Slammed in the city: Journal 11/10/06

Walking the streets of Tel Aviv makes me understand why people say it’s a mixture of the old and the new. I could just as easily see a black clad rabbi walking past a Dior outfitted hipster. Old buildings off the streets are filled with the same modern “stuff” we have back home.

But it’s the little things that really make the city stick out. Such as…. cat’s everywhere! I’m not sure why but there are cats coming out of every alley, bush, and pipe. In most big cities it’s the rat that’s the nuisance. But here it’s cats. Big ones, little ones, black ones, and orange ones. Many of them don’t look quite healthy, but some are fit as a fiddle. I noticed that some people put food and water dishes outside of their apartments for them. It must ease the guilt of seeing them all day and every day but not having the space or time to take care of them. 

Here’s a little clip of all the crazy little kitties:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYTPuaJvY10

Today is a Friday which means it’s the weekend here. Friday and Saturdays to them are our Saturday and Sundays in America. (Just like in Iraq.) The streets were much more crowded than the prior day when everyone was at work. Without any big trips planned, E and I walked several streets downtown in Tel Aviv.

While passing by people on the streets I heard an assortment of different languages and accents; Hebrew, British, German, etc. It seems like the one common language for everyone is English. At an outdoor market, the roads were crowded with yelling and pushing. I would have bought something if I hadn’t been feeling so foreign and apprehensive. Not to mention, I’m sorely aware of my tourist status and have a bad habit of seeing most things as just crap to buy as a souvenir. So, I spent the day observing and walking and just soaking in the atmosphere.