Tourism is sin, and travel on foot virtue.

I awoke to sunshine streaming in my 7th floor window and the Meditteranean sparkling like crystals below.

I took my time showering and dressing, as I was determined to enjoy every moment of my last day in Israel.

I leisurely ate breakfast, did a little people watching and lounged over a cup of green tea.

After checking my email (you gotta love a hotel that provided FREE internet access), I grabbed a taxi and was on my way to Tel Aviv University.  The University is about 5 minutes north of central Tel Aviv by car.  The driver took me to the entrance and as I was getting out I inquired whether it would be easy to get a taxi back to Hayarkon.  "If you're lucky" was his response.  Not what I wanted to hear, but not surprising for Israel.

I made my way through security at the gate and followed the signs to the Museum of the Diaspora (Beth Hatefutsoth).

Tel Aviv University reminded me of U.C.L.A. or the University of Miami at Coral Gables.  The buildings are of modern design and there is greenery and tropical plantings everywhere.  There was also the scent of hot house flowers in the air.  Like so many other places I'd visited in Israel, there were a number of stray cats taking in the sun right in front of the museum.

The museum was just opening when I arrived.  I paid the entrance fee and walked upstairs to begin my tour.

The museum was fairly quiet, except for a school class in the midst of a guided tour.  This group of teenagers was not particularly enthralled by the subject matter and though they were not neither boisterous or rowdy, it was obvious that they could think of something better to do with their time on this gorgeous day.

I got off to a slow start myself, but after going through a room or two, I became engaged in the subject matter.  Unlike the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, one doesn't come to see artifcats per se, but to see replicas, recreations or film depicting Jewish life from all over the world.  I was fascinated by the models of synagogues which were miniature replications of actual houses of worship that no longer exist.  As I looked in the glass enclosed cases I wondered if my grandmother had seen the Great Synagogue in Warsaw or if my grandfather had seen the world-renown Yeshiva & Synagogue in Vilna.  When I came to the Touro Synagogue that was built during the American Colonial era, I remembered that the original congregation received a letter from President George Washington reiterating the commitment of the newly created United States to be a place where one was free to worship as they chose..

I sat down at the interactive Music Center and messed about with the computer whose massive database maintained information on Jewish composers, musicians, etc.  For fun I called I clicked on Burt Bacharach's name and lo and behold got all his vital music stats.

The exhibit depicting the struggle of Soviet Jewry was very powerful.  Photographs of protest marches staged in NYC in the 1970's and photographs of the Soviet dissidents like Anatol (Natan) Sharansky were very familiar to me.  The real surprise was that I recognized a woman in one of the photographs from our Mission.  Bobbie had told me she had been an active in the movement to free the Soviet Jews and sure enough there she was in a photo among other activists.

After a 3 hour tour, I asked a woman working at the front desk if she would call a taxi for me.  Within 5 minutes the taxi arrived and I was on my way back to central Tel Aviv.

I asked the taxi to take me to Rothschild Boulevard because I wanted to see Independence Hall where Ben Gurion declared the existance of the State of Israel following the U.N. vote to partition Palestine.  Seeing backpacks and bookbags covering the lobby entrance, I decided rather than wade my way through a school field trip, I'd skip the tour of this historic building.

The southern part of Rothschild Blvd. is a busy thoroughfare on weekdays as that is the heart of the business district.  Restaurants were filled with folks on their lunch breaks.

Without any clue, I opted for Moses an American style hamburger restaurant.  I should note that it was not Kosher which may surprise you.  It turns out that Tel Aviv has an abundance of non-Kosher food.  This may stem from the fact that it is much more secular than other parts of the country, embassies are located here (many on Hayarkon - the Melody Hotel was once the site of the Canadian Embassy) and it is the destination for business people and tourists from all over the world and restaurants need to cater to the customers to stay in business.

I sat in the bar/lounge and had a veggie burger.  It was okay.  Don't go out of your way to eat here.

I decided I had to see the Habima Theater which was located on the other end of Rothschild Boulevard.  The Habima Theater Company was founded in Moscow in 1918.  The famed actor and drama teacher Stanislavsky attended the first performance.  In the 1920's the company emigrated to Palestine and after Israel declared statehood the Habima Theater Company became the National Theater of Israel.  Perhaps the best known member of the company is Chaim Topol, the Israeli native, who became an international film star with his oscar-nominated role of Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof.  Topol was only in his early 40's when he played Tevya in 1970 and continues to revive the role on stages around the world today.

I left Moses and headed northwest on Rothschild Boulevard.  This little stroll to see the Habima became a long afternoon hike.

I did turn off Rothschild briefly to find a pharmacy where I bought robutussin and cough drops.  I don't know about you, but I am always happy to find my tried and true pharmaceutical supplies when out of the U.S.  Twenty-three years ago I arrived in London with a miserable cold.  I trudged out in the snow in search of a drugstore and to my delight I found Robutuss.  I was so happy I practically cried all the way to my seedy hotel.

The sun was strong, but the central & northern ends of Rothschild Boulevard are lined with trees providing much needed shade.  The further I walked the more residential the street became.  I would venture to guess that this is one of the more exclusive sections of town.  One apartment balcony featured a modern life-size sculpture of 3 people who resembled a little choir.

Looking frequently at my Streetwise Jerusalem Map, I finally came upon the Habima, or I should say the construction site for what would be the New Habima Theater Complex.  It was a bit disappointing not to see the famous theater, but this gave me another reason to return to Israel.

At the Habima I turned south on Bograshov Street.  I passed the Irgun/Jabotinsky Museum and turned onto King George V Street into the shopping district.

On King George V Street I looked at some beautiful bags that were far beyond my limited financial resources.  I went into a very funky soho type clothing shop, attracted by a t-shirt with Golda Meirs visage touting girl power. The next stop was the Little Prince Book Shop, where I browsed and spoke briefly to the woman who owned the shop.  I could have spent an hour there adding to my home library, but adding books to my already bursting at the seams suitcase would have been unwise.  I asked for a business card.  She didn't have one.  I asked about a website.  She didn't have one either.  She jotted down her address on a post-it and I tucked it in my back pack before leaving.

At the intersection of King George V and Allenby, I turned and went east up Shenkin Street known for its small trendy boutiques.  I think I reached my shopping threshhold at this point, because although I went in and out of a half a dozen shops, I didn't buy a single thing.

I made a few turns here and there, got a little lost until I found my way back to Allenby Street.  I walked a bit through the crowded Ha'Carmel Market and looked at the stands of t-shirts, cheap jewelry and shoes.  Back on Allenby, my tired feet prompted me to look in a shoe store.  I tried on some comfy sandals but left sans new shoes.  The storekeeper was a bit perturbed but I had learned by now not to let his attitude get to me.  It is important to remember that salespeople can turn a little nasty, if you take up their time and don't buy anything.  Unless you want to drop money in every shop in Tel Aviv you have to learn to not take it personally.

At the end of Allenby I came to a traffic circle and crossed over to the beach.  I walked along the boardwalk (really a cement sidewalk).  I lay down on the sea wall with my knapsack under my head and my shades over my eyes.  The sun and the cool breeze felt great.  After a while I sat up and watched the kite surfers jumping the waves on their boards while holding onto the brightly colored sails.  The water looked rough but these Tel Aviv surfers were tough and they looked as if they were being held up by invisible string.

I reluctantly began to walk north along the beach passing the Dan, the Sheraton, the Crowne Plaza, the Carlton and the Hilton.  I sat on a bench next to the Marina for a while and watched the joggers and the dog walkers go by.  Then I hiked up the hill behind the Hilton and through the park next to it.  In the park were many mattresses.  I thought these might belong to the Sudanese who have fled their war-torn homeland and have taken refuge in Tel Aviv.  My NYC sensibilites told me to walk briskly here.  Back on Hayarkon I crossed at the light and there was the Melody Hotel.

I went in, freshened up and changed my sweaty clothes.  Like the previous two nights I went up to Ben Yehuda and Dizengoff looking for dinner.  I looked quite a bit and decided on a fish restaurant.  When the menu came, I realized that I had chosen a restaurant the specialized in shell fish.  Back home in the states I would have been delighted.  I was raised on New England lobster, shrimp scampi, not to mention shrimp lo mein.  But somehow I couldn't bring myself to order a fabulous fresh bowl of mussels like the table next to me.  I opted for the grilled salmon.  The meal was just alright, definitely nowhere as good as my last two dinner had been.  My Kosher conscience howerver was satisfied.

After dinner I walked a bit more, indulged in an ice cream pop and headed back to the Melody to pack my things, confirm my wake up call and taxi reservation for the following morning.

With tired feet and fully belly I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.