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.
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!
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