A few things on Bialik Street

 When I got to Bialik Street in Ramat Gan where Beth lives (after leaving the Carlton), one of the first things I did was go to a place that serves iced coffee. I remember the place as making it the way I like it. Unfortunately, they changed their formula and it looked a bit like the one in the first image. It had some cream on top and they used ice cubes rather than colloidal (slurpy style) ice.

Fortunately there were many other vendors on the street that had ice coffee and one of them made it just like I like it (colloidal ice, no cream on top, no bits of coffee beans).

I also went to find a pedicure business on the street (Ann got a pedicure a day or two after I got mine and at the same place). I got an appointment and with a little time to kill I went shopping. I bought a bottle of Tito's Vodka (that is what is written in Hebrew with the double vov used as a 'w' to imitate the Russian pronunciation Wodka). The proprietor of the liquor store told me that some of his Russian customers think this vodka is better than anything Russia ever made (I happen to agree with this, at least any Russian vodka I've ever had) and told me that Tito's is made of corn and made in Texas, USA (I knew that).  By the way, notice that in Israel this vodka has a kosher symbol on the bottle (the U inside a circle).

Also, on this street is a place that had beer on tap. They actually had two types on tap (Carlsberg was the other - so both Danish). 

The place also sold Shwarma and that is the Hebrew word above the word "STREET"  on the napkin holder. Again it has the double vov for the 'we' sound.

For our second shabbat in Israel, I went to the Great Synagogue of Ramat Gan. It is only a few hundred feet from Beth's place (both her then current and the place she was then in the process of buying) . It has a shabbat elevator to the women's sections, one of the few I've seen in any synagogue either in Israel or the US. It also has a beautiful sanctuary.  They did annoy Beth however as someone gave a 'vote for the incumbent mayor' message after the kiddush.

As long as we are on the subject, synagogue prayers in Israel differ in two ways from those in the US. For one thing, in Israel, it seems the majority of minyonim (prayer quorum) use Nusach Sefard (a prayer order that includes some inserts based on the customs of Isaac Luria, a.k.a., Ha Ari, Arizal).  The prayers at the Great Synagogue used Nusach Sefard.  Also, while mincha (afternoon prayer) in both Israel and the US frequently begins later than the printed (or internet) schedule, in Israel, mincha seems to begin late almost all the time.

While we were staying with Beth, Israel went from Daylight Savings time to Standard time. 

This was the week before the similar change in the USA, so we got two 25 hour days in little more than a week.