Roaming Around Alleys in Tel Aviv

Hello takealookers!

This week we continue with the Israeli adventure. I think I mentioned this in the previous post, but visiting Israel was a unique cultural experience for me and a first one that's so different from my own culture. Tel Aviv for me stands as the symbol of this difference and distinction. The first thing you notice when in Tel Aviv is it's diversity. It's diverse in every sense, first people, locals who are from different descents, immigrants from different countries, tourists who come and hoard the city, then architecture, from very cute, old neighborhoods, to ancient ones, such as Yafo, to super modern business areas packed with tall skyscrapers, to chilled out beach areas with a cool and relaxed vibe. Tel Aviv has it all! It's a true melting pot of people and cultures, diversity is the biggest asset of this city! 

Tel Aviv is one of those places that you wouldn't immediately call beautiful and stunning, it takes a moment to grow on you, but once it does, you'll never want to leave it. On one side, the entrepreneurial vibe in the city is undeniable, everyone's hustling, working hard, making their dreams come true, pushing their startup businesses, promoting some cool app, website, service. This insane energy is all over the city, be it streets of Tel Aviv's business districts, coworking spaces, local bars, it's impossible being lazy here and not making it happen. On the other side, the city can be pretty chilled. Israelis know how to work hard, but they know how to relax quite well. Clearly, you can enjoy chilling on the beach, taking a lovely long walk in the Tel Aviv port, or you can just position yourself in on the lovely little cafes and observe the fast pace of the city. A really nice thing about Israelis is that they live in the streets, I don't mean that literally, but the streets are always buzzing with people, the city never sleeps, there's always movement and something fun happening.

While I did enjoy Tel Aviv's modern architecture, the tall skyscrapers that comprise the panorama of the city and make you feel fresh and inspired, for me it's always the quirky, little areas that take my breath away. As you might have noticed I'm a huge sucker for old, cute, charming neighbourhoods, and Tel Aviv didn't disappoint me at all when it comes to this. I have to admit that my favourite area was Yafo which has a major historical relevance in the past. However today, Yafo is a bit touristy area, but nevertheless lovely, packed with wonderful galleries and art stores. Local artists live and have their ateliers in this area, so browsing around the narrow, charming alleys was just wonderful. At every corner you were in for a nice surprise and an opportunity to fest your eyes on art, craftsmanship and beauty.  Also, as Yafo area is located right on the seaside it has the cutest, little, old port that's also packed with nice restaurants and cafes. You can enjoy a wonderful walk here, tasty meal and relax by the sea. It's also an Instagram heaven, literally every corner makes for a picture perfect Insta opportunity. 

The view of Tel Aviv city from Yafo is a fantastic one, from the little hills you can clearly see the panorama of Tel Aviv. The contrast is magnificent, one the one side you have this historical little district and on the other modern, booming Tel Aviv. The contrast is beautiful, but it's also a lovely reminder of history and slowing down the fast pace of the modern life.

Another neighborhood that took my breath away was Hatahana which was originally a train station that's today turned into a cool, hip area full of cool bars, nice restaurants and lovely designer shops. During my stay there were even two little fairs taking place, one of them was a food fair, very charming and fun to visit. Generally, Hatahana is a very active and  wonderful area to spend a few hours in for getting some nice gifts or just enjoying the hip atmosphere. Also the area is all the rage in the evening as there're some clubs around, so it's not only a fun day location, it's a pretty nice place to hang at night as well. 

Neve Zedek is on my list of areas full of character that shouldn't be missed when visiting Tel Aviv. Again, it ticks all the right boxes for me, old, narrow streets, full of charm and character, packed with beautiful, small art shops, jewellery designer stores and cutest little cafes and restaurants. I spent a few hours roaming around, window shopping to finally park under a palm tree for some lovely tea with mint leaves. I just loved it that in Israel every tea is served with fresh mint leaves. 

Alright takealookers, hope you enjoyed this weeks post. Enjoy your weekends and have a good one!

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