Tel Aviv

My friend Kjersti and I spent our first 3 vacation days in Tel Aviv and it turned out to be the perfect start Tel Aviv is a city on the beach like Waikiki.  We lucked out with a hotel one street in from an awesome beach and right around great restaurants.  Tel Aviv is truly a modern city and very cosmopolitan.  It feels kind of like a blend of Europe and the Middle East - a little rough around the edges but very alive.  Coming from snow (literally that morning) in Switzerland into the summer sunshine was amazing.  Everyone was out with friends and family walking along the beach promenade and cooking out in the parks along the ocean.

One of my favorite things about Tel Aviv (and in fact Israel) was the food.

We ate lovely fresh grilled seafood every day.  They do this awesome thing in Israel - before your main course they bring you little tasty bits of food called meze.  You might have a bit of hummus, a bit of grilled cauliflower, a bit of shaved carrots with mint, etc.  It is incredibly hard not to fill up before your main course.  Here are a few food shots for the foodies out there.





During the evenings the beaches are turned into ocean side bars.  People come and hang out with friends and family for a few drinks, something to eat and maybe a smoke on the hookah.  Kjersti and I just loved being able to sit outside with our beers and some cards for a little Spite and Malice.

When we weren't eating or drinking we did do a little sightseeing.  We did a walking tour checking out the typical "Bauhaus" style architecture for which Tel Aviv is now included as a world heritage site.

We also went to the market - I'm a big fan of markets :)

  

This is the Carmel Market and while most of it is composed of stalls selling cheap tshirts and jewelry some of it was really cool.

All the way down the beach from where we were staying is Jaffa.  This was known in Biblical times as the port of Jappo and it has a really lovely old town to wander through.

Since we were there during Passover, most shops were closed but Jaffa looks like it has a really cool artist presence.  Another reason to go back I guess!

After 3 days in Tel Aviv we were relaxed, tanned and well fed and ready to hit the ancient streets of Jerusalem.  I already miss the fabulous soft sand but I have a feeling I may be back.  It's only a 3 1/2 hr direct flight from Zurich after all!