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.

Hello Israel!

Kdor spremlja moje dneve na Instagramu, ve, da sem po Kopenhagnu odletela na Bližnji vzhod, v Izrael, v državo, o kateri ponavadi ne slišimo precej pozitivnih stvari. Moja izkušnja je res več kot pozitivna, na hitro se oglašam iz Jeruzalema. Več fotk zaenkrat je na Instagramu, tu jih bom pa več objavila čez kakšnih par tednov.

Tel Aviv (na zgornji fotki) me je pričakal s poletjem, ki sem ga letos nekako preskočila, in izjemno prijaznimi ljudmi. Se oglasim!

Those who follow my days on Instagram know that I have travelled to the Middle East, to Israel, after a few days in Copenhagen. I've travelled to a country we usually don't hear a lot of positive things about. My experience has been much more than positive, and I am writing this from Jerusalem. You can see more photos on my Instagram, and I will publish more of them here in a couple of weeks.

Tel Aviv (on the upper photo) welcomed me with a summer I somehow skipped this year, as well as with extremely nice people. Stay tuned!

Hello Copenhagen!

Pozabila sem, kako stresno je lahko potovanje. Ko rečem potovanje, mislim na skakanje naokrog s težkimi kovčki, lovljenje avtobusov, vlakov, letal. Čekiranje prtljage, štetja kosov, ki jih lahko neseš na letalo, in podobne zadeve.

Še bolj pa sem pozabila, kako stresna je selitev. Kartonaste škatle, ki nikakor ne morejo spraviti vsega, milijon drobnarij, ki niso ključnega pomena, pa vendar imajo poseben pomen, stvari, ki bi jih lahko vrgli stran, ampak »še ni čas«.

Ko stresni selitvi prišteješ stresno potovanje, temu vsemu pa priključiš še francoske stavke (in dejstvo, da ti na kraj pameti ne pade, da bi preveril, če danes vlaki do letališča slučajno ne peljejo) in čisto preveč napolnjene vlake, kamor se je s težkimi kovčki težko stlačiti, obenem pa srce divje utripa ob pogledu na uro, potem je to recept za izjemno stresno situacijo.

V vseh teh letih sem se naučila odlično in brez stresa potovati, ko gre za vikend izlet ali kakršno koli kratko potovanje, kjer nas (hvalabogu) nizkocenovci omejijo s ptrljago. Naučila sem se spakirati pametno in potovati lahkotno. Poznam neštete trike nizkocenovcev in v zadnjem času sem skorajda vzljubila Ryanair.

V vseh teh letih pa se še nisem naučila potovati brez stresa, kadar gre za selitev. Ponavadi, ko se selim, se selim iz ene države v drugo in ne samo iz enega mesta v drugega ali enega konca mesta na drugega. Zato je to morda še toliko bolj stresno.

Za kratek čas se vračam v Slovenijo, ampak sem se na poti za par dni ustavila v Kopenhagnu, v mestu, kjer sem živela eno leto. Mojih par dni tu ne bo turističnih, ne bom skakala naokrog in se slikala z Malo morsko deklico. Živela bom, kot da ne bi nikoli odšla. In točno tak je bil moj občutek, ko sem po stresnem dnevu priletela na letališče v Kopenhagnu. Pričakala me je čudovita jesen, s svojimi lepimi barvami, soncem in pozitivno energijo.

Hello, Copenhagen! I've missed you.

I've forgotten how stressful travelling can be. By travelling I mean running around with heavy suitcases, catching busses, trains, planes. Checking the luggage, counting the pieces you can bring on board and similar things.

I’ve forgotten even more, however, how stressful moving can be. Endless boxes that simply cannot accommodate everything, million of small things that are not crucial but still have a special meaning for you, things, you could eventually throw away but “it’s not time yet”.

When you add stressful moving to stressful traveling, and add to that French demonstrations (and the fact that it really doesn’t cross one’s mind to check whether trains to the airport by any chance don’t work normally today), and then add on top of that packed trains where it is difficult to squeeze in with heavy suitcases, while at the same time your heart beats like crazy when you see what time it is, then you have a perfect recipe for an extremely stressful situation.

In all those years I’ve learnt very well how to travel without stress when it is a weekend trip or any short trip we are talking about, were (thanksgod!) low cost companies limit us with the luggage. I’ve learnt how to pack smartly and travel light. I know numerous tricks of low cost companies and recently I almost got to like Ryanair.

What I haven’t learnt in all those years, however, is how to move without stress. When I move, I usually move from one country to another and not only from one city to another or one part of the city to another one. Maybe this is why it’s even more stressful for me to move.

I am coming back to Slovenia for a while, but I have made a first stop in Copenhagen, the city where I’ve lived for a year. My few days here won’t be touristic. I won’t be running around taking photos with the Little Mermaid. I will live as if I have never left. And that was exactly the feeling I had when I arrived to the Copenhagen airport after a stressful day. I was welcomed by a beautiful autumn with its beautiful colours, sun and positive energy.

Hello Copenhagen, I’ve missed you.

Follow some of my Copenhagen moments on my my Instagram.

WEEKEND INSPIRATION #6

“Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” (Terry Pratchett)

Parc Monceau and some news

Jesen se nam res želi oddolžiti za mraz in dež v avgustu. Čudovite sončne dneve imamo, ko skoraj pomislim, da je še vedno poletje, potem pa me vonj odpadlega listja spomni, da je tudi na koledarju že jesen. Dnevi se krajšajo in kar smešen je občutek, ko se okrog 20h že začne večeriti.

Ta teden sem se sprehodila čez 17. okrožje, kamor res nikoli ne grem, in bila sem očarana. Tak, počasni, družinski predel se mi je zdel. In kar naenkrat sem se znašla v parku Monceau, ki je na meji z 8. okrožjem. Bila je sreda, ko imajo otroci v Franciji prosti dan, tako da je bil park poln otrok, ki so se lovili, igrali, smejali.

Poleg igral, vrtiljaka in gugalnic je v parku mini jezero z romantičnimi mostovi, na vsakem koraku pa lahko vidimo številne kipe. Park ni čisto nič francoski. Bolj spominja na münchenski Englischer garten, samo da je manjši, seveda. V sončnem dnevu je enostavno poiskati senco in si vzeti trenutek miru. Dokler mimo ne priteče razigrana skupinica otrok.

Autumn is really trying to make it up to us for the cold and rain in August. We are having great sunny days and I almost catch myself thinking that it is still summer, until the smell of the fallen leaves reminds me that even calendars say it is autumn now. The days are getting shorter and it feels somehow strange when it starts getting dark around 20h.

This week I walked through the 17th arrondissement where I really never go, and I was enchanted. It seemed like a slow, family-like part of Paris. And suddenly I found myself in the Park Monceau on the border with the 8th arrondissement. It was Wednesday, when French kids have a day off, and the park was full of children, running around, playing and laughing.

Apart from the playground, the carrousel and swings, there is a smaller lake with small romantic bridges and there are several randomly placed statues. The park doesn't seem very French. It rather reminds of Englischer garten in Munchen, just that this one is smaller, of course. It is easy to find a shade on a sunny day and have a moment of peace. Until another group of playful kids comes by.

Sicer pa se je v zadnjih dnevih veliko dogajalo. Delček tega vsak dan povzamem na Instagramu, kjer še vedno vztrajam pri #100happydays. Zdaj sem že čez polovico. Joj, kako hitro beži čas!

V tem času sem zaključila svoje pripravništvo. Preden začnem z novim (exciting!!), bom za krajši čas prišla domov, v Slovenijo. Tega sprva nisem predvidevala, se pa veselim. Splet okoliščin je poskrbel, da se spet sprehodim čez Ljubljano. Pred tem… Pred tem bom odpotovala na Sever za par dni, potem pa preletela celo Evropo in še malo, na potovanje, ki si ga že nekaj časa želim. V vsaki situaciji je vedno nekaj pozitivnega.

Lately, there has been a lot going on. I share a bit of that on Instagram every day, where I continue with #100happydays. I am more than half way through by now. Ohh, how the time passes by.

Meanwhile I have finished my internship. Before I start a new one (exciting!!), I will come back home, to Slovenia, for a short while. I haven't planned this at first, but I am looking forward to it. A given set of circumstances gave me an opportunity to stroll the streets of Ljubljana again. But before that… Before that I will travel to the North for a few days, and then fly all the way through Europe and a bit further, for a trip I have dreamed about for a while now. There is always something positive in any situation. Stay tuned!

Follow my 100 Happy Days on my Instagram.

WEEKEND INSPIRATION #5

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” (Albert Camus)