To see the celebration of 68th Independence of Israel I’ve headed directly to Tel Aviv – a vibrant and bright megapolis in the Middle East!
TOUCHDOWN Tel Aviv is reachable from wherever you need to come. From Kiev I took a flight with El Al. By the way, follow their offers they might be quite advantageous. 12th of May was a day off, but not a Shabbath yet. So I can’t say whether the transport doesn’t work during the Shabbat time. I took a train from the airport to the HaHagana Railway Station (13,5 ILS) and from there you just take the bus 4/104/204 to the city center. Actually here was a big confusion! When you ask how to get to the downtown people look at you weird… Because all Tel Aviv is already a center, a downtown, call it as you like! :) WHERE TO STAY All depends on your own preferences. But I think if you travel to the city closer to summer, better to be nearer to the seaside. I’ve lived around Bograshov street closer to the seaside and it was totally a convenient location. This neighborhood is not that noisy as Dizengoff street, trafficked as Allenby and not that posh as Rothschild Boulevard. Actually,it is very local, still lively and here lots of the city’s delicious “bests” are located! :D The best falafel, hummus, Thai food and sushi bar. Even pizza is considered to be the best one in Ha’pizza in Bograshev street! :) And it is close to everything! Just go straight to the end and you’ll reach the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Promenade and the beach. Or you can turn to the Ben Yehuda street, then go to the left and in 5-7 minutes arrive at the Carmel market to taste the species and delicious cheeses. Or you can turn to the right towards Tel Aviv Marina. All is quite near. So, WHY TO GO? #1 To go to the Middle-eastern country and explore the local lifestyle, which is totally far from being that one you might imagine (Middle-Eastern), extremely open-minded one if we speak about the young generation. Israel is engaged in an endless conflict, still The World Happiness Report 2016 Update ranks Israel (Jews and Arabs) 11th of 158 countries evaluated for the United Nations. Israel also takes the 5th place of the 36 on the OECD’s Life Satisfaction Index—ahead of the U.S., the U.K. and France.
After a couple of minutes of riding the bike along the Promenade towards Jaffa, you find yourself surrounded only by Arab people picnicking, resting, walking around with kids. Notwithstanding all the explanation why it is like this, still it shocks you a little bit.
#2 To enjoy 13 km of Tel Aviv beach and the art. Every beach differs somehow: Metzitzim beach is far, near the Tel Aviv port – a leisure zone with restaurants, shops and concept boutiques, representing Israeli designers; Hilton beach is very gay-friendly, anther one near goes dog-friendly. :D The beaches to the South are popular among the kite-surfers and other sporty people.
Don’t miss the chance to visit the Carlton Hotel terrace to keep the breath watching the beauty! Moreover, there is a restaurant “Blue Sky” if you prefer exclusive sunsets! By the way, the restaurant in open starting from 6 p.m.
Keep the feet always out of bed! ;)
Of course, don’t miss the chance to admire the urban architecture – Bauhaus modernist style, so famous and preserved in Tel Aviv. In 2003, the UNESCO proclaimed Tel Aviv’s White City a World Cultural Heritage site. Take a self-guided stroll down Rothschild Boulevard, Dizengoff Street, Bialik Street or through the Neve Tzedek neighborhood to see the best buildings the White City has to offer. Visit Tel Aviv Art museum.Go to the old Jaffa to walk around the old walls, enter the neighborhood’s shops, search for something unique in a flea market and in the choose a right place right in Jaffa to have a delicious local style dinner! Oh, how the local love to spend here their leisure time!
#3 To watch the people and the sunset in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Promenade. The Promenade connects Old Jaffa in the south to the northern neighborhoods of the city. It is very comfortable to explore it using the bicycle as it is quite a long line. There are many bike stations around the city so it will not be difficult to find one. But know that you can pay for the rent only with a credit card. Moreover, read the rules and figure out the it’s timing system. During 3 days off I was just enjoying to watch the people there! Everyone was doing something: running, jogging, yoga, sub, playing matkot or volleyball; chilling, walking the dogs, skating, dancing. All was crowded! As soon as it gets windy you immediately see kite-surfers or windsurfers invading the beach! Amazing! Actually, I was surprised how these people love sports.
But someone loves doing sports and another one love to eat! :D #4 To taste the local food, influenced by Arabs, Turkish, etc. Falafel, hummus with tahini cold and warm, cheese, shakshouka, sabich, burek, pork and lamb, seafood, even pita, traditional bread, and halla,a special Jewish braided bread eaten on Sabbath! Ahhh! So where and what to try these all? I’ll tell you soon in my next post! ;) #5 To party 24h in the city that almost doesn’t sleep. Tel Aviv is definitely a party city! Bars on every corner, crowds on every bench, vodka/ whiskey shots in between of what you are drinking, cocaine as a quite adequate thing! Actually, when I heard the first time the attitude to the drug… I was completely shocked. For many Israeli people, it is totally a common thing to take drugs to have fun… I mean.. a very common thing and nothing confusing! The attitude is the following: “there’s too much stress in our life, even if we are already used to it… And tomorrow may not become… So why shouldn’t we try and take all from this life!”. Maybe some will criticize me for this paragraph… But it is what I heard from the people I’ve been talking to :) Anyway! There are lots of impressions after this trip and I’ll keep dividing them with you in my next posts! Don’t hesitate! Just get the ticket! To be continued…
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