What a day! The plan for the day was to drive around Beer Sheva so Laura could see where she was born and a little of the city. We had also planned a luncheon with Meryl Davidian, someone I knew when I lived in Israel who was originally from Richmond. On the way back we were stopping at the Joe Alon Center just outside of Beer Sheva.
Most of our day was spent in the car. We decided to meet for breakfast at 7:30 a.m., but that didn’t happen. I think we were still jet lagged. By the time we went down for breakfast it was 8:30 a.m. so we didn’t get on the road until almost 10:00 a.m., almost 1 ½ hours late. I had looked up directions to Beer Sheva, the night before and so had Chana. At breakfast, Chana got my GPS working on my phone sort of, but it really drained the battery. Chana had to sit with my phone plugged into my laptop for a power source since I forgot my car charger.
We finally arrived in Beer Sheva around 11:30 and I elected to drive through the middle of town to the “BIG” shopping center so Laura could see some of the area. The shopping center was huge and aptly name. It is known as the largest shopping center in the Negev Desert serving Beer Sheva, surrounding cities and the Bedouins in the desert. We walked around for about 20 minutes and realized just how hot it was. Laura said she didn’t mind the heat. We attempted to call Meryl a couple of times with no luck so we went into the restaurant where we were meeting her. I told the waiter that we were meeting someone for lunch but my power on the phone was so low that I couldn’t call her. He offered to charge my phone for me while we were in the restaurant. I was so thankful. We did try Meryl a few more times with no answer so we went ahead and ordered. This time our lunch was much more reasonable, just salads. Mine was extra small because I ordered grilled eggplant with tahini to go with. It was very good. About half way through our lunch Meryl came in. She had been sitting outside for ½ an hour waiting for our phone call. We sat and chatted for about an hour. It was so good to see her.
Most of our day was spent in the car. We decided to meet for breakfast at 7:30 a.m., but that didn’t happen. I think we were still jet lagged. By the time we went down for breakfast it was 8:30 a.m. so we didn’t get on the road until almost 10:00 a.m., almost 1 ½ hours late. I had looked up directions to Beer Sheva, the night before and so had Chana. At breakfast, Chana got my GPS working on my phone sort of, but it really drained the battery. Chana had to sit with my phone plugged into my laptop for a power source since I forgot my car charger.
We finally arrived in Beer Sheva around 11:30 and I elected to drive through the middle of town to the “BIG” shopping center so Laura could see some of the area. The shopping center was huge and aptly name. It is known as the largest shopping center in the Negev Desert serving Beer Sheva, surrounding cities and the Bedouins in the desert. We walked around for about 20 minutes and realized just how hot it was. Laura said she didn’t mind the heat. We attempted to call Meryl a couple of times with no luck so we went into the restaurant where we were meeting her. I told the waiter that we were meeting someone for lunch but my power on the phone was so low that I couldn’t call her. He offered to charge my phone for me while we were in the restaurant. I was so thankful. We did try Meryl a few more times with no answer so we went ahead and ordered. This time our lunch was much more reasonable, just salads. Mine was extra small because I ordered grilled eggplant with tahini to go with. It was very good. About half way through our lunch Meryl came in. She had been sitting outside for ½ an hour waiting for our phone call. We sat and chatted for about an hour. It was so good to see her.
Chana reminded us that it was getting late, the Joe Alon Center closed at 4:00, and Laura still wanted to see the hospital where she was born. After saying our goodbyes, we headed out. We got miss-directed again due to my stupid phone, so I stopped at a gas station to buy a map. There were no maps but they did have car chargers. My phone became very happy and started responding like it should.
We drove by Soroka General Hospital and found the maternity wing. Because of security, we could not enter the hospital grounds, but we did stop for a photo opportunity outside the gate. It was almost 3:00 p.m. by this time so we headed down to the Joe Alon Center (http://www.joealon.org.il/). We arrived with only ½ an hour to look around. Chana and Laura really wanted to see the Bedouin hospitality tent so that is where we went first. We were greeted by a Bedouin who served us hot delicious tea and explained how the Bedouin lived. The tents were woven from sheep’s wool with two large rooms. One room was for the men to do socializing and business. The other room was for the family.
With only a few minutes left, we took a quick tour of the Bedouin Museum with exhibits on what like was like as nomads and a little of their history. With time running out, we left and stopped for a few photo ops on the way back down to the main road. The way back to Tel Aviv was smooth sailing with my GPS working.
We drove by Soroka General Hospital and found the maternity wing. Because of security, we could not enter the hospital grounds, but we did stop for a photo opportunity outside the gate. It was almost 3:00 p.m. by this time so we headed down to the Joe Alon Center (http://www.joealon.org.il/). We arrived with only ½ an hour to look around. Chana and Laura really wanted to see the Bedouin hospitality tent so that is where we went first. We were greeted by a Bedouin who served us hot delicious tea and explained how the Bedouin lived. The tents were woven from sheep’s wool with two large rooms. One room was for the men to do socializing and business. The other room was for the family.
With only a few minutes left, we took a quick tour of the Bedouin Museum with exhibits on what like was like as nomads and a little of their history. With time running out, we left and stopped for a few photo ops on the way back down to the main road. The way back to Tel Aviv was smooth sailing with my GPS working.
Back at the hotel everyone rested and we headed out to eat. We had decided earlier in the day to just have a light dinner on the beach. Chana and Laura loved the restaurant we went to the first day so that is where we headed. We all had a Vodka and passion fruit frozen drink which was delicious. We thought we were ordering smaller than normal portions when we ordered dinner. I ordered chicken wings in a tangy pepper sauce accompanied with a salad and fries. I thought this would not be too bad but what a surprise I had when I was served. There were over 25 wings on the plate. There was no way I was going to eat all of them and I didn’t. The waiter said not to worry, the leftovers will go to the owner’s dog and the cats that wander around the outdoor restaurant.
We walked back to the hotel to pack for the next leg of our journey. Tomorrow is what I like to call “transfer day”. We are headed up the coast.
We walked back to the hotel to pack for the next leg of our journey. Tomorrow is what I like to call “transfer day”. We are headed up the coast.
