The day of goodbyes had sadly arrived. We woke up at 6:00, had breakfast, and hopped on the bus to drive to the airport. We sang and danced on the bus wishing the ride would last forever (the only time we wanted a bus ride to last forever).
We got to the airport & hugged the crap out of everyone. Under 20 people from our trip actually boarded the plane because the rest of us had extended our trip!
After everyone checked in, the rest of us grabbed a train to get to the city center of tel aviv. We then had to take a bus to our Airbnb that 9 of us would be staying at!
The bus we took was very small & we couldn't all fit! 2 of the guys got left but we thankfully were able to meet up with them when we got off the bus.
Once we got to our Airbnb we were so relieved to drop our bags and feel free. After 10 days of basically wearing a shock collar to prevent us from wandering, we could now do whatever we wanted.
We all wanted to go to the beach. We put on our suits and sun screen and walked on over! We lounged, we had some beer, we swam in the Mediterranean Sea, and we played a bit of volleyball. We had no itinerary and it was perfect. After feeling defeated by the sun, we headed back to our place for showers and naps!
In the evening we went out to grab food. I went with Nitzan, David and Mikaela and they got pizza and I went to another place to grab falafel & then go eat with them. The place I went to for falafel was so yummy and even more delicious because a guy in the store offered to pay for it. I didn't even have to give him my number- win win.
We ate, I desired some post dinner ice cream, and we went back to our place! Our flat is awesome- it's 2 stories with a huge roof top balcony. It has bed space for all of us & is centrally located and super close to the market! :)
We had some drinks at our place and then went out to some bars & for some late night pizza.
It's so nice to not have a curfew anymore :)
Day 2:
Extension 2:
Tel aviv is a really cool city! It is very diverse- Israelis all look very different- there is no typical Israeli profile. Another interesting thing is that many people ride motorized bicycles. It is crazy! They are just zooming around and some people Ride motorized scooters- I saw a man, woman and dog flying their way down the road all on one scooter.
I woke up and went to the market- ha carmel market- with my friend Amy. We strolled around and bought some fruits to have for breakfast. The market sold everything from souvenirs, to veggies, to fruits, baklava, nuts, spices, tea, and everything in between! I even found tim tams- my favorite New Zealand treat!
We went back to the flat and I had a small fruit salad on our rooftop while admiring the beautiful views.
I then headed down to go to the artists market which is on Fridays and tuesdays. I love love love markets and this one is probably one of my favorites I've ever been to! There were so so many incredibly talented artisans and I loved taking to them and hearing their stories. I decided to walk the market on my own because of how ridiculously slow I am at markets, how many photos I take, and how indecisive I am when trying to make a purchase. It was nice to go at my own pace and get to look at everything.
I then went to go get lunch! I was possibly going to stay at a friend of a friend's jn tel aviv, however, I decided to stick with the group and stay at the Airbnb. I wanted to have lunch with and meet this guy because he was so kind to offer to host me! He took me to an amazing hummus place- it was my first time going to a hummus place where the hummus was made fresh on the spot! I basically got a bowl of hummus and a small salad that i combined together and spread on pita- it was delicious! We walked down to the beach and then he had to go off to meet his friends & I wanted to explore the old city of Jaffa.
I walked along the boardwalk down to Jaffa and spent some time walking around and through the alleyways and parks. Jaffa is the old city next to tel aviv and the city structure is very different compared to the new city of tel aviv. I enjoyed roaming alone and taking in the views that the high points of Jaffa had that showed the skyline of tel aviv. I listened to a band play some music in the square. Most places were starting to close early because it was Friday and when the sun goes down, Shabbat begins. I went back to our home and we showered and got ready for our Shabbat dinner. We made some veggies and cous cous and had a lovely Shabbat dinner on our rooftop patio. We then went to a local bar for some drinks!
Day 3:
Extension 3:
I got up in the morning & went to grab some breakfast with my friends Amy and Dan- israeli slushie coffee is still my favorite.
After breakfast a few of us headed to the tel aviv art museum. Since it was Saturday, many things were closed because of shabbat. It reminded me of Sundays in Spain when everything shut down. It's nice to have a little relaxation & to slow down during our busy lives.
The art museum was really neat- it was huge and the architecture was beautiful. There were many different exhibits but one of my favorites was by an artists who made collages that looked like photographs or paintings when you took a few steps back. They were collaged of words and photos of people and it was truly incredible. I looked at sculptures, watched films, admired paintings and reflected on the work of many israeli artists.
After the museum, myself, Harris, and Perri went to grab lunch. We went to a place called the local and it was incredible. We had some cauliflower, artichokes, and focaccia, then I had some pumpkin risotto which was so bomb dignity good.
We left the restaurant and headed towards the beach where some of the rest of our crew was hanging out. I decided that I wanted to go walk around instead of relaxing at the beach so I started waking towards a neighborhood called neve tzedek and ended up picking up my friend Rachel along the way. We walked to and through the neighborhood which was very cute and had some nice plazas. We had some gelato, watched a drum circle near the beach, and then sat and watched the sunset with a bottle of wine.
We headed back towards our place and grabbed some dinner and then we went out for our last night in tel aviv.
Extension 4:
I woke up early and enjoyed my last morning on our patio. I grabbed some bread and fruits from the market and ate and enjoyed the view from above.
We had to clean up our place so we gathered our things and stowed them away for the morning. Morgan took us to her fave restaurant and it was amazing. It was a pita place called ---- and the vibes there were so good. One of the guys working there walked to our table outside and he was burning sage in a pan to create good vibes and cleanse the air. They brought us so much free food and the pita I had was the most amazing pita I have had in my entire life. Mine had cauliflower and green onions and tahini- wow wow wow. They also came By and started pouring us free shots. It was a really chill morning with everyone and the perfect way to say see you later as after the meal many of us were leaving tel aviv.
I walked with Rachel and Perri back to our place to get our bags and then Rachel and I hopped on a train together To go up north! Rach got off at Haifa and I took it two more stops to Akko. I got off the train and was a bit confused as to how to catch a bus and which bus to catch. I used the wifi to figure out I needed to catch bus 361 which wouldn't come for another 30 minutes. I waited outside at the bus stop & eventually hopped on.
I arrived to tzfat and noticed how conservative the women were dressed-- no shoulders or knees showing. I was wearing my beach shorts and felt extremely out of place. I grabbed my favorite scarf and wrapped it around me like a skirt -- then I mapped my way to the center where I would be staying, which was about a 15 minute walk away.
I'll be doing a two week program at liv'not in Tzfat called Northern exposure- it combines hiking, community service, and spirituality workshops. I had no idea what to expect but my thoughts were-- I feel like I'm going to a convent. I remember tzfat from my first day of birthright- it was a little town in the mountains, one of the most holy cities in Israel, lots of religious people around, cute art galleries, winding streets, great views. I loved it then and I love it now. However, I was a little nervous about not being super religious and living in a religious city.
I arrived and the building was super cool- it's extremely old, has a lot of different levels, and a rooftop with the most incredible view. I got there a bit late and missed orientation but when I arrived a few people showed me around! It was pretty much all girls with the exception of one guy from New Zealand- of course I chatted his ear off about my love for his country!
I ate some of what was leftover from dinner, chatted with a few girls, admired the sunset that I could see from the window in my room & passed out before 9:30.
Sending smiles from Tzfat,
Rebecca
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