The Yemenite Quarter, Tel Aviv

As mentioned before, I stayed in the Yemenite Quarter, or Karem Ha-Teimanim, of Tel Aviv. Its an up-and-coming area, with property prices on the  steady increase.as it becomes  a popular place to live. This is the original area Yemenite Jews settled in when they were airlifted out of Yemen by the Israelis during 1949 and 1950, in Operation Magic Carpet. Virtually the entire Yemeni Jewish population  of 50,000 was evacuated. There are thought to be only 400-odd Yemeni Jews left living in small enclaves in Yemen today. In the Yemenite Quarter, whilst there is still a strong Yemenite influence, it is  now a popular place for artists to live and has quite a bohemian feel to it. 

A funky way to decorate your home! Yemenite Quarter, Tel Aviv

Jibby the dog chillaxing Tel-Aviv style!

On my last day in Tel Aviv, I braved the torrential downpours and headed off to the Ha-Carmel Market, which was only a 10 minute walk from where I was staying. On the way, I got sidetracked by the numerous Yemeni spice stores and being a bit of a foodie,  used it as an opportunity  to have a nose about and stock up on my favourite Zatar and Sumac spices. I asked the shop-keeper to recommend a couple more spices to take home and as well as some recipe ideas and came away with some dried fine vegetable mix for rice dishes and Hawaaij or Hawahij, which is unique Yemeni-Jewish spice. It can be likened to the Indian garam masala, but with more of a kick to it. Hawahij is usually used in soups and casserole-style dishes in Yemenite Jewish cuisine.

Yemenite herb and spice store, Karem Ha-Teimanim

The most popular Yemenite soup in Israel, is Yemenite Shabbat soup, which is traditionally served on a Friday night as well as during holidays like Pesach. Hawahij is the essential ingredient in this soup. The recipe calls for chicken legs and quartered potatoes to be simmered in a chicken stock flavoured with the Hawahij spice. I've made it twice now, but have made a slight adaptation to the recipe by using left-over  cooked chicken breast and leg meat  (with the skin removed) from a previous roast dinner. instead of chicken legs.  Its an economical way to use up leftover chicken and makes the soup less oily. But the choice is yours!

Yemenite Shabbat Soup

1-2 chicken drumsticks per person/ rough chopped cooked chicken breast/thigh/leg meat

1 Litre chicken stock (I cheat and use either Telma chicken stock cubes or Osem chicken stock powder, which you can get in places like Waitrose, Sainsbury's or a local kosher deli). You can always make up more stock if you need it esp if you're making enough for 4-6 people.

1 large potato per person, peeled and quartered

A few ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

2-3 peeled cloves of garlic, whole

2-3 tablespoons Hawahij spice blend (or make it yourself of you can't buy it: 2 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp cumin seeds,  1 tsp cardamom seeds, 1 tsp saffron, 2 tsp turmeric and blitz it in a food processor. Store in an airtight container)

1 tablespoon turmeric

Chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or flat-leave parsley

Salt to taste

Harissa paste to serve (or Zhug if you can get it or make it) depending on whether you want some added heat!

How to make it:

In a large soup pan, put the water, stock cubes or powder, garlic, tomatoes, Hawahij spice and turmeric and bring it to the boil. Add the chicken legs or chopped meat. Maintain a good gentle rolling boil for about 10 minutes if you're using chicken drumsticks, skimming off the foam as you go along. If you're using cooked chicken, maintain a gentle simmer instead. Add the tomatoes and potato and simmer for another 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart. Add the chopped parsley or coriander during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Salt according to personal taste. I like a little added heat so add a dollop of Harissa paste to the middle of my soup (easy to buy in the supermarkets in the UK). My husband isn't so keen, so he has his without. In Israel and throughout the Middle East, zhug is the equivalent. 

It can be accompanied by naan bread, pitta bread or by Matzos ( an unleavened large thin flat cracker made from flour and water - in the UK the most common brand found in supermarkets is Rakusens) during Pesach/ Passover when eating chametz, ie bread and other leavened products, is forbidden.

b'tayavon! בתיאבון

Next time, Ha-Carmel Market........

The cobbled streets of Old Jaffa...

Now, I'm not a person who spends all her time in museums whilst on holidays. Some museums must be visited, like Yad Vashem (which I shall come to later), which should be almost compulsory for every human being.  But generally speaking, I really believe that the only way to get a sense of where you are is to spend time wandering round, ditching the map and allowing yourself to get lost in the myriad of cobbled alleyways of your destination. This is the way to see Old Jaffa, which is very small and circular in its layout. It was wonderful spending the afternoon ambling around, enjoying the amazing artwork by local artists displayed upon Old Jaffa's old city walls, taking in a couple of art galleries and browsing around the tiny flea market. I don't know the name of streets or monuments in Old Jaffa, but I can tell you that its got bundles of charm and feels very bohemian. I also had the best freshly squeezed pomegranate juice ever tasted and which was so, so much better than the so-called "pomegranate juice-drinks" that disgrace our supermarket shelves. Anyway, here are some of my photos......

Typical cobbled alleyways in Old Jaffa

Artwork by local artists adorn the outside walls of Old Jaffa's cobbled streets

Beautiful wooden carved door, Old Jaffa

Art studio and gallery, Old Jaffa

Main Square in Old Jaffa

Another gallery in Old Jaffa

Taking in more of the interesting and unusual street artwork

Monument at the top of the gardens in Old Jaffa

Coming next: A bit more about Tel Aviv, the Yemenite Quarter and the HaCarmel Market......

Tel Aviv & Old Jaffa

Old Jaffa

Tel Aviv was quite different to my first experience of Israel, a trip to Jerusalem. last year . It's modern, largely secular, the gay capital of the Middle East, loud, expensive, has gorgeous white sandy beaches with that azure Meditteranean sea and is warm in winter. I arrived at the end of January, from the wet dank winter in the UK, to be greeted with sunshine and temperatures of 22C. If you arrive on a Friday night,  its worth remembering that its the Jewish Sabbath known as Shabbat, where pretty much most of Israel closes down until sundown on Saturday evening. This includes public transport so you'll need to either take a taxi or a sherut ( basically a minibus which goes when its full but will usually drop you off at your actual destination rather than designated stops - they're about the same price or a little cheaper than a bus fare) from Ben Gurion Airport.

I stayed at a superb B&B called Eden House, situated in the Yemenite Quarter of Tel Aviv, about 5 minutes from the beach and about 10 minutes to Allenby Street, one of the main drags though Tel Aviv. Its also very close to the Carmel Market where the senses are assaulted with the sight of herring stands, bakeries, fruit and veggie stalls, cheap Judaica, spice shops and general bric-a-brac.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293984-d1467213-Reviews-Eden_House_TLV-Tel_Aviv.html 

Eden House is very attentively run by Serge & Michael who really went out of their way to ensure I had a comfortable stay. I paid £50 a night and found myself upgraded to a superior room - which was really a mini-apartment with kitchenette, king size bed, flat screen tv (although who watches tv on holiday?), large shower and plenty of space. It also had a deck area where you could sit outside and chill out after a day of sightseeing.

I had a day and a half to see a bit of Tel Aviv before heading off to  Nazareth. As it was Shabbat, I decided to do like many Israelis, and stroll down the promenade to Old Jaffa about 30 minutes away. The sea was really clear and blue that day and I couldn't resist kicking off my Fitflops and walking on the beach, with the tide washing over my feet as I strolled along, much to the amusement of some of the locals who were wearing warm winter coats in 22C temperatures!

The Tel Aviv seafront is an interesting place - families stroll, fitness freaks cycle or jog along the promenade and then there lots of little cafes, restaurants and ad hoc bars where people-watching is the  the main activity. There's some really interesting, subversive art murals as well, such as the photo below depicting the Last Supper but substituted with famous Jewish and Israeli figures (spot Einstein and Gold Meir). Notice the real green telephone too!

To be continued!

Welcome!

I've decided to become a blogger. Not sure how it all works or even whether it will work, but here goes!

I love to travel. Alone. As a woman alone too. I get time off as wife and mother and get to spend my time entirely as I wish. I can be completely selfish and do everything I want to do, never having to compromise and do stuff someone else wants to do.

What I'd like to share are my experiences of travelling alone as a nearly-forty year old woman. It has to be done on a tight budget - yes, Easyjet and Ryanair are my usual modes of transport.  Holidays tend to be 4 or 5 nights in duration only due to home commitments. I rarely pay more than £50 a night for somewhere to stay, and often stay in youth-hostel type places. I love to explore the markets,  eat at local restaurants that aren't pricey or pretentious, talk to people, use public transport, see the sights and try to return with a better understanding of where I've been. I like to bring back something from where I've been that will remind me of my travels - this year it was a bag of Arabic coffee bought from a coffee shop in the souk in Nazareth. Each time I open the bag and inhale that coffee, with its warm cardamom aroma, I  return to that great little gem of a city......

This year, I've just returned from Israel for the second year in a row. Why Israel? Well, my interest in Israel was ignited when Easyjet advertised their new route from London Luton to Tel Aviv. £170 later I was booked on a flight. My first adventure was 4 nights in Jerusalem with a day detour via the Dead Sea and Massada. It was the start of my love affair with Israel, and this year I returned again, staying in Tel Aviv and Nazareth for 5 nights. I'm going to share my photos, the recipes I discovered and the great experience of travelling to the Middle East. Plans are already afoot to return again next year  - Easyjet have recently announced their new route to Amman in Jordan so I'm already thinking about an open-jaw trip: fly into Tel Aviv and out of Amman, taking the opportunity to see a bit more of both countries. I hope you enjoy reliving my travel experiences with me!