Travel to Tel Aviv

Sončni dnevi, kot je bil današnji, me namesto v božično decembrsko vzdušje popeljejo nazaj v poletni (čeprav koledarsko jesenski) Izrael. Pogosto se vprašam, koliko dni je dovolj za krajše potovanje, in skoraj vedno se zdi, da nikoli ni dovolj časa za odkritje vseh kotičkov. Ko potujem v eno mesto, se mi vendarle 5-7 dni zdi fino, ko pa obiščem več krajev ali potujem po državi, pa rada dodam še par dni več. V Izrael sem tako odšla za 11 dni, se na koncu kar dodobra znašla v Tel Avivu, obenem pa odkrila kar nekaj ostalih čudovitih mest (Jeruzalem, seveda, pa Tiberias in več), parkov, puščav in oaz. Tudi na palestinska ozemlja sem šla za kratek čas in tako dodobra izkoristila svoje prvo potovanje v Izrael, kamor se bom gotovo še vrnila.

Tel Aviv ni bil moja ljubezen na prvi pogled, a sem kmalu vzljubila hebrejske napise, čudovite ulice Neve Tzedeka, hrano (oh, hrano!!), Bauhaus arhitekturo, tržnice, mestne grafite, hipsterski Florentin, čudovite sončne zahode in, seveda, obalo. Najboljši začetek seznanjanja z mestom? Sedi in jej. To sem prvi večer sfalila, ko sem hodila po bolj kot ne zapuščenih ulicah enega predela mesta in se spraševala, če je to res Tel Aviv. Naslednje jutro sem začela ponovno. S hrano.

Humus, tahini, falafel, kruh, ki se kar topi v ustih, okusni paradižniki z meto, čičerika in siri, zraven pa kozarec limonane (izboljšana verzija limonade) ali soka granatnega jabolka, za konec pa še sladke slaščice - heaven!

Sunny days like the one we had today don't put me in the Christmas mood but rather take me back to summery (although according to calendar autumnal) Israel. I often wonder how many days are enough for a shorter trip and it almost always seem that there is never enough time to discover all the little places. When I travel to one city only, nevertheless, 5-7 days seem somehow reasonable. When I visit several cities or travel across a country, I like to add a few days more. I travelled to Israel for 11 days and it resulted in my rather good orientation in Tel Aviv, nice exploration of some other beautiful cities (Jerusalem, of course, and Tiberias and more), parks, deserts and oasis. I also went to the Palestinian territories for a short while and thus made the most of my first travel to Israel, where I will surely return.

Tel Aviv wasn't my love at first sight, but I soon got to love hebrew signs, charming streets of Neve Tzedek, food (oh, food!!), Bauhaus architecture, markets, street art graffiti, hipster Florentin, beautiful sunsets and, of course, the coast. The best way to get to know a new city is to sit down and eat. I messed this up the first evening when I walked the deserted streets of one part of the city, wondering whether this was the real Tel Aviv. The next morning I got it right. With food.

Hummus, tahini, falafel, bread that melts in your mouth, delicious tomatoes with mint, chickpeas and cheeses, together with a glass of limonana (better version of a lemonade) or pomegranate juice, and to end with sweet pastries - that's what I call heaven!

Moji prvi občutki Tel Aviva so se ves čas spreminjali. V enem trenutku sem bila navdušena, v naslednjem presenečena. Mešanic vseh vrst je ogromno v tem mestu. Staro in novo Tel Aviva se tako prepleta, da sprva lahko kar malo zmede. Čas je zelo relativen: ko stojiš na vrhu Stare Jaffe pred srednjeveško krščansko cerkvijo in se sprehajaš po tlakovanih uličicah, v daljavi vidiš Bauhaus hiše, hotele in nebotičnike. Z eno nogo si lahko na dinamični tržnici, z drugo pa na umetniški hip ulici. Pa vendar je temu vsemu skupno to, da ti hitro zleze pod kožo.

My first feelings about Tel Aviv were all the time changing. One moment I was excited, another moment surprised. Mixtures of all kinds are infinite in this city. The oldness and the newness of Tel Aviv is so overlapping, that it can almost be confusing. Time is very relative: when you stand on the top of Old Jaffa in front of a Christian church from medieval times, you can see Bauhaus buildings, hotels and skyscrapers in the distance. You can stand with one foot on a dynamic market and with another on a hip artsy street. And yet - you get to take fancy to this all very quickly.

Posebno mesto na ulicah Tel Aviva ima umetnost. Ulični grafiti so vseprisotni, pa tudi sicer je v mestu precej manjših butikov in art tržnic z ročnimi deli lokalnih umetnikov.

A special place on the streets of Tel Aviv goes to art. Street art is everywhere and there are several smaller boutiques and art markets with crafts and handwork of local artists.

In tu je morje. Več besed ni potrebnih.

And there is the sea. No other words needed.