Tel Aviv & Jerusalem

Chapter 01: Intro

After a week in the chilly north we left for the Mediterranean heat. Tel Aviv is an interesting place - a new thriving tech hub in the Middle East. It’s a city with some old world charm that is rapidly transforming itself into a modern city. It combines the best parts of the Mediterranean - amazing cuisine, fantastic beaches, great weather with the conveniences of a modern city.

We only spent about 2 days in Tel Aviv. We took a two day trip to Jordan and spent a day in Jerusalem. It was about 35°C (95°F) and humid during the day - which made it a little unpleasant to walk around and take pictures.

Falafel Hakosem

Some late night falafel. Was told it was the best falafel in the city. Did it deliver? Yes. Was it the best I’ve ever had? No.

Chapter 02: Markets

There are a lot of great markets in Tel Aviv / Jerusalem. We spent an hour or so grabbing some food and snacks (Halvah!) in the Sarona Market. Sarona is an area of Tel Aviv that is being renovated. Originally, Sarona was established as Templar Colony in the 1800s. I learned it was slated to be demoed and replaced with high-rises - however it was decided that history should win out. The buildings were restored instead of bulldozed.

It’s a cool area with some great restaurants. We had a fabulous meal at Claro.

Around you can see more of the tech world creeping in. Amazon is moving to a giant highrise in the neighborhood, as are other prominent tech and VC firms.

Chapter 03: Center of the World

On our last day in Israel a co-worker took us out to see the old city in Jerusalem. Little under an hour drive from Tel Aviv is one of the most historic places in the world. What struck me the most was realizing just how long this city had been here. And just how many different people have fought to control it. Egyptians, Persians, Jews, Greeks, Romans, Caliphates, Crusaders, Ottomans, hell even the British fought a battle here in WWI.

Currently, the old city is divided into 4 quarters - Armenian, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish. The old city is very small, only about 0.9 square kilometers. We walk fast and hate to dally about, so we managed to see most of what we wanted to see in just a few hours.

We finished the day off with an incredible lunch at Machneyuda. The menu changes daily and is based off of ingredients sourced from a local market just a block away. Just be sure to not take pictures of ladies in alleyways. They will chase you and yell at you.

We don’t normally post pictures of our food (too busy eating…) but felt we had to show this. Homemade version of the Australian Tim Tam. Covered in coffee ice cream.