We had a very busy time in Tel Aviv. It is a big city with almost 3.7 million people living in the area. That is almost half the population of the country. There were a few things that surprised me about Tel Aviv. The first thing was that even though the majority of the people are Jewish, it is a very secular city. Aside from yarmulkes on some mens’ heads, we could have been walking around any western European city. That brings up another surprising thing. Israel is on the Asian part of the continent, but, Tel Aviv seems much more European than it does south Asian. Finally, I was surprised at how “techy” Israel is. Did you know that Israel invented all kinds of technology, from USB drives to laser keyboards? They even invented the first PC microprocessor.
We did a lot of walking and sightseeing. We visited Independence Hall. This is where Israel became a State in 1948.
We also visited the Yithak Rabin Museum and his monument. He was the Prime Minister of Israel, but he was assassinated.
We also visited the ancient port city of Jaffa.
Archaeologists have found evidence that people lived in this city almost 10,000 years ago. It is right on the water and there are great views of modern Tel Aviv.
Our first night, we ate at Maganda restaurant. It is owned by a Yemenite family that serves up very tasty food. One of the best things about Israel is all of the little salads they bring to the table. Hummus, grape leaves, cucumber salad, cauliflower salad, peppers and tomatoes, lentils and more. Every restaurant has a different variety and they are all yummy.
My favorite meal so far was vegetarian shawarma from this little fast food sort of place on the east side of Rabin Square. I would definitely come back to Tel Aviv just for the food.