Tel Aviv

I got into Tel Aviv yesterday around sundown --- the flight was an hour late due to heavy security air traffic in Israel, so we were told. At Passport Control I tried to look as American as possible (something I’d been doing the opposite of for the last month) and asked for the entry stamp on something other than my passport --- an Israeli stamp in your passport will automatically deny you entry into several countries (Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen) and may be problematic in several more (Bahrain and Oman are both on the “maybe” list) --- which the passport official agreed to after a semi-terse line of interrogation: Why? What are the names of your father and mother? (I answered slowly Philip and Dea – at which point raised eyebrows furrowed a bit, trying to figure out what kind of name that was, and I added brightly “It’s Irish!” which I figured was a better explanation than “It’s a long story!”)

The two women smiled and looked satisfied at the Irish thing, and one kept telling me my last name looked French – I shrugged and said again “It’s German”and then trying to be conversational said, “Well, there’s that one French opera with a similar name” at which point I realized my passport had been sitting there on the counter for a while and said “I’m all done?” and took off, relieved to have escaped the stamp. They handed me a piece of paper with a stamp on it, which said “Gate Entry Pass” and when I handed it to the woman guarding baggage claim, she took it and tore it up. So I have no proof of entering Israel right now which I find somewhat worrisome and hope I am not too much harassed on my way out—though need not think about it for the next week or so.

Anyway, tales and photos of the Nile and Istanbul to come. In the meantime, a few shots I took today around Tel Aviv. I rented a bike and rode along the Mediterranean to the Port of Tel Aviv and then headed inland, east along the Yarkon River --- a gorgeous ride.

Tel Aviv bicycling