Yay Israel!

Following the dryness, dustiness and dirtiness of Jordan, Tel Aviv has provided a welcome and refreshing respite. In fact, it's jockeying for a position on my top five cities list alongside Buenos Aires, Sydney, Boston and Bath.

While it would be a stretch to call the locals friendly, they aren’t constantly trying to rip you off and are pleasant enough. Very few speak any English which I have to confess is not what I expected to find. Nor is most signage in English – which makes ordering in restaurants very difficult, or trying to read labels at the grocery store, or catching a bus…the list goes on. Trying to read Hebrew is like trying to read Cantonese and it’s a little alarming when you can’t understand anything around you (more so than in China, where I found that they tried to post pigeon English signage for the benefit of tourists). Normally, I tend to think it’s the tourist’s responsibility to pick up a few words of the local dialect in order to get by, but in the case of Hebrew that’s near impossible.

The city itself is a temple to Bauhaus style architecture. In fact, there are a series of white Bauhaus originals dating back to the 1930s scattered along Rothschild Boulevard that received UNESCO World Heritage status. Unfortunately, I would have to rate them as the most disappointing UNESCO site I have seen to date. But (although I haven’t been), I suspect there are many similarities between Tel Aviv and Miami from an architectural standpoint. Their buildings both predominantly hail from the same era and feature a similar, bleached out, sorbet colour scheme- think lavenders, dusty mandarin oranges, lemon yellows, sky blues, aquas and mint greens. I also spent quite a few hours pleasantly lost on my first day, which ended up being a great way to get a feel for the city. It is composed of small neighbourhoods, each unique and with real personality. Even the downtown core features little cafes, boutiques, antique jewelry stores and much more. And you’re never far from the beach. Old Jaffa is a real treat with its winding alleyways dotted with artist’s work spaces and homes. In fact, though originating in biblical times (Ramses II once controlled Jaffa, it if often mentioned in Bible passages), it is now an artists colony inhabited by local painters and artisans, and even the Vatican’s embassy is situated there.

The beaches are gorgeous – combining the turquoise water of the Mediterranean with soft, golden talc like sand. Palm trees, bars dotting the beach – I can only imagine how much fun this city must be during the summer. Even now, in their supposed winter (think 20 degrees and still beautiful – ie- June in Vancouver), there is a certain lightness in the air. Surfing, windsurfing and kite boarding are hugely popular.

Tel Aviv is a city dedicated to art, and you can find inspiration around absolutely every corner. Even mundane and ordinarily ugly fixtures are made beautiful here. Think painted, colourful pipes, decorated garbage cans and recycling bins – you name it. Doorways on homes are enhanced with artful expressions; walls and parking garages feature flourishes such as sculpture or tile work. Even the graffiti is beautiful. In my opinion, this city is what Berlin wants to be – except that Tel Aviv is the real thing whereas Berlin is littered with pretentious ‘artiste’ poseurs who flock there because of its reputation. In fact, I hope TA remains undiscovered in order to preserve its authenticity, though I doubt this will remain the case as its international reputation as a culture rich destination is on the rise.

I can’t rave quite so much about the local fashion sense (think polyester, pleather and LOTS of sequins). However, the home wares are amazing. For anyone like me who is obsessed with interior design and collecting antique or vintages ceramics, furniture and various kitsch for the home, I would rank the street markets and small stores a close second to those in Buenos Aires and Paris. It makes me sad that I don’t actually have a home of my own anymore for which to make purchases.

The food here is straight up incredible. I predict I will be leaving this country a solid ten pounds heavier thanks to the Jewish bakeries, the ice cream, even the breakfast food (eggs poached in a tomato based stew, fried eggplant with potatoes). I’m excited for every single meal here and the food just adds an extra edge of amazing-ness to an already incredible place.

After the harsh desert climate in Jordan, Israel provides a stark contrast - the first thing I noticed was the large grassy fields, agriculture and lushness of the city. Everywhere you look you see fig trees, orange trees, vines, palms and flowers.

The population seems to be overwhelmingly young – I would hazard a guess that the majority are under 40. They are sophisticated, worldly, and sharp people – I have made conversation with a few locals and they all refer to how their mandatory year stint in the military has smartened them up. This morning, one of my roommates and I hopped on a local bus (a little scary since they feature only Hebrew), and sat across from a guy with a machine gun casually slung across his lap. Another roommate complained that the guy beside her on the train’s machine gun kept bumping her leg while they rode. Such are the realities of life here though. You can tell that people choose to live to the fullest, likely because they live with the constant threat of war looming over their heads. Not that you can feel this as a visitor, because you really can’t. Judaism is also far less predominant than I expected. While you see the occasional Yarmulke, I have only encountered two Hasidic Jews so far. Though I hear that in Tel Aviv the religion is to party as much as possible, where as in Jerusalem the religion is intense and all pervasive Judaism and Christianity.

All in all, I can’t say enough good things about Tel Aviv. If I had the option, I would relocate here in an instant. It’s hard to believe you are in the Middle East when wandering through the almost colonial streets, lined with colourful houses and blooming gardens. It feels far more like a cross between Spain and the more sophisticated cities of South America.

Next up – off to Haifa and Akko to see ruins from the Crusaders, then Jerusalem.