Jerusalem remained just I had left it last night when my feet hit the pavement this morning: streets almost completely void of people. The Sabbath is obviously serious business here. No worries though. I hopped on one of the sheruts destined for the Tel Aviv New Bus Station and within forty minutes found my self in southern Tel Aviv, right outside what is (according to my guide book at least) the largest bus station in the World. Of course, there were no buses. I heard that there is only one city in all of Israel that has buses that run during the Sabbath, and Tel Aviv isn't it. I also heard that southern Tel Aviv has a thriving immigrant population, and it definitely shows. In the area around the bus station I didn't see a single white soul. It seemed to be primarily Ethiopian, Vietnamese and Filipino immigrants. Anyway, with no public transport available and lacking a decent map of the city, I had to take a taxi to the center of town. There I just walked into the first hostel I saw and grabbed a map.
Tel Aviv is cool place. Very cool. I liked it as soon as I stepped out of the cab in downtown. For starters, the weather was probably as close to perfect as you will get. Sunny, warm, and with a nice breeze coming off of the sea. Things were a kind of quiet giving the timing, but I am sure things liven up quite a bit during the rest of the week. The area along the water is fantastic. Some city official or someone had the great idea of installing a pedestrian promenade along the beach. Brilliant. I probably could have walked along that promenade until collapsing from exhaustion. A great place for a relaxed stroll and people watching (don't forget female watching either) that is only enhanced by the great breeze coming from the water. The coolness doesn't end there. Moving towards downtown from the beach you hit some really neat residential areas. This is mainly due to the fact that Tel Aviv has the highest amount of Bauhaus architecture in the World. I am a big fan of the Bauhaus style, and I think it fits Tel Aviv's atmosphere perfectly. The white-washed Bauhaus buildings just seem like they should be in a sea-side environment for some reason.
I just ambled on through the central part of the city with no real goal in mind. Again, things were a little bit quiet today. I passed through an outdoor market that was completely deserted. Having said that, lots of people were still out and a number of cafes and restaurants were still going strong. Tel Aviv is probably the most relaxed city I have ever visited. At least in feels that way. People just seem to walk about leisurely either with a friend, girlfriend or dog, maybe with an iced-latte or something in the other hand and just enjoy the great weather and the "vibe" of the city. I don't really know what the "vibe" is just yet, but I liked it.
I spent the last bit of my time in Tel Aviv hanging out on the promenade and walking the beach a little bit. Boy, can't get enough of that. Just absolutely fantastic down by that promenade. Great weather, great people watching. A good place to go and relax and get lost in your thoughts. I am hoping the weather remains like that when I head back there tomorrow.
I came back to Jerusalem around 4:30 because I was feeling kind of tired. I did go out for a bite to eat not to long ago and a number of places were opening up for the remainder of the night, as the Sabbath ended around 5:30. The Spanish have the Siesta, the Israelis have the Sabbath. Kind of neat to see pizza places and ice cream shops not opening their doors until after dark. Hey, that is why we here at the Four Corners travel, to experience neat stuff like this.
Tel Aviv again tomorrow, this time for an overnight stay. I'll be sure to fill everyone in.
Tel Aviv is cool place. Very cool. I liked it as soon as I stepped out of the cab in downtown. For starters, the weather was probably as close to perfect as you will get. Sunny, warm, and with a nice breeze coming off of the sea. Things were a kind of quiet giving the timing, but I am sure things liven up quite a bit during the rest of the week. The area along the water is fantastic. Some city official or someone had the great idea of installing a pedestrian promenade along the beach. Brilliant. I probably could have walked along that promenade until collapsing from exhaustion. A great place for a relaxed stroll and people watching (don't forget female watching either) that is only enhanced by the great breeze coming from the water. The coolness doesn't end there. Moving towards downtown from the beach you hit some really neat residential areas. This is mainly due to the fact that Tel Aviv has the highest amount of Bauhaus architecture in the World. I am a big fan of the Bauhaus style, and I think it fits Tel Aviv's atmosphere perfectly. The white-washed Bauhaus buildings just seem like they should be in a sea-side environment for some reason.
I just ambled on through the central part of the city with no real goal in mind. Again, things were a little bit quiet today. I passed through an outdoor market that was completely deserted. Having said that, lots of people were still out and a number of cafes and restaurants were still going strong. Tel Aviv is probably the most relaxed city I have ever visited. At least in feels that way. People just seem to walk about leisurely either with a friend, girlfriend or dog, maybe with an iced-latte or something in the other hand and just enjoy the great weather and the "vibe" of the city. I don't really know what the "vibe" is just yet, but I liked it.
I spent the last bit of my time in Tel Aviv hanging out on the promenade and walking the beach a little bit. Boy, can't get enough of that. Just absolutely fantastic down by that promenade. Great weather, great people watching. A good place to go and relax and get lost in your thoughts. I am hoping the weather remains like that when I head back there tomorrow.
I came back to Jerusalem around 4:30 because I was feeling kind of tired. I did go out for a bite to eat not to long ago and a number of places were opening up for the remainder of the night, as the Sabbath ended around 5:30. The Spanish have the Siesta, the Israelis have the Sabbath. Kind of neat to see pizza places and ice cream shops not opening their doors until after dark. Hey, that is why we here at the Four Corners travel, to experience neat stuff like this.
Tel Aviv again tomorrow, this time for an overnight stay. I'll be sure to fill everyone in.
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