This is how I roll with the Bears in Tel Aviv

I have a border-line unhealthy love affair with the Chicago Bears.  I say unhealthy because when the games are at my finger tips, my mood can run hot and cold.  I could be excited or I could brush it off knowing that I’ll see them the next week.  When I know I’m just a remote control click away from them on any given football season Sunday, I’m calm as a honey bee.

When I can’t see them so easily (like when I’m half way around the world), my desire to watch them becomes so great that I start to feel little explosions of anxiety inside of me at the thought of missing a game.

Last weekend was the Bears’ opening game against Indie.  Because of the time difference, it showed here on ESPN live at 3am and replayed again at 9pm the next day.  Even though it was a re-run, I opted for the next night rationalizing that everyone would be sleeping back in the states and I could avoid knowing the score.  It was nice to watch the opening game although it wasn’t quite the same without it being live.
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10th Annual Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv

As was my tradition back in the states, I had the pleasure of experiencing an Israeli pride parade yesterday in Tel Aviv.

It was different from the Chicago parade but just as exciting.

We arrived at a park where the parade was marked to begin by noon. It was here that most people began to congregate in front of a stage. After a few music and dance performances, it was announced that the parade was ready to begin and everyone moved onto the streets en mass.

There was initially some confusion on my part. I was anticipating a large parade of floats like in Chicago. Every year we sit in the same place in Chicago to watch the two plus hour long line of floats march past us. Here it was more of a “free for all” and after the performance in the park finished, everyone swarmed onto the street en mass. It was an incredible site to see all the people on the streets! After only seeing a few floats, I soon realized that it was the crowd that was the parade! In total, I saw four floats.

(above) Float number one of four.

(above) For safety, each float had a team of men walking with ropes around the trucks. The Chicago parade is strictly enforced by an army of Police officers who set up gated barriers on the sidewalk and push the crowd back when they leak onto the street. Tel Aviv allowed infinitely more freedom. It was a little strange to walk along side the floats as they inched down the street.

(above) Even Tel Aviv can’t escape the advertisements.

(above) Everyone walked their way to Gordon Beach on the Mediterranean to finish the day off at the largest beach party I’ve ever seen.

In the end, I accepted that the Tel Aviv pride parade wasn’t anything like the American version. But what Tel Aviv lacked it gained in spirit, enthusiasm, and scenery (cough. Hello Mediterranean Sea.)

My complete set of Tel Aviv Pride Parade 2008 pictures are here.

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