Tel Aviv - The Other City that Never Sleeps

With a very early start in Istanbul powered by a Maccas breakfast we arrive in Tel Aviv by 11am. The sky had been cloud free, and we had premium seats with the airline finally giving Simon a break for his height, meaning we had the most spectacular view flying out of Turkey over the barren mountainous landscape and over Cyprus. 

We try to be as prepared as possible coming into countries but moving this fast we can’t get everything perfect. We knew we could get the train into Tel Aviv and a bus to our apartment, there was only one thing we forgot… it was Saturday – Shabbat (the day of rest), and everything is shut down. Taxis were our only choice and Tel Aviv was a set price of 180 shekels (~$60AUD), YIKES! We never take taxis, they hurt the budget badly. But we are smart and resourceful and approach a lone traveller and say “hi, are you going to take a cab?” the answer was yes, so we say “to Tel Aviv?” the answer was yes, “would you like to split a fare in?” the answer was yes! YES, $60 just became $30! 

Our apartment is small, but central and is all we need. We change into our shorts and tee as the weather is turning it on for us, and Amy is somewhere she can wear shorts without it being very against the norm. We are 4 minutes’ walk from the beach, and this place is magic. We are starving and plant ourselves at a busy café on the beach, it’s overpriced but the location and atmosphere is perfect and we slip into summer holiday mode. Saying “hello Tel Aviv!” as we sip on iced drinks and devour hummus, falafel and pita along with eggplant and tahini. 

 

 

The beach is buzzing as this is everyone’s day off, the no swimming policy seems to be completely dismissed by the locals and even the dogs are taking a dip. It reminds us of Australia, the relaxed atmosphere, heaps of families, sand castles, the pop up shelters, portable BBQs with a side of beer, and of course the one awkward guy wearing white speedos. The only noticeable difference is that beach cricket is traded for Matkot which is like ping pong and tennis combined. The shore stretches 14km, but we do about a 12km round trip back to our apartment. Tired from our stroll, dinner is provided from the local 24hr mini mart (Shabbat, everything closed still) of something that looks like 2 minute noodles but we can’t read Hebrew, and a snickers bar. If today is a taste of what is in store, we are excited and ready for our Israeli adventure!

Our bed is in a loft and on crawling into bed, Simon touches the ceiling just sitting on the bed, and the mattress is on the floor. Spatial awareness and slow movements become requirements for our stay and sleeping in the low space.

Day 2

Just down the road from us is a boutique hotel with a bistro attached, it’s rated as the best breakfast in Tel Aviv. We decide we need a good breakfast to make up for the day priors light eating. We order an eggs benedict (with ham!) and shaksuka which is poached eggs in a pan with a dense flavourful tomato sauce. Simply put this is the best thing since, ever! Hollandaise sauce is amazeballs and Shakshuka quickly goes onto our list of favourite foods.

Wandering down to the Old Port of Jaffa (Yaffo in Hebrew) is a bit of a trek along the coast but it is so beautiful outside with the sun shining and light breeze we don’t mind. There is a Sandemans walking tour of Tel Aviv which is great, they’re always informative and helpful getting the history and lay of a place. This tour was slightly different in that is focused really only on Jaffa and not on broader Tel Aviv. 

On our walking tour of Old Jaffa our guide explained the number of occupations by foreign empires of Jaffa over its 4000 years history going right back to before Greek mythology to as recently as Napoleon in the late 18^th century Jaffa has been occupied. The city is like a wedding cake with layers and layers of history under one another. They have found remains going right back to the middle Bronze Age. The port of Jaffa was super important as the port of Jerusalem so whoever wanted to control Jerusalem needed to control Jaffa. 

There is a church at the top of the old city that has an unusual west facing alter because it perfectly aligns with the Vatican in Rome, meaning that St Peters faces directly to the holy land. You can book a service in any language you want as it is the Vatican embassy, given two days’ notice they can provide a service for you, in anything from Swahili to Chinese. 

 

 

The old port itself doesn’t get much use these days besides small fishing boats as the new port of Haifa up the coast takes the bulk of Israel’s maritime trade. It is still very pretty though with the rocks of Andromeda and their own legend of Andromeda being tied to the rocks to sacrifice to Poseidon but Perseus flying by on his Nikes saved her from the sea monster by turning it to stone with Medusa’s head. Apparently the old stone dock is the sea monster itself.

 Old Jaffa is now an artist colony, only artists can live there, and their work is on display in galleries sprinkled all throughout its charming old streets. When the State of Israel came into being Jaffa was a bit of a ruin so to spruce the place up they encouraged artists to move in and gentrify the area. It’s worked with it now being beautiful to wander and explore.

One of the public art works in Old Jaffa

 After our tour we were starving but knew a good kebab place nearby. We found what we thought was it and were ushered inside by the enthusiastic host. After being slightly confused and bit of a communication struggle he took us into the kitchen and showed us everything they had on the cook from soups, stews, baked meats and so on. We really just wanted a shawarma and eventually we got the message across and he explained the place has two fronts, we had come in the restaurant front. Walking though the kitchen and out the back there was the right place. We had the shawarma that we were really expecting from Turkey. Big, juicy, well flavoured, meaty, perfect. 

Both of our Swatch watches had broken straps which needed replacing so we located a Swatch shop in Tel Aviv but it was far from walking distance and out in the suburbs. Getting out into the burbs on the bus is usually no big deal, Google maps will give you the bus and the stop to get off. The only problem is when it gives you the stops in Hebrew. Luckily the bus driver was very helpful when we explained where we wanted to go and knowing the way we found our way back OK with our watches once more in the rightful place on our wrists.

It was getting pretty late and we were peckish so on our way back to the apartment we swung through the Carmel Markets which are 3 minutes’ walk from our place and go a last minute box of strawberries. This was not a punnet like back home but about a kilo of strawberries for 5 shekels. Less than two dollars!!  

 

Day 3

Our day started at the fabulous Carmel Markets known as Tel Aviv’s outdoor supermarket which was fortunately so close to us we could visit at will. Slowly wandering and looking at all the stalls selling everything from nail clippers to organic beer. Fresh produce is pouring out onto the pavement with the bright colours of oranges, pomegranates, melons, strawberries mixed with the dried varieties of dates, apricots, mangoes and kiwi fruit. Of course there is the nuts and spices there too but not many as there is a separate spice market in another part of town. Piles of socks, clothes, decorative household goods, shawls and kippas… basically everything you can need. Our mouths runneth over. TOO MUCH DELICOUSNESS!

We don't actually like olives but they take a pretty picture

 After a good browse we find our spot for lunch. At breakfast yesterday a man told us of a small place in the markets that does the best Borek. Simple food, simple place but the taste is perfect. It’s all about the accompaniments, a boiled egg, spicy sauce, pickles, tomato and a fresh lemonade. Thick pastry and well-seasoned meat. Spot on. We are forever finding that you cannot judge a place by its appearance. Often these diamonds in the rough would go unnoticed and passed by if not for a word or a tip off. 

All throughout the market are pick your own candy stalls that have a variety of lollies sold by the kilo. Naturally we get a bag and get picking. The candy thing is really big in Israel. 

Even more frequent than the lolly shops are the juice vendors. These guys crank out fresh cups of pomegranate juice for about $5 a cup. They use about 5 pomegranates to a cup of juice, if you’re familiar with prices back home ($6-8 a pomegranate) it’s insanely good value. They even have specialised juicers for the tough pods. This lady churned out about 4 cups in 6 minutes and we joked with her she must have the strongest arms in Tel Aviv. Refreshing, sweet, crisp. Exactly what you need when wandering in the sun.

 

At a shop selling pre made rice mixes we sampled some very tasty rice with herbs and spices mixed through. All ready to go just add water, salt, oil and boil for 20 minutes. Given we had an apartment we might as well ‘cook’. The other thing that we found throughout markets is these awesome ‘toppings’ for rice and salads that have crushed nuts, spices and dried herbs of various combinations to put on things. They seriously make the meal. We copied down a few ingredients lists to experiment with on our own at home.

The Middle East is the home of falafel so naturally you can get it fresh everywhere. There is a falafel joint on just about every street in town. In the market you can get a fresh pita stuffed with piping hot falafel balls and salads with sauce for just 7 shekels (about $2.50) so good.

Have you noticed the trend? The markets and the food is fabulous. Would do just about anything to have these near where we live back home.

Mentioned earlier was that the spice markets are located elsewhere. The Lavinsky spice markets are about a 20 minute walk away in another neighbourhood and are not so much ‘markets’ as a closely grouped numbers of stores selling nuts, spices, seeds and dried things. I say things because we couldn’t figure out what everything was and even on questioning we still were not 100%. Huge bags of legumes lined the sidewalk creating further confusion on the ‘what is that?’ game.

After the spice market we wandered a little before finding Ha Bima Square. There is a beautiful garden that is recessed into the ground so you can sit and relax in the quiet environment. Classical music is piped in through hidden speakers really getting you into a serene space to just relax and absorb the chilled atmosphere.  

We missed the sunset that afternoon but nevertheless went to the beach to see what we could see. There wasn’t much but it was nice just to relax by the surf and just breathe. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in doing all the things and we forget to just take a while to stop, be present and soak in where we are.

Day 4

Our plan for the day was to explore some of the trendier neighbourhoods of Tel Aviv made easier by a handy guide to the good architecture spots. Before we started though, we need sustenance. Just around the corner from us was a tiny restaurant called Milky Way which is owned and run by Shimon. The elderly gents professes his Shakshuka to be the best in Tel Aviv! Of course we tried and had to agree, it was the best we’d had so far.

Neve Tzedek is one of the oldest and most desirable neighbourhoods in Tel Aviv. It had some beautiful Bauhouse architecture which was popularized in start up Tel Aviv in the 20’s and 30’s. Wandering the area you can find some great examples of the buildings from that period. Some in excellent renovated condition and others awaiting restoration. We found some beautiful galleries, eclectic design stores and sweet gelato and just loved the relaxed feel to the whole area. Perfect for strolling or sitting at one of the many cafes lining the streets.

The central street of the area is Rothschild Street. It’s a split road and right down the middle is a wide nature strip with bike and pedestrian paths, coffee shops and benches. Lots of shady trees, beautiful houses and a good coffee made for a nice stroll while taking in the surroundings. 

After our exploring we returned to old Jaffa to get some more photos and wander a little more in detail. Walking tours are great but you can’t stop and poke around in side streets or get good photos without holding up everyone. 

With the day nearly done we finished the day on the beach to see the bright glow of the sun setting in the west. The on the beach café still had their chairs out so we parked ourselves right at the front and waited for the sun to go down and were not disappointed. The sun lit up the sky in a burnt orange hue giving the clouds sharp contrast against the dimming sky. Finally a sunset to write home about! It’s been a long time coming.

The next day we got the bus to Jerusalem on Israels very well organised public transport system which is called Egged. Yeah we don’t know why either but it still makes us giggle.

Lessons Learnt

• Re-learnt, freshness is everything!
• Jaffas history of being conquered and reconquered is a perfect example of history repeating itself.
• Israels beaches are comparable to Queenslands. Long white strips of fine white sand. Perfect.
• Shabbat makes for a tough time for the uninitiated. There are options but you need to know where to go.
• You can buy home sized rotisseries for shawerma. Awesome.
• White speedos are not acceptable the world over
• Exploring neighbourhoods is one of the best ways to get to know a city

Parting Thoughts

• Prices in Israel are mostly comparable to Australia, but are then amplified by having to tip a min of 12% everywhere.
• There is a quietness to not being able to read anything, or understand anything. Hebrew and Arabic are the first and second languages here. Choices are simpler, noise is dulled out. This has been one of the best things about travelling, you really can live in your own little world and completely filter out surrounding noise.
• Tel Aviv is super chilled out. Lots of people getting around on electric bikes and maxi scooters, cool cafes and places to eat, it’s got a laid back, seaside vibe but mixed with a modern edge that makes for it to be a super cool place to just explore and find little sweet spots.

Simon and Amy Xoxo