Day 2: Exploring Tel Aviv

Our first full day in Tel Aviv. After a leisurely breakfast on the rooftop terrace of our hostel, we wanted to start our city tour. Before we set off, we made a little detour to a side street to pick up some freshly squeezed juice. Once we were all energized for the day, we began our city tour. We started in the historic neighborhood of Jaffa, where our hostel was located. Jaffa is the oldest neighborhood in Tel Aviv and used to be its own city, inhabited for thousands of years. As the city became more and more crowded, some people decided to build their houses in the surrounding areas. They named this city 'Tel Aviv', which means 'spring hill', in reference to Theodor Herzl's book 'Altneuland', symbolizing a fresh start. The city continued to grow and soon became much larger than Jaffa. Today, Jaffa is a neighborhood of Tel Aviv.

We headed towards the water, through the narrow old alleyways of Jaffa, and learned about the city's origins and the many myths and legends that took place in the sea before Tel Aviv. It is said that Jonah fled from Jaffa on a ship a long time ago to escape a divine order. When God discovered this, he unleashed a mighty storm, Jonah was exposed as the culprit, thrown into the sea, and swallowed by a whale. Andromeda (the daughter of Cassiopeia) is said to have been chained to a rock in the sea in front of Jaffa as a punishment. Fortunately, as the story goes, she was rescued by Perseus and they soon got married.

We left the legends behind and headed towards the towering skyscrapers that can be seen from afar. We wanted to make a quick stop at Jaffa's old train station, but when we arrived, we were greeted by a lot of hustle and bustle as the Tel Aviv Fashion Week 2018 was in full swing. After a short break in the sun, we continued on our way towards the city center. From the train station, we walked through a cozy neighborhood with beautiful (and expensive) houses and boutiques with well-stocked gardens. But in the background, we could already see the tall skyscrapers. We emerged from a small side street and found ourselves right on Rothschild Boulevard. So we strolled along the boulevard, past Independence Hall, and on to the Azrieli Center. In this center, you can take the elevator up to the 49th floor and enjoy a panoramic view of Tel Aviv. Unfortunately, the center was closed that day, so we decided to come back the next day and also take a look inside Independence Hall, where the independence of Israel was declared.

On the way back to the hostel, we walked along the sea, enjoying the sun, the sea spray on our faces, and always accompanied by the sound of a super popular game played on the beach. The game consists of two wooden paddles and a ball that is played back and forth, I'll just call it 'Beach Pong'. The wooden sound of the back and forth play accompanied us until the end of the beach.

After a short break at the hostel, we headed to the Florentin neighborhood to meet up with some friends, drink overpriced beer (that's why we stuck to 1-2 beers), and end the evening nicely. Our team leaders advised us to order a snack at the pub, so we got to know the dish 'Edamame', which we still enjoy making to this day. Edamame are soybeans that are briefly boiled and then eaten with coarse salt and lemon. Quick and easy to make, better than a bag of chips on the couch!