By Roz
We arrived into Tel Aviv and had a predictable phaff getting from the station to the hotel. Predictable, but made more exciting by the knowledge that the Sabbath was fast-approaching, at which point all public transport in Israel stops. However our angst turned out to be entirely unnecessary and we got to our hotel whilst the sun was still high in the sky. Which was all the better for admiring our hotel, which was a converted art deco movie theatre which had stills from old films on the walls and old projectors and such like dotted around. Delightful. We dumped our bags and then headed out to the beachfront, picking up an ice cream en route. We got to the beach just in time to see the sun set and it was very cheery meandering along the waterfront promenade, and seeing Tel Avivans frolicking in the early evening on bikes and skateboards and electric scooters, with dogs aplenty, and strolling arm in arm as the sun set over the water. It was a fantastic first experience - the city felt so alive and buzzy and, most of all, happy.
Back at our hotel for a delightful happy hour on the rooftop, we mused on our options for the evening. Tel Aviv is known for its fantastic food and we had a plethora of recommendations - as well as a ton of fabulous looking places next to our hotel. But neither of us had quite shaken off our illness and so weren't feeling properly hungry, and so we ended up resolving to go to see Wonder (the film of a book we both love) at a nearby cinema instead. It's a tragic day where McCampions shun food...The film was quite good - if not as good as the book - and afterwards we mused on whether to stop on for a pre-bed snack but ended up heading to bed.
Next morning we went to the hotel's excellent breakfast (though failed to do justice to it) before heading out into the sun to old Jaffa for a free walking tour by the same people who'd done the walking tour in Jerusalem. It was fun meandering around the hilly old port city, seeing where Napoleon and a plethora of others had stopped off. An added bonus was some delicious Arabic bread from the oldest bakery in the city... And then some ice cream and some delicious freshly squeezed jaffa orange juice. After the tour we were determined to have lunch - all this skipping meals was doing neither of us any good - and we stopped off in an old warehouse type place playing jazz for fava bean hummus and an avocado crostini which, if not quite what the doctor ordered, were very pleasant. After lunch we mooched down the oceanfront, stopping on a grassy spot to read our books (in my case) and to have a snooze (in Layla's). We then stumbled upon an old railway, which was hosting Tel Aviv's answer to a Christmas market (but with ice cream instead of mulled wine). Having pottered around that we then headed through the hipster White City/Florentin neighbourhood where there were an abundance of charming cafes with people sitting out on streetside tables, laughing and eating, and little galleries and other cool shops. Then we got to Rothschild's Boulevard, which is a massively famous avenue with a beautiful walking and cycling path down the middle. Tons of people had gathered for picnics and so it was jolly trying to eavesdrop on conversations (the ones which were in English) and to imagine life living in the city.
Nearly back at our hotel, we stopped for a couple of delicious and restorative cocktails and to read our books in a pleasant outdoor bar / cafe. Back in the hotel, we changed and then - triumphantly - went out for dinner. I say triumphantly because it was pretty much our only proper dinner of the trip... And fortunately it was delicious, Indian food in a delightfully hipster venue. After this triumph we headed back to our room to watch the Crown - not quite a triumphant end to the evening, but you can't have everything.
Next morning, after an early breakfast we headed out to catch a bus to Tel Aviv's answer to Central Park - Hayarkon Park. This proved delightful, and we enjoyed seeing jogging rabbis, courting couples and a large number of dog parks. It was much bigger than we had anticipated, so by the time we were back at the oceanfront, and turning for home we were almost out of time. However, we resisted the temptation to take a short cut and instead walked along the very jolly waterfront - this bit felt like Venice Beach, LA (but with many more children). We bemoaned the lack of time to go paddleboarding (though both secretly feeling glad of this because the water was quite rough), had a quick ice cream and then a speedy but delicious lunch in a pretty square near our hotel.
We wondered numerous times whilst in Tel Aviv what it is that makes it such an enchanting city. In the end we resolved that it was the combination of being a an ocean city, with a population who are very visibly keen to make the most of their city and to have a cheery time. Our tour guide on our first day in Tel Aviv quoted from a poem which said "there's something magic in the city". As we get ready to fly out of the city, that absolutely feels right.
We arrived into Tel Aviv and had a predictable phaff getting from the station to the hotel. Predictable, but made more exciting by the knowledge that the Sabbath was fast-approaching, at which point all public transport in Israel stops. However our angst turned out to be entirely unnecessary and we got to our hotel whilst the sun was still high in the sky. Which was all the better for admiring our hotel, which was a converted art deco movie theatre which had stills from old films on the walls and old projectors and such like dotted around. Delightful. We dumped our bags and then headed out to the beachfront, picking up an ice cream en route. We got to the beach just in time to see the sun set and it was very cheery meandering along the waterfront promenade, and seeing Tel Avivans frolicking in the early evening on bikes and skateboards and electric scooters, with dogs aplenty, and strolling arm in arm as the sun set over the water. It was a fantastic first experience - the city felt so alive and buzzy and, most of all, happy.
Back at our hotel for a delightful happy hour on the rooftop, we mused on our options for the evening. Tel Aviv is known for its fantastic food and we had a plethora of recommendations - as well as a ton of fabulous looking places next to our hotel. But neither of us had quite shaken off our illness and so weren't feeling properly hungry, and so we ended up resolving to go to see Wonder (the film of a book we both love) at a nearby cinema instead. It's a tragic day where McCampions shun food...The film was quite good - if not as good as the book - and afterwards we mused on whether to stop on for a pre-bed snack but ended up heading to bed.
Next morning we went to the hotel's excellent breakfast (though failed to do justice to it) before heading out into the sun to old Jaffa for a free walking tour by the same people who'd done the walking tour in Jerusalem. It was fun meandering around the hilly old port city, seeing where Napoleon and a plethora of others had stopped off. An added bonus was some delicious Arabic bread from the oldest bakery in the city... And then some ice cream and some delicious freshly squeezed jaffa orange juice. After the tour we were determined to have lunch - all this skipping meals was doing neither of us any good - and we stopped off in an old warehouse type place playing jazz for fava bean hummus and an avocado crostini which, if not quite what the doctor ordered, were very pleasant. After lunch we mooched down the oceanfront, stopping on a grassy spot to read our books (in my case) and to have a snooze (in Layla's). We then stumbled upon an old railway, which was hosting Tel Aviv's answer to a Christmas market (but with ice cream instead of mulled wine). Having pottered around that we then headed through the hipster White City/Florentin neighbourhood where there were an abundance of charming cafes with people sitting out on streetside tables, laughing and eating, and little galleries and other cool shops. Then we got to Rothschild's Boulevard, which is a massively famous avenue with a beautiful walking and cycling path down the middle. Tons of people had gathered for picnics and so it was jolly trying to eavesdrop on conversations (the ones which were in English) and to imagine life living in the city.
Nearly back at our hotel, we stopped for a couple of delicious and restorative cocktails and to read our books in a pleasant outdoor bar / cafe. Back in the hotel, we changed and then - triumphantly - went out for dinner. I say triumphantly because it was pretty much our only proper dinner of the trip... And fortunately it was delicious, Indian food in a delightfully hipster venue. After this triumph we headed back to our room to watch the Crown - not quite a triumphant end to the evening, but you can't have everything.
Next morning, after an early breakfast we headed out to catch a bus to Tel Aviv's answer to Central Park - Hayarkon Park. This proved delightful, and we enjoyed seeing jogging rabbis, courting couples and a large number of dog parks. It was much bigger than we had anticipated, so by the time we were back at the oceanfront, and turning for home we were almost out of time. However, we resisted the temptation to take a short cut and instead walked along the very jolly waterfront - this bit felt like Venice Beach, LA (but with many more children). We bemoaned the lack of time to go paddleboarding (though both secretly feeling glad of this because the water was quite rough), had a quick ice cream and then a speedy but delicious lunch in a pretty square near our hotel.
We wondered numerous times whilst in Tel Aviv what it is that makes it such an enchanting city. In the end we resolved that it was the combination of being a an ocean city, with a population who are very visibly keen to make the most of their city and to have a cheery time. Our tour guide on our first day in Tel Aviv quoted from a poem which said "there's something magic in the city". As we get ready to fly out of the city, that absolutely feels right.
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