Loose Ends

[rhu]

A few things that I'd forgotten in earlier posts.

Alissa has a loose tooth. Last night at dinner, she explained that if it falls out here, she'll get a sheqel from the Israeli tooth fairy, because the American tooth fairy would have to take two airplane rides otherwise.

Tel Aviv was much more beautiful than I remember it. I always think of it as a bunch of concrete blocks, but it has changed. marthag8 says that this is in part because of a new law requiring people to spend a certain amount of their building's assessed value on upgrading every twenty years (I think I got that right) and so some people are re-facing their properties. It has a very European feel.

Last night when we drove back to J'lem we took route 1, and they now have a large analog clock embedded in one of the rock walls on the way up, along with a pair of electronic annunicator displays, showing "hachnasat shabbat" and "yetziyat shabbat" (the times when Shabbat begins and ends). Only in Jerusalem.

Hiking must be big here; along many of the highways we've seen turnoff signs pointing not at a road but at a hiking path. The signs typically include the blaze for that path.

Finally, you know you're in a Jewish country when even the most dilapidated roadside gas station bathroom has a ritual washing cup.

Comments

[violetcheetah.livejournal.com]

i like that the first thing in a post called "loose ends" is about a loose tooth.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Let us know what happens with the tooth!