Although we've been here in Israel for four and a half years, we had never before attended the Gay Pride Festival in Tel Aviv. This year, we decided it was about time. So I arranged well in advance to take the day off from Berlitz (even though Friday is generally part of the weekend here, I am normally required to work Fridays). I got up in the morning just in time to capture this gorgeous sunrise over the Golan (taken from my study window!):
I had learned from Facebook friends that the parade would begin at גן מאיר Meir Park, a few blocks from the huge Diezengoff Center (really TWO large malls on opposite sides of the street connected by two indoor bridges across the street!). They told me I could park in the large parking lot at the central railway station and take the #18 bus from there, which is what we did. As soon as we got on the bus and I told the driver we were together (since I was paying for both of us), he asked if we were going to the מצעד "mitzad" (parade or march) and gave us a big grin!
We had to walk a few block to Meir Park, but we had no trouble, thanks to the trusty GPS on my iPhone! When we got there, we discovered that the Festival was happening there, at the beginning of the parade route, rather than at the end (although I think there was probably also a big party after the parade, too). So, we proceeded to explore the Festival. Here are some pictures that I took there. First, a broad view to give you a feel of the atmosphere:
This guy all in green was doing various poses. I couldn't resist taking some pictures. Here's one of them:
There were several people on stilts. Here's a picture of a couple of them:
And here's another one, in a beautiful gown that went nearly all the way to the ground. Although it's not so easy to see in this view, this is actually a man!
I love this guy's shirt (it says: The IDF is defending OUR values) because it's so TRUE. The IDF (the Israel Defense Force) really IS defending OUR values. Gays and lesbians have always served openly in the Israeli military. We've even had at least one openly gay general. More importantly, our rights is this country are VASTLY better than among ANY of our enemies, where GLBT people are seriously persecuted and even in mortal danger.
When we asked for more details, we learned that the parade was not scheduled to begin until 1:30 (and we had gotten there about 11:30). After exploring the Festival and sitting on a park bench there to watch people go by, we were both a rather tired, especially since it was quite hot, even in the shade. So, we decided NOT to march in the parade (we had planned to march with the bears' group) and to call it a day. We walked a few blocks to Diezengoff Center, a HUGE mall (really, TWO malls, one on either side of the street, connected by 2 enclosed pedestrian bridges over the street). We found a Greg's Cafe there, managed to get a table, and enjoyed a nice lunch in the coolness.
After eating, we took a bus back to where our car was parked and headed home. I guess we're getting old! LOL Anyway, although we wore ourselves out, we had a good time and were both glad that we had gone.
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