The next few days in Tel Aviv were a blur of delicious food, lounging on beaches, and exploring the various neighbourhoods of the city. Although we were staying in the trendier Neve Tzedek neighbourhood, on our first morning back we started over at a very cute cafe called the Little Prince in the Lev Ha’ir (heart of the city) district. The shop is a secondhand book store, which also happens to serve a great cappuccino and was the perfect nook for a slow morning. There’s a little secret garden setup in the back which would be lovely to read or catch up on work in.

Although we hadn’t done much to deserve it yet, after our dose of morning java, we headed through Carmel Market, also called the Shuk by locales, to a famed Israeli establishment Panda Pita. If I had to choose the penultimate meal throughout our two weeks in the Middle East, this street food stall serving up the most flavourful sabich was it. Decked with rich and juicy ground lamb flank, Asian-basket steamed and caramelized aubergine, tangy beetroot chutney, fresh mango sauce, and a tossed mint/tomato/arugula salad - you may never experience such a satisfyingly balanced street food meal again in your life. And if you do, count yourself lucky because this was a high bar to beat.

After ensuring our beach bodies were well-rounded, we headed over to Banana Beach. I know some people who have visited Tel Aviv have favourite stretches of beach but honestly, to our Canadian, ocean-starved eyes, they were all gorgeous, all clean, all uncrowded in the “fall-time” Israeli weather (still hovering around 26 degrees on this particular day). We spent the afternoon dipping in and out, playing frisbee, and watching the competitive Matkot (paddle ball) players.

That night, after more that a couple drinks, we tried to get into a couple bars - Radio and Kuli Alma but it was a Sunday and most were closed. We ended up at a smaller spot for a few drinks, a bit of dancing, before deciding bed wouldn’t be the worst idea and calling it quits.

The next day we decided to check out Jaffa (or Yaffa) - technically part of Tel Aviv but historically the original port city from which Tel Aviv grew. It is steeped in history, most of which I did not know until I returned home. It is supposedly named after Yafet, one of the sons of Noah, who built it after the flood. Mythology has it that it is also the place where Andromeda was rescued, and where Jonah departed from in the story of the Whale. It has a history of violence between Arabs and Jews following the British Mandate of the 20s, leading many Jews to resettle further North in what would become Tel Aviv, proper. This left Jaffa a predominantly Arab neighbourhood, which led to its inclusion as part of Palestine in the partition of 1947.

Although it went through a period of decline and decay, it is one of the most vibrant neighbourhoods in the entire city today after a period of restoration. It has a completely different feel from Tel Aviv, which is newer and yet slightly uglier. Jaffa is all stone, built like a fortress, with climbing staircases through a walled exterior. Although it is technically a port city and seafaring is the history the neighbourhood is built on, today Jaffa seems to be defined by art - everywhere you look there are installations, shops built into cave-like nooks and filled with various items of craftsmanship, street art abound (I think there is a Banksy somewhere around here or at least lots of Banksy lookalikes). We stumbled onto the incredible gallery space filled with the illustrations of French-born, Jaffa-based artist Julien Roux - of which I bought ten pieces that I absolutely adored to bring back as gifts and frame for myself.

The walk to Jaffa from Tel Aviv is a pretty one, with tons of surfers along the beach, but I would recommend taking a scooter (my company of choice is definitely Bird) as the boardwalk is pretty navigable and a fun stretch to zoom along. Once we got to the downtown we headed straight for the renowned Hummus mecca - Abu Hassan. Hummus is the only thing they do, meaning they do it well. We scooped our pitas full, as we sat along the boardwalk soaking up the sun. I don’t know what the other two were thinking but I know that I was feeling so grateful then - to have had the chance to explore a part of the world so misunderstood and with a rougher reputation, and to be able to unravel some of that misunderstanding and fear by experience and education. I never once felt unsafe while travelling there - maybe uncomfortable or uncertain - but my safety never felt at risk. Granted, a few weeks later there were a series of rockets shot by Gaza towards Tel Aviv, but I do think that Israel is well-equipped for these, sadly, more commonplace events.

That afternoon we explored the flea market - one thing I learned was that Israeli jewelry is amazing quality, even some of the cheaper options you can find in markets and flea markets. I bought an amazing gold medallion necklace while there and it hasn’t tarnished even slightly over five months later. There was also lots of great clothing shops along the main road - one store I could’ve done some damage in if I had a more flexible budget was Zarit Bar Zohar.

By four-ish we started making our way back towards the city, along the beach. The sun typically started setting around this time each day, so we wanted to enjoy it leisurely on Banana Beach. It had been a great, sunshine and art-filled day - my favourite kind and the best last day of my 25th circle around the sun that I could’ve asked for.

The second last day of our incredible Middle East trip bloomed grey and slightly drizzly but we made a plan for brunch, and crossed our fingers for a brighter, warmer afternoon to spend on the beach. Breakfast was at a cute little spot called the Streets, although a few other popular spots we considered were Café Xoho, Benedict, Suzana, Ha’Achim or Bucke Café. Truthfully, Tel Aviv doesn’t really seem like a brunch city, similar to Toronto - the options aren’t that exciting. But the Streets was a nice spot to start our day and seemed popular with students who were posted up with their laptops and a coffee. I ordered an asian noodle salad which was delicious and a nice switch up from the pita-heavy diet we had been on.

That afternoon, as it continued to rain, we popped in and out of cute little shops around the Dizengoff Centre, Tel Aviv’s main shopping centre. A few stores were super adorable - Brenda, story, Hadas Gross Jewelry.

As a special birthday treat we headed to dinner at one of Tel Aviv’s most renowned restaurants of 2019 - Romano - the restaurant above the bar we visited on the first night of our trip, Teder.fm. It is part of restauranteurs, Eyal Shani and Shahar Segal’s, family of top restaurants including Port Said, Abraxas North, and Miznon. The menu changes with the seasons but we enjoyed a mix of fresh veggies like Jericho green beans and roasted eggplant, fresh pasta, sea bass, and other meat dishes. If I were to suggest a nice dinner out for your time in Tel Aviv, Romano would definitely be on the list. A few other popular spots we had recommended to us were La Shuk, Claro, Vicky Christina, Azura, HaBasta, Saluf & Sons, Onza, Faruk BaShuk, and Night Kitchen. So take your pick and bookmark on your Google Maps! And make a reso - Tel Avivians eat out and enjoy an elongated dinner service so there’s not a ton of table turnover if you’re hoping to sneak in without booking.

At the end of the night we were tempted to make a pit stop at Anita, a hotspot for gelato and froyo in the city but given our eyes were bigger than our stomachs at Romano, we made the call to just head home for a few drinks.

On our last day in Israel we had a few last items to cross off our list - first we made our way over to a lovely bakery in the Neve Tzedek neighbourhood, Dallal which also has a sister restaurant around the corner. It was the cutest spot - straight out of Paris it seemed, with an amazing patio to soak up the most perfect breezy summer day. After wandering the neighbourhood a little bit, we headed to Levinsky Market - a nearly 100-year old market known for fresh spices, roasted nuts and dried fruit. We both picked up some classic Middle East spices - Za’atar and Sumac - in particular, to bring home.

After one last beach afternoon and a quick shower at home, we made our way back to Jaffa, which had quickly become a favourite spot for us after our explorations the other day. We spent the evening at a port-front restaurant, the Old Man and the Sea. Dinner was a spread of mezze and some fresh seafood including calamari and shrimp.

Our final night on our first trip to the Middle East (but hopefully not the last), we went to one of the top bars in Tel Aviv. Sputnik is a hotspot for a young, hip, electronic-friendly crowd with a retro-futuristic theme. The way it’s described by TLV Nights blog is this: Welcome to outer space, or at least the way it looked 60 years ago. There are three spaces - the garden out front, the bar inside and an underground, bunker-like dance floor. A few other recommendations for nights out were Pasáž, Dizzy Frishdon, Jimmy Who, Bellboy, Double Standard, and Billie Jean.

So… that was it. A quick cab ride to the airport and we were headed back home, with two weeks of Middle East memories under our belt. It was one of the most incredible trips I’ve ever taken. One thing I’ve started to realize is how amazing it is to visit places less travelled. No shade to cities like Paris, New York, or London - I love them all and have made great memories there. But there’s something to be said in this day of over-exposure, about a place with a little more grit and room to explore. It was a pleasure to discover and delve into the complexities of this country and I would highly recommend it as a destination for your next adventure.