A Restful Shabbat and Visit with Shalom Tzvi

On Shabbat about midday David, my brother Rob and I went for a Shabbat brunch in Tel Aviv at Cerveceria, a bar restaurant with a wonderful chef, Einav. I had eaten there last year with David and enjoyed it.  It is in the heart of Tel Aviv and caters mostly to a young very Tel Avivian crowd.  We had to wait a while for a table, as it is a small place.  They came around to both those waiting and those already dining with complementary drinks of either vodka or a sangria made with vermouth. They call these shot glass drinks “chasers.”

Only in Israel will you go to a restaurant on Saturday afternoon where people are not observant and eat all types of foods and when they get their drink orders people toast each other with Shabbat Shalom.

 

After lunch we walked down to the tayelet near the water before returning to our car.  It was nice to look out at the sea and think about being away from the bitter cold and snow of Rochester.

 

After Shabbat I drove up to Jerusalem to see Shalom Tzvi.  I was able to find a parking lot behind his hotel and then went to the lobby to meet him.

 

We crossed King George St. and headed down the Ben Yehuda midrachov.  Our first stop was Aldo’s where there was both pizza and ice cream.  Unfortunately there was no pizza ready at that time so Shalom Tzvi decided he’d have ice cream first.

He told me he was really enjoying himself.  The thing he said he liked best was the Museum in the Dark where they were taken around by a blind guide.  He was very impressed.  He also liked the bullet factory at the Ayalon Institute, as well as the tunnels in Jerusalem. We then went shopping and ended up at a shop toward the top of the street where the proprietor was so nice to Shalom Tzvi that he offered him a great price as a blessing. We returned to the hotel where he went back to his group. 

What a great day!