Dateline Jerusalem — Today I took a train to meet friends in Tel Aviv, and from there we went by car to Herzliya.
Most people in Israel use public transportation. The cost of a car, insurance, gasoline and parking is more than most can afford.
I walk, ride buses and take trains everywhere. Even the cost of taxi cabs make owning a car unnecessary.
Also, the markets deliver so you don't need a car for your groceries.
The trains run frequently, and on schedule. If, on occasion, they should run 20 minutes late or more, then you get a free ride next time. They are comfortable, air conditioned, and with seating in two directions so that four people can share a table among themselves.
Announcements are made prior to each stop, and there is also a digital sign with destination information.
The trains are safe. No one can enter the train station without having their belongings checked (like at the airport) and walking through a metal detector. There are dogs that sniff the area for explosives.
My friends picked me up from the train station, and we drove to Herzliya. named after Theodore Herzl who was the proclaimed “father of Zionism,” Herzliya, like Tel Aviv, is a city on the Mediterranean Sea. The beach has clean white sand, and the water is a combination of deep blue, aquamarine and turquoise, depending on its depth.
Days of Yore — at the Marina
We went to the mall, adjacent to the Herzliya marina. The marina and boats brought back memories of when I was a teenager. My friends and I would go to Marina del Rey to hang out on my father's boat. We never would go very far beyond the breakwater, especially since the time I caught a little shark. But it was always a fun way to spend my weekends.
The mall, called canyon in Hebrew, also has security. You cannot drive into the parking lot or structure without having your car inspected and trunk popped open. Then you are given a flyer with information to circle so that you won’t forget where you parked your car.
Again, as at the train station, bus stations and most places where crowds congregate, your purses and backpacks are checked, and you go through a metal detector.
Once inside the Herzliya mall, I thought of Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The ceiling of the mall is painted a realistic sky blue with clouds, not unlike the painted ceiling on the Pirates’ ride. Pillars are in the shape of lighthouses, and stores look like ship hulls or Caribbean buildings, with “anchors” and other ship paraphernalia decorating their walls. It is very magical.
Different from America
I walked around the mall, not to shop, but to view the unique store facades, mosaic tile-designed floors and “sea gulls” hanging from the ceilings.
We then drove back to Tel Aviv for dinner. We went to a great fish restaurant that also served beef. The usual Israeli restaurant brings out freshly baked bread and rolls with a variety of salads that take over the entire table. Those are appetizers that come automatically with the meal and are not separately ordered. It is a meal in itself.
This restaurant served Moroccan carrot salad, hummus with tehina, roasted eggplant in a white sauce, spicy red eggplant salad with red peppers, cucumbers and onions in a vinegary sauce, orzo pasta(like a rice) in a tomato sauce, creamy coleslaw, the typical Israeli salad of chopped tomatoes and cucumbers in lemon juice, a large lettuce salad with tomatoes, and onions and celery, a creamy red cabbage slaw, and some kind of Moroccan fish in a spicy red sauce.
All for One
With the entrees came a platter of rice and one of roasted potatoes. Everything is served family-style. I was surprised at the large size of my grilled steak served with grilled tomatoes.
My companions each ordered St. Peter’s fish. The deep fried, batter-dipped fish came out whole, with its head, eyes and tail on a long platter designed to accommodate its size.
Then we were all given a complimentary glass of red wine. Everything was glatt kosher and delicious.
No wonder I have gained weight since moving to Israel. Everything is so good! What a wonderful way to spend the day. Great friends, great food and great scenery.
L'hitraot. Shachar
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County deputy sheriff, who moved to Israel last year.