Tel Aviv...

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My visit to Israel is just few weeks old...just over a month...and writing this, you have Old Jerusalem and the West Bank all over the news. Old Jerusalem has just been closed for two days to the Palestinians. I'm not sure I would have been able to go everywhere I went had my visit to Palestine and Israel happened the last few days. I just hope we are not entering in the third Intifada. After all, I visited Syria three months before fighting started in the Spring of 2011! And I witnessed Tahrir Square in Cairo, less than five days after Mubarak went down. Difficult not to feel being in the middle of the action, but feeling and being safe at the same time!



Reading again my last entries about Palestine and Jerusalem, I'm just wondering what the coming days will bring. And here we are for my last entry, I'm spending a full day in Tel Aviv. Here, you don't see many Orthodox Jews, you actually don't see any. You don't either see soldiers, and guns everywhere! Jerusalem is some 60km from Tel Aviv, and still, it feel like two different countries. Here people are nice. You take your map out of your pocket in the bus, and each time, somebody comes to you asking which place you want to go. People are simply nice here...



Tel Aviv is pretty similar to cities like Miami or Rio, the city is huge, but the beach life is deep in the blood of the city! Hotels are truly expensive around here, specially the beach ones. Imagine, over 400usd for a basic Sheraton....that hurts! So I settle for the cool Hotel Indigo in the Diamond district. Arrive pretty late, so enjoy a nice dinner in the cool restaurant of the hotel....oups, this place is more expensive than New York or Sydney!



Next morning, I'm up early, and I take a bus to cross the all city on my way to Old Jaffa. Modern high rises everywhere, this is a modern city, not sure it has much character! Old Jaffa and Old Jaffa port is a pretty cool area. Few tourists around here, and the perfect point to start a walk that will lead me on the beach front. I don't know if the beach is in the City, or the city is a Beach resort, but can't stop putting the link to Miami and Rio! The city is also well-known for the Art Deco architecture. So today, I walk and....I walk, for hours! One more time, how different is this place from Jerusalem! Beaches are not specially my thing, here they are on top of this pretty crowded...but nice walk around.



I had my flight late at night. Made it pretty early as the airport has a tradition of huge checks. I knew I would be put on the side...flying a one way ticket to Europe...via Istanbul! The first guy asking the questions was charming and truly professional. I have no problems with their questions, when they are asked nicely. I smiled when he asked me...which stamp is this one in my passport. Come on....are you not supposed to know all of them, nice smile in return...that's Congo DRC!



Next came the checks of hand luggage after the actual check-in. One more time, put on the side, one more time, nice people...I love when they asked me where I went and what I thought about Israel. Jerusalem has nice stones...and Tel Aviv nice people...not the opposite around. Nice smile in return, the reply this time....I know, they are stuck in the past in Jerusalem...that's why maybe Tel Aviv is so different.



I was on my plane, happy to have spent a week in Israel, truly interesting, nice food...truly expensive too. Now there is a lot more to discover in the region, and they are not the friends of Israel!



Coming next, you guess....Istanbul on the run!

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