Tel A-beautiful Tel Aviv

The past few days have seemed like they spanned much longer than they did in actuality. I mean this in a good way!

I arrived to my friend Amir’s house in Tel Aviv and was greeted quite warmly with hugs and a welcome lunch, see the picture below - it was quite a spread!

That night after dinner Amir and his friends took me to a local bar in Herzliya (just north of Tel Aviv) called Siesta. I got to practice my Hebrew! Also it just so happened that one of Amir’s friends spoke Spanish so I got to speak some Español :) At the bar I sampled Israel’s flagship beer Goldstar. It was great! The bar offers both the filtered and unfiltered versions of the brew. My preference was for unfiltered. 

The next day I woke up and went for a run. The neighborhood adjacent to Amir’s, B’nei Brak, is religious so it was a show for my eyes to see another side of everyday life than to what I am normally accustomed. There was an awesome paved bike path for both runners and bikers - Israel is VERY bike and pedestrian friendly! The only problem, like in most big cities, is that people don’t know how to wear helmets!

After my run I took the public bus into Tel Aviv where I toured the Carmel Shuk. The market was robust with fruits of all different colors, shapes and sizes. There were eggplants so purple and beautiful I wanted to break out a stove and pan and immediately get to cooking! 

From the shuk I took the boardwalk about a mile and a half (?) into the old port city of Jaffa. I should have planned better - I forgot at the time that it was a Sunday and I couldn’t enter any of the old churches there, and of course the museum was closed. In israel the work week goes from Sunday until Thursday, which leaves Friday and Saturday as the two weekend days.

Jaffa was beautiful. From nooks and crevices to art merchants and colonizing vines, it was like every inch of the city was in sync to produce a truly unique vibe. I just need to go back on another day of the week!

From Jaffa I walked back to Tel Aviv, away from the shore, and was invited into conversation by many people on the streets - perhaps by the paleness of my skin it was evident I was a foreigner? 

After four hours of walking I finally decided I was tired, got lunch at Aroma and took the bus home… during rush hour. On the bus it was a battle for the survivor of the pushiest! Anytime someone got off the bus, it was a mad dash to see who could conquer the vacant seat first. I was not too terrible at this game if I may say so myself!

That night I had dinner with cousins at their home in northern Tel Aviv. My immediate family only recently discovered the Sleptzoff family on my mom’s side from old letters my grandmother had written to the matriarchal Sleptzoff. I am very happy to call these people my cousins :) They were nothing but hospitable and insisted that I could not leave without a full stomach! 

After dinner cousin Roy, who is two days older than me, brought me to a local outdoor bar on the Tel Aviv University campus. (Side note: I guess this is legal here because the drinking age is 18 in Israel?) I do not think this would ever happen in the States!

The next morning I packed up by bags and headed to meet with my program group at a youth hostel in Tel Aviv. It was a wonderful few days staying with the Altman family and I am lucky to have been welcomed into their home. 

Here are a few pictures from my adventure through Tel Aviv:

Entering Jaffa - ancient staircase!

In Jaffa, this is how the passageways look, similar to Tsfat.

View of Tel Aviv coast from Jaffa coast.

Yay!!!!!!! This was spray-painted a few times on some buildings.

Private residence in Tel Aviv, beautiful!