Middle East Diaries: Day 1 in Tel Aviv
The north end of Carmel Market, otherwise known as the Shuk
Yesterday morning we arrived in Tel Aviv, a little disoriented and sleepy after a strangely timed 11 hour flight that left at 4:30pm Toronto time and arrived at 10am TLV time (3am Toronto time). It was an easy train ride to the city and after dropping our bags at our cute, quiet hostel in the Florentin neighbourhood, we went to grab lunch with a few friends already in the city.
Tel Aviv isn't exactly what I thought it would be like. I was expecting a slightly more modern city but during the day it looks slightly run down and is grungier than I had anticipated. It was also a Jewish holiday, Sukkot, so the city was buzzing with activity as everyone was off work.
We ended up at a streetfood restaurant, HaKosem, which I had read was one of the best spots in the city for falafel. It was funny because a friend’s friend from TLV suggested a spot called the Magician, which ended up being one and the same. So it was approved by a local! I had an unbelievable falafel wrap with fried aubergine (eggplant) and a refreshing pomegranate lemonade slushie that revived me in the 30 degree heat. The jetlag started to kick in with the food coma so we headed to the beach.
I had heard so many amazing things about Tel Aviv beaches but truly the photos don't do the place justice. It stretches nearly the length of the city, with silky smooth sand and clean, little beachfronts behind wave breakers for swimming. Unlike destinations like Barcelona or Croatia where the beaches are beautiful but small and crowded, the TLV beaches were busy but spacious. A boardwalk saw Lime and Bird scooters ripping by, with volleyball courts and open air gyms lining the sun worshippers laying by the water. Kite surfers and stand up paddle boarders dotted the waves. We spent a few hours lounging, drinking Goldstars and watching the sun set over the sea.
After a little break back at the hostel where we showered off the film of sand clinging to us, and a quick laydown, we headed to this neat pizza spot called Teder.fm. Behind a seemingly nondescript garage door, it's a radio station that converts into a pizza bar at night. String lights brighten up an open air square where picnic tables of people sit, drinking and eating the massive pizzas flung out of the kitchen every couple minutes. There's one thing on the menu and it's a margherita pizza, served with a pile of dried oregano/basil, various hot sauces and a wax paper baggy of olives, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Light house music played in the background.
I think this is the time of day that Tel Aviv lights up. It is a city of backdoor secrets, where you have to have the insider know how or else you'd never find your way. The grunginess feels more like a ruse at this point - it's not that Tel Aviv is ugly, it's that it's not beautiful in order to convince you of its quality. There's little pretension about the city, it doesn't want to capture you with first glance appearances, it knows that you will come to love it regardless of how it looks, for the people, the experiences, the food, the heart of the city are far more beautiful and interesting than your first impression will imply. Tel Aviv plays the long game.
This was only day one! We have 2 more weeks to go… follow along and check out the next blog post!
