Day 23: Tuesday, May 13, Transit

Today we just traveled. At five minutes into Tuesday we left on a sleeper train for Rome. I will admit that I had little kid excitement, since this was my first time on a sleeper train. The setup was two bunk beds (four beds) per room. It was a very good design – individual lights, belts falling from the ceiling to keep upper-bunk passengers from rolling out, a fold-out table, etc. You got a pillow, a “taco sheet,” and a kit like you get on international flights. The room had pretty good noise insulation. They knocked on our door 15 minutes before our arrival. We arrived in Rome just before 7am and switched to a commuter train to the airport.

At the airport we were looking for the El Al check-in desk and found it at the very end in its own room and behind two guards with automatic rifles. After answering a lot of questions our checked luggage was opened and scanned with those bomb-sniffing swabs. We then went through regular airport security and into the waiting area. (They didn’t check the carry-ons at all, however, so I guess they thought airport security was sufficient for those.) In the waiting area there were a lot of Hasidic Jews -- ultra-orthodox, or the guys in the black hats and long suits. My first taste of Israel.

My last taste of Italy was, interestingly, a Dolce & Gabana Underwear store. It was there by my gate and so it was my last sight in Italy. It was appropriate considering the large number we had seen.

So here’s the deal on Israel: my whole family is here and we’re going on an organized tour. It’s the only tour portion of my trip, and it will be a nice break to have someone else doing the planning/guiding. At the same time, I’m wondering how much I’ll lose in terms of freedom and interaction with locals.

Our El Al meal had a big kosher certificate that was much more detailed than I expected. When we got to Israel we met our tour organizer and were free for the rest of the day; we went in search of a snack and ended up at a schnitzel place across the street. A guy who travels to the U.S. regularly told us that he drives 5km to get schnitzel at this place. That may not sound like much until you realize that some parts of Israel are only 60km wide.

At dinner, our organizer unfolded a long pamphlet and said that orthodox Jews had to say this long prayer before they ate bread, and that some people got lazy and just didn’t eat bread with their meal because of it. We also briefly met our guide, and the first thing that came to mind was that he has a Medici nose. I’ve been in Italy for a while.

Our elevator says it is a “Shabbat [Sabbath] elevator” and that it only stops on odd-numbered floors on Shabbat. I don’t know how that makes it kosher.

I can see the Mediterranean out my window one direction and the rest of Tel Aviv out the other. My first impression is that it is surprisingly run down. It has a feel that is familiar but I can’t put my finger on it – I originally typed “it feels Arabian” but that isn’t quite right. Anyway, people just don’t seem to care about exteriors, and the buildings look like they were all built in the 1950’s with no updates or overhauls since. They could use powerwashings, for example. There are also solar water heaters on the top of every building, which makes a lot of sense here.