Israel - bombings and beaches

Suicide Bombing
In case anyone is wondering, I am nowhere near Dimona, where the suicide bombing killing one Israeli lady took place today.  Dimona is in the south, whereas Tel Aviv is in central Israel.  That said, as a precaution, Sweetie asked me to cancel my meeting with my conversation partner today in Tel Aviv, just in case there will be a cluster of bombings.  There were two bombers in Dimona, maybe there are others working there way up north.  Who knows.  

I am pretty sure we have the border break between Gaza and Egypt to thank for this.  When that happened, everyone imagined that some terrorists would go into Egypt and then infiltrate Israel from Egypt.  

Ironically, about 10 minutes before I heard about the bombing, I was opening my backpack for a security guard at the nearby medical center.  I was thinking to myself that a packpack has the be the LAST thing an Israeli security guard wants to see, and I do sometimes feel bad for using one, because even I get scared seeing someone carrying a backpack.    But life goes on.

If it had just been me, I probably wouldn't have cancelled my trip into Tel Aviv this afternoon, because I just don't believe in living like that.  Also, I tend to think that an attack is more likely to occur in Tel Aviv in the coming days, rather than today, because it will take would-be suicide bombers that much longer to surreptitiously make their through the desert up to Tel Aviv.  At any rate, I think I will keep my mall excursions to a minimum until some time has passed and also until the border between Gaza and Egypt is solidly shut again.

Happier times
On the nice-news front, the weather has been spectacular and Sweetie and I ventured to Caesarea for lunch yesterday.  It was lovely -- we sat outside, nestled between the ancient ruins and the Mediterranean sea was practically lapping at our feet.  Lovely.

But it did occur to me that Israel doesn't really take advantage of its coastline like it should.  Okinawa, where I lived for three years, 
had soooo many "destination" restaurants and cafes.  I can think of so many charming seaside places that I would drive anywhere from 15-75 minutes to eat at because they had great food, great atmosphere, and stunning views of the sea.   But here, there is really only one "destination" cafe that Sweetie and I know of, and it's not even on the water.  A real shame.  Israel does, however, have its share of mediocre bars and restaurants here and there along the coast, but nothing like what I wish it had!