Last week in Lanzarote on our way to Fuerteventura

 Back on Ester after six weeks at home.

 Having trouble getting back to writing.  It took too long for me to get started.  I know that once I start, the writing flows and I enjoy the process.  Messages sent from "disappointed" followers who are waiting for new reports are stressful, but also very encouraging, so keep going ☺️

 I wrote at length about visiting Israel. I hope it was not too long for you.  For us, this is the way to preserve feelings and thoughts when they are "fresh" and unprocessed, otherwise they my lose their authenticity.  The memory is sometimes deceptive.

 We returned after a relatively long period.  Ester waited patiently where we left her, the marina in Arrecife, Lanzarote. The feelings were mixed.  On the one hand, we returned home, to Ester, and to a town that was already well known after spending here a month.  On the other hand, the friends on the pier (in the neighborhood) continued on their way, which emphasized the need for people around us to feel "belonging."  Now we have to start again: fill the fridge we thawed, unpack backpacks, remember the little things that were already our daily routines.  It's hard for me to break down what exactly it is made up of, and what exactly needs to be "restarted."  Among other things, this is the being: the agenda, nutrition, the division of time between the days of boat work and the trip and adventure.

 The weather that greeted us was cooler than we expected.  Cloudy skies, pretty strong winds, and I'm not really equipped for the cold.  When the wind blows and the sun hides, there is a dry Jerusalem cold that penetrates the bones, even though the temperatures, as promised, overall do not really drop.  The range throughout the year is 18-25 degrees, with no significant difference between day and night.

 As the weeks went by, things started to settle down.  The pots I could not return "home" from Samuel's shift were replaced with new ones, which gave a boost to a sense of settling down.  It’s interesting how important this is to me.  We met Samuel, who was cute and smiling, helped with procedural matters that required Spanish, and told us how happy the flower pots were.  We left the marina early because of a "weather window" and could not say goodbye properly.  Samuel arrived the day we left with the flower pots and did not find us.  He was disappointed because he also prepared a surprise for us (do not know what…).  Well, he earned nice potted plants and apparently the plants earned a warm and loving home.  From the picture he sent one can get an impression of how happy the basil was and that in fact we could not really continue to take it with us.

 Not easily, after a bike ride, we found a nursery, and the green returned to our house…

Mint in the left hand
Basil in the right
Here is how they looked when we left

And this is the Basil after 6 weeks…

For this “tree” we need a new boat

Getting replacements

New “babies”
Thyme and flowers

As well as Basil and Sage
Still searching for Mint…

 Sandra was also waiting for us on the pier.  The flamenco singer from the stories in previous posts, with whom we befriended and kept in touch while we were in Israel.  During this time she moved to live on a boat in the marina, which she rents as a cheap way to support herself.  Beer together, delivery of dishes of Spanish stew she made, and also a recipe, added a little of the neighboring feelings we lacked.  On a farewell visit to our favorite restaurant in Arrecife (Andalusia), we were greeted with joy and surprise with my short hair, where we also enjoyed one last round of Sandra's performance.

 And since -

 Last trip in Lanzarote, this time to the vineyards area Shye and Eliana highly recommended.  Charming!  Huge surfaces of low horseshoe-shaped stone walls surround pits with highly developed vines.  Unfortunately we arrived immediately after being pruned, and did not get the great combination of bright and fresh green of vine leaves against the deep black background of the mountains.  The few untrimmed vines suggest the beauty that is expected when the vines are in full bloom.  This trip, in the right season, and several more trips are waiting to be completed in the next round in Lanzarote, which is expected to be in September / October next year.  Good to stay with a taste of more ...

A hike through the vineyards

From Uga to La geria

From a birds eye

You can appreciate the enormous number of volcanic craters

 We couldn’t stop taking pics

Of the horse shoe stone walls around each vine 

Thanks to Google

The dotes are the stone fences 

One remaining grape

Our favourite Lanzarote wines
They are much more expensive than the Spanish wines
But, from the pics you can understand how much work
Is put in each plant

 We left the marina on a day when the weather allowed sailing using the sails south.  While the rule in this area is northwesterly winds, in recent days we have encountered quite a few southeasterly winds, which carried with them haze from the direction of the Sahara.  Not sandstorms, such as those that occasionally plague the Canary Islands, but hazy air, visibility is not good, and sailing south is uncomfortable.

 This time window allowed us to leisurely reach the south of the island (half day sailing) and settle in one of the few bays for two nights on anchor, swimming (cold) and in proximity to nature, which we greatly miss when tied up in marinas.

Goodbye Arrecife

Notice that there is only one tall building on the island

Two nights on an or in Papagayo bay

 From this point a small three-hour jump, and we are in the north of the next island in the Canary Chain, the island of Fuerte-Ventura, whose literal translation is "strong winds"…

 As if Lanzarote lacked winds ..

 About Fuerteventura in the next post…

Our sail trip from Arrecife through Papagayo
To Coralejo on the north of Fuerteventura 

Notes from our first vacation at home

 We're now sailing to the south of Lanzarote, and I’m trying to get back to my writing routine, after a month and a half of a "vacation."  The last post was written on the eve of our departure for our first visit to Israel, or as it has already been defined: "vacation at home."
On the way we had an enjoyable stop in Madrid, for me a first visit, to Udi first as an adult. Madrid has been a pleasant surprise.  For me one of the most fun cities in Europe.
 Maybe later I will try to recreate and write in points the highlights. 
So what did I enjoy so much - the liveliness  of this city that really does not rest and wakes up to a stormy nightlife after 9 at night, when endless restaurants and bars are filled with locals of all ages, more and more tapas bars, good wine, good food, at affordable prices.  And also - interesting museums, music, a lot of culture.  Something in it felt at eye level, simple, happy, unpretentious.

One out of many 

The best ice cream serving ever

Park at the hart of Madrid

Museum of illusions 

The first thing that happened in Madrid before I had time to think twice, a moment after we placed the backpacks at the cute Airbnb we ordered, was surprising and life changing… 🤗 On the doorstep appeared Sally the barber, cutting my hair for a boyish haircut, one that accompanied me until 18 years ago.  The decision was made in preparation for the trip home, and the execution was faster than I thought.  Until we arrived in Israel we avoided video calls and uploading pictures of myself to surprise the kids.  Succeeded!  The children, friends and family were indeed surprised and it was fun to get responses of "suits you", "rejuvenates you", despite the grey hair.

Sally the barber 

A bit shocked but quite happy 

 The first visit to Israel is another milestone in the new lifestyle.  Each such milestone is treated as a period of experimenting and learning.  Predictions, thoughts and apprehensions that before retirement from an intensive work life, have once again been proven to not predict reality.  I was afraid I would not be able to fill the time, I would feel "empty".  I now realize that the period before the trip raised more and more concerns, which at one point overcame the excitement leading up to the change in life that we had so longed for.
So what did we have…
An exciting encounter with the children, (almost) fully available for them, something I did not have during the long working years, except during periods of going on vacation, which was always outside the borders of the country.  The feeling of being at home at ease is really unfamiliar and very refreshing.  A phone call from Gili at noon offering to come to us for a "chat and snack" was answered with a big "yes”, had not been possible in the past.  Available to Roni when it suits her, to help build the "new nest" in Tel Aviv.  Babysitter for the perfect dog Kashem, preparation for grandchildren.  Mid-week meals and occasional coffee conversations with Shye and Eliana.  We also had quality time with Tomer who shortly after we arrived, was released from four years of military service, and towards the end of our stay came to rest at home, after running around the country, celebrating the great freedom.  Friends and family, arrived morning / noon / evening, sometimes planned and sometimes spontaneous, and fun for us to entertain.  And also "encampment" jobs that I always wanted to study and did not have time for.  I found a tutor on Youtube who taught me everything I wanted to know about painting and plaster repairs.  I fell in love with the new "profession" and enjoyed investing time with instant gratification as peeling walls within two days became "new”.  And also time spent working on the design work of Nir's new lab, the "boss" / friend who jumped at the chance that I was available and knew it was easy to drag me into planning and architecture work.  This is how our joint career began, when we built the lab together.

Before

After plaster before painting

Udi doesn’t miss an opportunity to have fun

A few days of diving in Eilat that were cut short due to a long and not nice flu (not Corona !!), and Udi who fell ill as well, brought our 24/7 couple to the extreme, when we both "spent" a few days in bed and not for the right reasons…
And there were plenty of reasons to party: Tomer's release, a late celebration of Roni's end of service, and my birthday, all of which were a great excuse for a weekend of fun with the kids, including an unforgettable visit to the excellent “Joze and Loze” restaurant where Roni cooks.  For those who do not know it, highly recommended!

Tomer cutting his army ID card 👏

Warriors’ rest 

Celebrating with the kids and their partners at Roni’s new apartment 

And we even had two meetings of the extended family, a memorial weekend for my parents, including sleep out and a trip in the Arava; and traditional Hanukkah candle lighting at Tali’s (my younger sister), in the presence of almost the entire tribe, counting over 20 men, women and children…

Memorial weekend for my parents (39 years):  

Starting with Humos, next visit to the cemetery and continue with family weekend 

Hanukkah at Tali’s

And

Hanukkah with Udi’s family

Shye

My birthday was also a great excuse, which my sister Ofra did not miss, for 24 hours of Tel Aviv, time together just the two of us, and two great photo exhibitions.  Ofra is my "civilized sister" who knows about lectures / tours and exhibitions not to be missed.  Despite being a full-time lecturer and grandmother at the time.

24 hours of cultural activity with my sister

Pics from photography exhibitions

The first prize winner
A couple in Ashkelon right after a missile attack (May 2021)

A series of photos with a personal touch: The photographer, Raed Buena, a Palestinian from a village north of Jerusalem, made a living in his youth from cleaning houses,including Udi's mother and brothers’. Until one day, with the help of a family he worked for, he started studying photography at a school in Jerusalem. And since then everything is history He became a successful photographer with exhibitions all over the world! Local Cinderella

From a series of photos of couples, from all over the world, after long years of marriage Just dancing.

(Eva Glan, Live Life)

This is What I wish for myself in 25 years

 But there were also less happy and exciting "ocupations", tinkering with insurance (it turns out to be a significant expense in the family budget), handling a visa to Spain (will free us from restrictions on staying in the EU), and also - surprise!  It turns out that thanks to the Aden (upgraded Yemeni 😉) branch of the family (mother) we were deported from Portugal and did not even know .. We dived into the relevant history, collected exciting documents (my parents' marriage certificate, mother's identity card from 1967 and more), and without too much preparation,  We went through the process of issuing a Portuguese passport for me and the children (Udi in the next step).  It will take several years, but worth it if you want to stay for long periods in the European Union (Pension B), or enter countries to which access is limited with Israeli citizenship (Pension A).  Do not worry, we are not really giving up on our Israeli identity, which is deeply rooted in us.

My parents’ wedding certificate 

 From this long list, and other events and occupations not mentioned, one can get the impression that we were very busy during those six weeks, but the feeling of freedom to choose, contentment and leisure, were new and exciting for me, perhaps familiar only to the retirees among us.  And yes - I also practiced my new title "Retired" at every opportunity.

This period was less successful for Udi.  
Of course he enjoined the opportunity to see his mother, children and siblings. Back in the kitchen, he filled much of his time, cooking and baking bread almost daily, not long after we were "punished" by gaining weight.  However, the prolonged wait for the Spanish visa documents, among other reasons that we are not fully understand, led him to a sense of exhaustion of the holiday chapter in Israel.  Therefore, in a spontaneous decision, before we have the visa, we decided to return to Ester for a limited period of about 45 days until we run out of time in the EU.  When we arrived with the documents at the Spanish embassy after almost 6 weeks of annoying fuss, we realized it would take at least a month for the application to be approved.  The cheap flight prices (50 euros from Tel Aviv to Lanzarote), the longing for Ester and sea life, put us on a flight via Berlin to Ester who was expecting us at the marina, after a month and a half of vacation at home.

We will also sit together and analyze the conduct during this period, which was our first experience as a couple, as separate persons, and also for the children who moved between their busy lives and the desire to spend time with us.  I followed a "face-out" strategy and sharply, compared to an intense couple life on Ester, we lived a parallel life.  This was less suitable for Udi (probably he still likes to be around me 🥰), and that requires adjustment and redesign. Yet it is most important to us that our togetherness, and every chapter in the new lifestyle, be pleasant and right for both of us.  And now back to the saying that at the beginning of the post, any experience in the various parts that make up our new life, are an opportunity for learning and correction and that is part of the fun in the new lifestyle.
 On the return to Ester and our plans for the future, in the next post…

Some moments from home

Kashem, our grandson dog with a friend

A beautiful sunset from our bedroom window