In which Roz and Layla are enchanted by Tel Aviv

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.

In which Layla and Roz continue their walking cure in Haifa

By Layla

Next morning we awoke and mused that though not certainly not yet well, we were on the mend. We celebrated was tasty breakfast in our lovely hotel and then a walk down to the Old City of Jerusalem where we bought another ticket to walk the city walls but this time did the south circuit which gave different, fab views. The route eventually ended at the Western Wall. Since Google Maps was keen for us to walk in a certain direction, we soon found ourselves at the praying part of the Western Wall. Luckily we spotted a toilet and headed there instead, before weaving our way through men with large black hats and out into a little market. After we had our fill of the Old City, we walked back to the hotel via a bagel shop to stock up for lunch, and a cafe for a cup of tea, before picking up our bags and returning to Central Bus Station. This time, our destination was Haifa!

About two hours from Jerusalem, Haifa is a hilly city perched on the Mediterranean coast, north of Tel Aviv. It's most famous for its Bah'ai Gardens. Which we amusimgly failed to properly visit during our entire trip. We stayed downtown, in a serviced apartment surrounded by charming little restaurants and bars. We started out by walking to the German Colony, which is mostly a street with quaint old houses and views on the famous gardens. Not much to do though so we retreated to our own neighbourhood and a suitably hipster craft beer bar. Alas I didn't feel well enough for beer. But I did feel well enough for chips. Also popcorn an hour later when we took the bus to the cinema.

We hadn't started out with a plan to see the new Star Wars film in 4D but it was on at the right time, and soon we found ourselves stepping into special seats and making decisions about whether to turn water on or off with our armrest control pads. Luckily we ate our popcorn speedily because it was a bit like being on a rollercoaster. As the spaceships zoomed, it felt like we were moving with them, the wind in our hair... Frankly it made the whole movie ten times as fun/exciting/terrifying. The film was good and afterwards we headed to an outdoor restaurant for a quick pasta to share, then back to our apartment feeling pleased with ourselves for having had our most exciting Israel evening so far...

The next day I was up early, frantically googling. Roz had expressed interest in going to Roman ruins, so we'd planned a side trip from Haifa. But now she'd gone off the ruins and wanted to hike. We were near the Carmel Mountains, a hiking wonderland, though not a straightforward one. Eventually I found a link to a 4-hour hike from Haifa University and we took the bus up the mountain to get there. Then found the trail and started descending down down down to the valley (wadi) at the bottom of a cliff. As we clambered over rocks and slid down slopes, we mused that Israeli hikers were more hardcore than us... At one point Roz impaled her stomach on a branch. But we made it largely unscathed to the valley floor, and wound our way around a beautifully scenic part of the Carmel National Park. We halted for a picnic. Finally what comes down must go up, and we were presented with two sheer cliff faces, with little metal handholds attached. Time to ascend.

At this moment we would have been terrified/dazzled by our own intrepidness, were it not for the sudden appearance of six young children and their parents. After watching several 4-year olds zooming up the cliff face, we felt obliged to get on with it, exuding more suave confidence than the shrieks that were in our hearts...

We lost the trail at the very end and walked along the road back to a bus stop which conveyed us to a cake shop and we spent the rest of the afternoon refuelling with tea and apple pie and books. Then we took a cab back to our hotel (then a second cab after jumping out of the first one which took us in the wrong direction), and finished off our evening with a tasty Lebanese meal, and a viewing of The Crown on Netflix before bed.

Our last day in Haifa and we felt keen to hike again. So I found an urban hike, from Gan Ha'em Park to the sea, via Wadi Lotem. This was another great hike through nature and it was beautiful. We were sorry to pop out at the bottom, but after a little walking by a beachside park, Roz figured out how to tunnel under the train tracks, onto a lovely beachy walking path. But soon enough we had to catch the bus home. We proceeded to have lunch outside at one of the charming street restaurants, grabbing our bags, and heading to  the railway station to grab one of the last trains that run to Tel Aviv before the Sabbath! As I write this, the countryside is flashing past and we are excited for the last (but not least) leg of our Israel adventure. 

In which Layla and Roz try different medicinal cures in Israel

After three months in separate countries, Roz and I clearly needed a reuniting holiday, and we found it: less than 5 hours away, sunny weather, and great hiking, culture, history and food. Only two things stood between us and a glorious week in Israel: Donald Trump and the flu.

Mr Trump controversially declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel just days before we were due to arrive there, and the papers started to headline our intended holiday destination with words like 'unrest' and 'death'. The Foreign Office guidelines were specific: avoid all the areas we were planning to visit until 6am on Saturday morning. But we weren't arriving til Saturday evening. We could only hope the protestors would keep to a strict rioting schedule to facilitate our sightseeing... And as for the flu, Roz had already been extravagantly sick for days and had recently given it to me as a charming pre-Christmas gift. Frankly I don't recall having had a worse virus. I felt revolting. It did not make either of us the most beloved of aeroplane seat neighbours...

We arrived late into Jerususalem and had misguidedly booked a hotel near nothing. So we embarked on a mile-long dinner quest, wheezing and hacking-coughing our way along a pleasant street til we finally found a cool neighbourhood restaurant. We combatted our nausea with a pizza and salad (and free desserts!). Roz sampled her first Israeli wine. And then, shivering and coughing and sneezing, we made our way back to the hotel, musing that it may have been more sensible to stay at home, tucked up in bed. But we do love holidays, so that would have been no fun.

The next day, after a nice sleepless night, the sun was shining and it was time to head into the Old City. After checking the FCO advice, we entered cheerily and had a pleasant breakfast just inside Jaffa Gate before joining a Sandemans free walking tour. It was very cool - the Old City is all winding alleys and ancient streets and limestone buildings and bursting with atmosphere. We even got to see the wailing wall, aka Western Wall, and I had a shameful flashback to my trip here 17 years ago when I was taken to this wall and didn't know what it was.

After vIsiting the Armemian, Jewish and Muslim quarters (and taking every opportunity to sit/lie/semi-collapse with flu-ey exhaustion), we retired to a nice cafe for lunch. I managed a soup and was proud. Afterwards we bought tickets for the Old City Wall ramparts - we walked all the way along the top of the north wall which was brilliant and gave a beautiful view of the city. And it was only slightly challenging to climb up all these stairs with what felt like my last breaths...

We eventually got off the wall and walked to Damascus Gate to get a train back to our hotel with my memory of the FCO website saying 'whatever you do, avoid Damascus Gate', but all was fine and soon we were back and Roz made them give me some hot water for my Lemsip. Then it was a mere 20 min walk up a hill with a suitcase to Central Bus Station and we were off to the next stage of our Israel adventure: Ein Gedi. All sorts of adventure awaited at this Dead Sea oasis.

As the bus wove through streets in the dark, I noticed illumimated signs for all the FCO no-go areas. I checked our location on Google Maps. We were literally driving all the way through the West Bank. Oops. But all was fine other than some inevitable unwellness, and we were safely deposited at Ein Gedi Kibbutz Hotel, where we had a very satisfactory hummous, falafel etc dinner and headed off to bed for a nice night of sneezing and wheezing.

Which set us up well for an energetic day of fun. After breakfast we caught a bus to Masada, a famous hilltop fortress and the last Jewish holdout against the Romans. Luckily we were able to take a cablecar to the top. Then we walked around all the Roman ruins which were very cool and interesting, admired the brilliant views of the desert, the Dead Sea, and across to Jordan, and spent some time lying down on a bench... Before summoning all our remaining energy and hiking down the mountain along the 'snake path'. Which was beautiful and scenic and delightful, and we had it all mostly to ourselves.

We took a bus back to the hotel, grabbed our swimsuits, and then we were off to the Ein Gedi spa, aka swimming in the Dead Sea! In retrospect, my flu didn't really want me to strip down to a swimsuit, as it is still technically winter here, even if it is sunny and nice. Nor did it want me to hike a mile in said swimsuit to the Dead Sea and promptly get in, despite it being decidedly chilly. But I found myself on that trajectory anyway. When in Ein Gedi... The Dead Sea was brilliant. Far, far more salty than our Jordan experience (inexplicably!). And astoundingly beautiful scenery. We floated and Roz lent me her water shoes like a hero so I didn't have to hurt my feet on the salt crystals (as she then did). Of note: touching a very sore, flu-ey nose with salt water is not to be recommended.

After our float, we hopped on a weird shuttle bus/truck thing and were conveyed back to reception, and we spent the rest of our 'spa' experience in an alarmingly black but comfortingly warm sulphur bath.

Back at the hotel, we played Scrabble (I won), walked/sneezed through an exploration of the the Kibbutz and botanical gardens and many cats, had a rest, then had dinner and three thousand games of rummy (Roz won almost all) before we persuaded ourselves it was acceptable to go to bed. Thank goodness!

Our alarm was set for 6:45am today, a nice long lie for us holidaymakers. I awoke feeling marginally less awful than yesterday: hooray! Which was just as well as we were about to embark on five hours of hiking in the Ein Gedi reserve. Which is glorious. First we set out on a tour of Wadi David with a charming old man who has lived at the Kibbutz since the 60s. Then after winding our way through lots of lovely waterfalls, and seeing ibex and mountain rabbits, and soaring orange and white cliffs and lots of greenery, we left the group and headed off by ourselves, up and over a mountain, wheezing all the way. It was lovely. After eventually descending to the road, we'd planned to head back to the hotel but then I got cocky - I wasn't actually lying on the ground in a wheezing coughing mess. Thus maybe we should head to Wadi Arubot and do another 2 hour hike. It was completely amazing. Part of the hiking path was inside a river! It involved rock climbing up little waterfalls and knee-deep wading, again surrounded by soaring mountains and beautiful creek-side vegetation. It was beautiful and glorious and exciting. Though gorge walking was, in retrospect, not necessarily what the doctor ordered...

Eventually we got a taxi back to the hotel to dry off and have lunch, then caught a bus back to Jerusalem. Instead of the uninspiring hotel of a few days ago, we checked into the really delightful, arty Bezalel Hotel in the centre of town. After partaking of their excellent happy hour drinks and snacks and lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah, we spent the evening wandering in the lively market (more hipster than expected), and wide, jolly pedestrian streets lined with shops and restaurants. We finished up in Nocturne, a convivial restaurant near our hotel where we had a little dinner before heading home to bed. So far we are loving our Israel holiday. And it may be that our illness is turning a corner... For now, pass the decongestant tablets. I'm ready for our next adventures!