Day 9 (June 9) - I guess they have stalkers here, too

So I am about a day behind. Let's review. Yesterday was rather uneventful. I woke up sort of late (around 11), got mobilized, and caught a bus/taxi/shuttle thingie to Tel Aviv. Since the buses and trains don't run on Shabbat or holidays, it's the only way to travel cheaply on these days, and you can get one at any bus stop in Rehovot. Also, I didn't really plan this journey ahead of time, so when it let me off at the central bus terminal in Tel Aviv, I didn't really know how to get where I wanted to go. After walking for a bit through the sketchy but slightly populated part of town, I reached a sort of abandoned industrial area. Luckily another shuttle thingie came by and I acquired the information that it was beach-bound.

I got off at the coast and wandered a bit, taking pictures, chilling, and doing a bit of shopping. Unfortunately, most of the stores were also closed for the holiday, so it was rather unexciting. When I sat down to take a break from the busy day of wandering, I called mom and dad and we had a lovely and well-timed chat until the restaurant I was unwittingly sitting in asked me to order or leave. I left.

The most interesting story of the afternoon begins when I was taking a picture of a cool, multi-colored building. A dude was walking by and thought I was photographing him. He came over and we started chatting, which was nice and fine because I like making friends. We sat down at a cafe but soon got up in favor of a convenience store, where he got a coke and I got water. After some time, I realized he was getting sort of the wrong idea, so I started mentioning Ben a lot. When this didn't work, I told him it was nice to meet him and shook him off. My very own Israeli stalker! But not really. He didn't follow me. But I guess this stuff happens.

So I bought some postcards, took the shuttle back to the Tel Aviv bus station, and grabbed a shuttle back to Rehovot. I had a great shower and then caught the end of "My Super Ex-girlfriend" with some people in the TV room. I made some chicken (using my new and untested pomegranate syrup) before returning to watch "The Devil Wears Prada." People kept joining in, so afterward we had an awesome chat which included such topics as how every building at Brandeis is called Shapiro, and other fun stories.

Below, some pictures of umbrellas at the Tel Aviv beach, and the building which started it all: