Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Julie and I decide to have room service to rearrange our luggages. I dress for Montreal weather with leather boots and long sleeve shirt but it’s more like California weather. I get a blow dry in the hotel because I will arrive tomorrow morning in Montreal and it will have to hit the pavement running- so no time for jet lag! I want to ship some of my favorite purchases straight to the LA so the hotel sends me to the post office which is a good half mile away. I get there and they tell me I need to buy a box and wrap it myself- I say why can’t you do it for me- I’ll pay extra- she looks at me And says – oh no we don’t offer this service- I turn around back to the hotel with all my stuff. Julie was nice enough to take some of the heavy and fragile stuff. Today Rhonda is our guide. I’m so happy she’s taken that task! We – (that is Rhonda, Veronica, Julie and me-) walk to the Carmel district of Tel Aviv, to buy small jewelry for our children and whatever else we can find. We spend a little bit of time in the colorful Shuk. After a while a lot of the stores resemble each other. We have some lunch at a Persian restaurant, the food is quite decent. We walk in to many places, even a mall, I don’t really like big shopping malls not even at home. Then we use google maps to get back to our hotel. My phone is all confused and does not get us there. So I see a man in a shop and walk in, except the glass door was closed unlike all the other shops next to him; my nose is the first organ that gets smashed. it hurts like hell! I’m holding in and it’s bleeding insidae and out. I’m just thinking it’s broken – the young owner next to it sees me and gets me some ice- he sits me down and calls a cab. It feels likec an eternity before we get a cab. I get to the hotel- we sit in the lobby and everyone is awesome trying to help me with ice.. Jakki gets me a glass of wine. That always helps! I walk around the lobby a little and find this shop with the most whimsical menorah. I bought it and Julie will take it home. That’s so helpful! Five of us including Jakki board our van to Ben Gurion airport. We all meet at the El Al Los Angeles gate and hang out , my flight leaves at the same time which 1.00 am but at a different gate. I’m going to Montreal. We kiss, hug and all leave knowing we’ve had a very special experience together.