What We Did in Israel
Israel is a beautiful and complex country to visit. Many who visit go there for religious reasons - they pick a tour that matches their religious affiliation, and then experience the country solely from that point of view. But what so many seem to miss is that the land is teeming with centuries of religious history and turmoil. Our main takeaway after a month spent in Israel is to go without an agenda; go into Israel looking to learn, not simply affirm.
Jerusalem
Sandemann’s Tour
We recommend a Sandemann’s Tour. If you haven’t heard of Sandemann’s, they’re a brand that offers free tour guides in cities throughout Europe and Israel. Perhaps we got lucky because our Sandemann’s tour guide was wildly knowledgeable and didn’t have a religious affiliation, so he was comfortable explaining the history from every point of view.
I remember the first time I visited Jerusalem - I was expecting to have this transcendent religious experience. But I didn’t. I had the opposite. I realized just how intertwined and convoluted every religious narrative is within the very foundation of the city. Literal centuries of destruction, massacres, colonization, selfishness and arbitrary human decisions can be found in every single layer of Jerusalem. And our Sandemann’s tour guide helped us understand this history. We walked through the Old City, passing landmarks and learning about the historical events that were relevant to the three major world religions in different ways. Even if you don’t choose Sandemann’s, consider taking a tour with someone who is not religious and allow your eyes to be opened to the ways humans have created their own narratives throughout time. There’s something quite empowering about having this revelation in the Holy Lands.
Wander the Old City
After your tour, just wander! Explore the four quarters of the old city: the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Armenian Quarters. The literal division within the Old City alone just goes to show how important this city is to each major world religion, and then some! Go in with an open mind; explore all four quarters, take in the culture, buy some trinkets and take a bunch of pictures. Jerusalem’s Old City is like a movie set - its ancient architecture and cobblestones don’t seem real. Its narrow hallways are full of life - the colors, scents and crowds are overwhelming against the desert-colored walls. Memories are sure to be made here!
Shabbat Dinner
I know I just spoke a lot about being intentional to experience Israel from every point of view, but there’s no denying that Israel is very important to the Jewish people and it provides its visitors with many opportunities to experience Jewish culture! When in Israel, you have to celebrate Shabbat. We loved seeing the way stores closed and crowds winded down on Shabbat evening, and we decided to participate in the shabbat dinner at our hostel. We stayed at the Abraham Hostel, which we would highly recommend. Their rooms were clean and their communal spaces were welcoming; among with various activities like the Shabbat meal that you could participate in, they had tours you could book through them as well. The Shabbat meal was our favorite activity, though - mostly because food is one of our favorite ways to participate in other cultures!
Get the World’s Best Hummus
Our trip to Jerusalem is how we learned that hummus has to be served in a big bath of olive oil, or we don’t want it! Daniel saw a review of a small shop on youtube and we spent a good amount of time hunting it down. We eventually found it, unmarked, on a busy street between shops. We ordered their hummus and falafel, and it truly was the best hummus we’ve ever had in our lives. It’s called Acramawi and it’s located on Ha Nevi’im Street, right outside Damascus Gate. Actually, we’d put eating in general on anyone’s Israel ‘to do’ list - we had some of the best food in our world travels here! Check it out.
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
We loved Tel Aviv! We started calling it a “tropical Brooklyn.” It had that feel of an artsy, liberal city full of young professionals: just add a beach front, tepid weather and all of the tropical fruit stands you desire. In addition to all of the street art you can see around the city, we recommend visiting the Tel Aviv Museum of Art! We visited on a rainy day when we wanted to stay inside and the vibes were immaculate.
Walk the Beachfront
There are so many aspects of Tel Aviv culture that we enjoyed; it’s pretty much a guarantee that anytime there’s an urban beach front, that’s going to become on of our favorite cities. There were plenty of art installations (truly, the city is full of art!), locals doing things like playing frisbee or running with their dogs, and - once again - all of the fresh fruit and juices you could want.
Visit Jaffa
Jaffa is the ancient port from which the modern city of Tel Aviv grew out of. If you’re familiar with Biblical stories, Jaffa is where Jonah left on the boat that he was thrown off of before he was swallowed by a whale. Because of this, there’s lots of whales around - and I love whales, so I was destined to enjoy my jaunt through Jaffa. Today it functions as an artist colony! You can wander through the ancient streets while browsing the artwork of artists from around the world who live there in residency.
Check out the Street Art
There is so much street art in Tel Aviv! You can find beautiful murals all over the Middle East, but Tel Aviv was simply wallpapered in street art. Take time out of your visit to go on a street art hunt and wander the streets in search of the most inspiring work! You can read more about the street art we saw in the Middle East here.
Put Tel Aviv on your list. It truly is such a cool, quirky city!
