of everything we were passing before we got to the pier. It’s currently being fixed up and looks gorgeous. Walking around the shops and looking out onto the ocean was really fun and a nice way to spend a day with my parents. When it came time to eat dinner, we went to the restaurant they had gone to last year. For some reason, they were not at all understanding or willing to adjust for our food restrictions and we went off in search of an alternative.

Eating in Israel has been exceedingly challenging. Finding a sushi place was lucky and it was delicious. The view we looked out on made the meal more special because as the sun set, the water and sky became shades of orange and yellow and the clouds looked like a painting. Moments like those are irreplaceable. Experiencing them with people you love is unforgettable.

As we approach the final leg of our trip, I feel so fortunate and lucky I was able to get away with my parents for this long. Exploring all of these places just the three of us has its moments when the tensions between us run high, but there is something that will be so memorable about this trip and I will cherish that forever.