Our next stop in Israel was Tel Aviv, which was exciting for many reasons.
{First stop in Jaffa, or Yafo, was Abouelafia Bakery}
I had heard how good the food is, how it’s a culturally vibrant city and that it is on the Mediterranean Sea. All positives.
{One of my favorite spots was walking along the boardwalk next to the Mediterranean Sea}
We also have very good friends in Berlin who are from Tel Aviv who would also be there over Christmas break.
{Old Tel Aviv Port area}
We’ve found it to be extra special and helpful to visit somewhere when you know locals.
So we arrived at our AirBnB where I immediately started doing laundry and Dave went out to pick up some surprisingly expensive burgers.
I think I had failed to mention that Israel is expensive. I had thought that perhaps Eilat and the Dead Sea were expensive because they were resort locations, but we quickly began to realize that Israel is overall an expensive country. The food was expensive. The lodging was expensive. Even basic toiletries in the pharmacy were, you guessed it, expensive. But we soldiered on and realized sometimes you just have to accept this fact once you are in country and make the most of it. I think it’s also fair that my comparison is with Berlin, which is a surprisingly affordable place to live and visit.
During our first full day in TLV, Ben and I went out together for breakfast.
{Tel Aviv is a mix of old and new}
What started as a not so exciting adventure, quickly became interesting with the addition of a pen and napkin.
Walking back to the apartment, we came across another huge menorah. Which was an special site for us in contrast to the usual Christmas trees.
Our friend, Adar, arrived with his little one, Or, sleeping in the stroller. We walked along Dizengoff to a shopping center so the boys could get a Nintendo game for Hanukkah.
{Dizengoff Square}
{As in Eilat, we went through security to enter the mall}
{Gaming is a universal pastime}
Afterwards, we met Limor and Ilay at the Old Port for lunch and some fun. (see above) The boys loved riding the four wheelers around the old port. I just had to laugh. Adar told me that you can do anything in TLV if you pay for it. I was beginning to believe him.
The next day, we went to Jaffa, which I loved.
{Jaffa, or Yafo, just south of central Tel Aviv}
{Jaffa}
We met our friends for lunch and walked through the old center to the sea.
The next day, Dave and I split the day. He went to a museum in the morning, while I simply walked around the city looking for historic and architectural highlights.
{Bauhaus Center}
Until researching Tel Aviv, I had not known the significant contribution the Bauhaus style had on the city’s architecture. Coming from Germany and knowing about the Bauhaus origins here, I was drawn to explore the White City myself.
I also walked along Rothschild Blvd and stumbled across an auditorium named after our friend, Charles Bronfman. That was an exciting surprise!
{Bronfman Auditorium}
I also went to the Great Synagogue, a craft market and the Carmel Market.
{The Great Synagogue}
{Craft market}
{Famous Carmel Market}
The final highlight was going out on a double date with our friends on New Year’s Eve while their good friend babysat the boys.
As a thank you, we bought her a bottle of Bailey’s.
While at the liquor store. we were given some New Year’s Eve Champagne by a bear at the liquor store. That sums up Tel Aviv quite well for me.
Our next and final stop before leaving Israel was going to Jerusalem which will be covered in Part IV.
Berlin Lubells: Stories of Life in Berlin from an American Expat Mom's First Experience Living Abroad 