October 11th – Arrived close to Shabbat. The taxi got us to the hotel after dark; the day after Yom Kippur, arriving in the Holy Land, desecrating the Shabbat. The 71 Rothschild, our hotel, is situated midway along Rothschild Blvd. My sense of direction is momentarily upended and I can’t fathom what’s south and what’s north as I wander past an architectural melange only Tel Aviv can boast of (International Style, Bauhaus, jostling with modern buildings and skyscrapers). It turns out the boulevard is most beautiful when heading south from The 71.

October 12th – Headed west from the hotel via Shenkin Street through the old neighborhoods like the Kerem haTemanim (Yemenite quarter) northwest of the shuk (market). Sat for some time on the waterfront, beaches teaming with life. Walked the length of the Tayelet (promenade) to the Old Port, the shore on our left enclosing thousands of sun-worshippers. The Old Port shopping district likewise filled to capacity, but here there are lots of Arabs; like the Jews, eating in the restaurants, buying in the shops.

We found our way to the park through which the Yarkon River runs where it enters the city, sat on a bench missing a slat, watching passersby. Three weeks later the waiter at the Norman would tell us how pleasant it is to bike through the park at this time of year.

October 13th – Went up to Jerusalem. Our AirB&B was superb; Mordechai ha Yehudi Street is in the heart of Baka, a neighborhood in south Jerusalem established in the late 19th century. Had dinner with the Kupchans in their new apartment.