I received a call a few weeks ago from my boss that a tool similar to mine needed to be audited at the fab in Israel.... and did I want to go. Um of course I wanted to go! It took a bit of rearranging of my schedule (had to postpone a trip to Cuba), but it was an effort I was willing to make.
One of the things I enjoy doing when I fly is observing the different types of people at airport gates. I remember coming home from my mission and at the connecting gate to Oregon I saw lots of Birkenstocks and granola-type people. It was fun to get to the gate at JFK and see a higher concentration of Jewish folks than I was used to. This was confirmed later when a fellow stood in the plane aisle mid-flight and robed himself in phylacteries before offering prayers. Then when we were deplaning, an attendant wished us "Shabbat Shalom."
The drive from the airport to the hotel, for the most part, could have been in Oregon; highways and overpasses have fairly similar concrete tentacles. However, I was surprised by the green fields and trees that. Nothing on the level of the Pacific Northwest of course, but my expectation had been that Israel is a desert. The buildings, though, did largely have flat roofs. So there's that.
Because our (there are ~30 of us from Intel here) arrangements were made so last-minute, I am in Isrotel Hotel for the first night before moving to Royal Beach or something tomorrow. It's a block from the beach, and the hotel clerk apologized that we all weren't able to have beach view, but I still thought my view of the city was nice (and there's a sliver of the sea on the far left!).
And our rooms each had a mezuzah!
Tel Aviv is situated along a long stretch of the Mediterranean Sea and has a very enjoyable esplanade. A few of the other Intel guys and I walked for a few blocks and checked out a pub-like place before settling on a more authentic looking place for dinner. I got a yummy plate of falafel, tomato/cucumber salad, avocado-hummus, and a... tortilla? Well three of four boxes checked is pretty good.
After dinner we walked along the esplanade and touched the Mediterranean Sea, though I was a tad nervous after Bev's and my Rio experience years ago.
As it turned out, the area appeared very safe, with lots of families, couples, singles, and a few dogs out meandering and enjoying the warm-ish Spring night. For the most part, the businesses along the sea front consisted of hotels and shops that sold snacks and beach-going material. We stopped in to grab water, and I saw Tam-Tams!
By this point I was getting pretty tired and decided to retire and leave the rest of the guys to their night shenanigans. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow, but I hope to explore more of Tel Aviv.
One of the things I enjoy doing when I fly is observing the different types of people at airport gates. I remember coming home from my mission and at the connecting gate to Oregon I saw lots of Birkenstocks and granola-type people. It was fun to get to the gate at JFK and see a higher concentration of Jewish folks than I was used to. This was confirmed later when a fellow stood in the plane aisle mid-flight and robed himself in phylacteries before offering prayers. Then when we were deplaning, an attendant wished us "Shabbat Shalom."
The drive from the airport to the hotel, for the most part, could have been in Oregon; highways and overpasses have fairly similar concrete tentacles. However, I was surprised by the green fields and trees that. Nothing on the level of the Pacific Northwest of course, but my expectation had been that Israel is a desert. The buildings, though, did largely have flat roofs. So there's that.
Because our (there are ~30 of us from Intel here) arrangements were made so last-minute, I am in Isrotel Hotel for the first night before moving to Royal Beach or something tomorrow. It's a block from the beach, and the hotel clerk apologized that we all weren't able to have beach view, but I still thought my view of the city was nice (and there's a sliver of the sea on the far left!).
And our rooms each had a mezuzah!
Tel Aviv is situated along a long stretch of the Mediterranean Sea and has a very enjoyable esplanade. A few of the other Intel guys and I walked for a few blocks and checked out a pub-like place before settling on a more authentic looking place for dinner. I got a yummy plate of falafel, tomato/cucumber salad, avocado-hummus, and a... tortilla? Well three of four boxes checked is pretty good.
After dinner we walked along the esplanade and touched the Mediterranean Sea, though I was a tad nervous after Bev's and my Rio experience years ago.
As it turned out, the area appeared very safe, with lots of families, couples, singles, and a few dogs out meandering and enjoying the warm-ish Spring night. For the most part, the businesses along the sea front consisted of hotels and shops that sold snacks and beach-going material. We stopped in to grab water, and I saw Tam-Tams!
By this point I was getting pretty tired and decided to retire and leave the rest of the guys to their night shenanigans. I'm not sure what I'll do tomorrow, but I hope to explore more of Tel Aviv.
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