Where the sea meets history
Mirek and I were supposed to go to Israel last year while we were in Jordan. Since this didn't work out, it has been on our "must go to" list ever since. When we found ourselves in Prague with a free week on our hands, we decided it was time.
Tel-Aviv Temptations
Tel-Aviv was both what I did and did not expect. On the one hand, I knew it was supposed to be a "hipper" place in the Middle-East, and that people who visited only had good things to say. On the other, my only experience in a Middle-East country was Jordan (which is... let's say... not as hip), and everyone who hadn't visited Israel would ask me, "do you really want to go there?". Why yes, yes I do. And I'm so glad we did.
We arrived in Tel-Aviv at midnight, but given that we only had 2 nights there, we weren't going to miss out on a night of exploring. So we stopped at a local bar, had a couple beers, and only then decided we didn't have to feel bad going to bed.
On our way home, we stopped in a corner market to buy water. A gentleman in the market started speaking to us in Hebrew. At our confused expressions, he proceeded to inform us - in fluent English - that he recognized us from the bar we'd just left. He welcomed us to his country, proceeded to buy our waters, and wished us a happy stay. I left with a warm feeling you get when you meet a truly friendly person.
Waking up in the morning, we had only one thing in mind: BEACH DAY!
As you can see, it was gorgeous. The water was warm and had the kind of waves that make you want to play in them. Here is photo evidence:
Mirek really wanted me to get a picture of him licking the water.
However, sometimes things happen that make you want to get out of the water... like jellyfish.
Beer heals all wounds.
After soaking up as much sun as possible, we stumbled our way through a crowded market in search of some liquid libations and a place to watch the Soccer World Cup.
We arrived at Beer Bazaar, which ended up being a tiny little stall with some amazing beer. Since all 3 small tables were taken, we joined a man and his baby at one of them. Within minutes, the three of us were chatting about beer, Tel-Aviv, Czech ("I can't believe those Czechs can drink so much 11% beer and not be wasted!"), and everything in between.
Czech beer is labeled according to plato density scale, meaning a 11° beer (note the ° symbol) and generally clocks in at about 4%.
He was so nice that when Mirek spilled his beer, our new friend even told the bartender his baby was to blame and got Mirek a fresh one. I guess that's only a half-lie, since Mirek is a baby, just not his baby.
Left Picture: Mirek's best baby face
Right Picture: Happy Hour Take Away Beer - apparently you get one beer to go for every beer you drank there.
On our way back to the hotel, we got to see the life of the market after closing time...
Side note on Tel-Aviv: the food is amazing and you really can't go wrong.
Honorary Mentions Include:
- Josmino - Best Shawarma
- M25 - Meat for days
- מתי המקלל - Best Israeli beer in Tel-Aviv, served out of a tiny hole-in-the-wall pub run by an old Russian dude. I was told they might even sprinkle in a little crack just for good measure. Also, don't ask me how to pronounce that, just go there and ask for Gold Star beer.
Just-Right Jerusalem
Where Tel-Aviv was new and hip, Jerusalem was old-school and chill. We only had one night there, and spent the majority of our time in Old-Town, where most of the top sight-seeing spots are.
When people say that Old Town is made up of 3 different quarters - the Jewish quarter, the Christian quarter, and the Muslim quarter - they are not lying. It's like packing three totally different countries under one roof.
One of the highlights was the Church of the Holy Scripture. From the outside, it doesn't look like much. However, once inside, the church sprawls out in all directions and has multiple floors. It was quite impressive.
We then visited the Western Wall.
(Mirek, giggling): "It looks like they're all peeing"
We tried to go to the Temple Mount the same day, but were informed, by multiple people with vary large machine guns, that "sir... sir... the temple is closed". When Mirek tries to get in somewhere, he suddenly goes very deaf.
Golden dome in the background = Temple Mount. The closest we got that day.
Deciding to try to enter the temple in the morning, we strolled around the streets. Soon, we had an entourage of about 10 or so children who started saying "no, no, no" anytime we tried to walk in ANY direction. After about 5 minutes of walking in multiple directions to children yelling "no", and my anxiety hovering right below "freak out" territory, we stopped to check a map. At that point, a wee-one threw a snapit which, obviously, made a large popping sound and had me jumping. After a good laugh at our expense, the children ran away and we walked back to the hotel.
We enjoyed some beverages, football (aka soccer), and partook in the local tradition of shisha. If you say hookah, they will look at you funny and (pretend to) have no idea what you are talking about.
We were feeling no pain.
In the morning, we tried to see the Temple Mount again and had better luck. Actually, it ended up better because for a while we were literally the only people there.
Mirek was showing his knees - scandalous - and had to wear this beautiful garment. I think he should have kept it.
In the end, Israel was gracious, beautiful, and entirely worth the trip. Next time we'll definitely stay longer.