The modern city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, the financial Capital of Israel, is located right on the Mediterranean Sea and for me at first glimpse, it gave the vibes of Mumbai, which too is the financial Capital of India and located on the coast of Arabian Sea. It has a huge well kept promenade facing the sea, running for several kilometres, something similar to Mumbai where the Marine Drive resembles it to some extent. There is also an uncanny similarity in the architecture of the buildings in some areas of Tel Aviv and Colaba area in Mumbai due to a common factor--the British connection. While Britain ruled the Palestine areas after World War I for 30 years till 1948, most of which is today's Israel, it also ruled India as a colonial power for a pretty long time to leave its imprint.
After arriving at the Ben Gurion International Airport and staying in Jaffa, an older part of Tel Aviv for a night, we moved on to different parts of Israel. After practically traversing the length and breadth of the small country, it was time to come back and explore the financial Capital once again from our visit to the Dead Sea. We took the expressway from the Dead Sea area which had no vegetation at all and only brown solid rocks and desert. But soon the drive and topography turned dramatically different as we crossed the desert and now green fields of Vegetables and Wheat emerged on both sides of the road. We checked in at the Brown Beach House Hotel on Hayarkon Street, almost on the Mediterranean Sea. The second floor balcony of my room had a partial view of the Sea and the busy street below.
WALKING ON THE MEDITERRANEAN BEACH PROMENADE AND JAFFA
Waking up early and taking a long stroll on the long promenade of the Tel Aviv Beach on the Mediterranean Sea on a pleasant morning is an experience in itself. The promenade runs along the clear blue water of the coast for several kms and is perhaps one of the most vibrant and happening places of the city. Heath enthusiasts and fitness conscious, cutting across age barriers, jog, run or exercise on the open air gyms. Small food kiosks, beach tables and umbrellas have been placed all around to make the time pleasurable. In fact, throughout the day, the place hobs with different activities--music, dance, food, beach volleyball and kids play area in the powdery and soft sand of the Mediterranean. In Israel, I found that apart from people, their pet dogs also keep fit as they too run along with the leash holders, some with even 3 dogs. No wonder, besides the people, even the pet dogs seem fit and healthy. Of course, there are no stray dogs anywhere in Israel even though there are plenty of stray cats lazing around in all parts of the city. A Road runs parallel to the main Walking area of the Beach and most of the prominent hotels and fancy restaurants are located on this road giving an unhindered view of the Sea. There are well demarcated tracks for cyclists and pedestrians, making it one of the most eco-friendly cities. The Brown Beach House Hotel, where I was putting up, was just behind the main road, a 3-minute walk to the Mediterranean.
During our afternoon and evening walk in the city, our guide Ofer informed us about how Tel Aviv-Yafo was formed, its early settlements, how the old city of Jaffa is the mother of Tel Aviv, how the city evolved in the last over 100 years and how it became one of the most prominent cities in this part of the world. He also showed us the building from where David Ben Gurion made the Declaration of Independence in 1948 after the British left, how difficult the initial years of a new country were and how jews from all parts of the world came to settle in Tel Aviv from early years of the last century. We walked through Rothschild Boulevard, Bauhaus Center, the renovated neighbourhood of Neve Tzedek and Suzan Dellal Arts Center. Galit Hoffman from the ministry of tourism, joined us in our walks across different areas of Tel Aviv. She has worked in Mumbai and travelled to different parts of India and was well versed with the developments not only of Israel but also India. She wears her love for India, practically on her sleeves as her pendant has her name written in Hindi and another pendant has a Rs 10 coin on it and also sports a typical Indian tattoo on her arm. She offered brilliant insights on Israel and how tourism in the country was gaining traction despite some setbacks post Covid. She too has done her time in the military as every Israeli female has to undergo a compulsory two year military tenure while for males, it is 3 years. After doing compulsory military service, youth choose their vocation depending on their abilities.
Throughout our visit in Israel, it was common to see young boys and girls, perhaps in their early 20s in military uniforms or civilian clothes with a big automatic weapon dangling on their sides. I was told that even when they are off duty and have been sanctioned a weapon, they have to carry it with them even when they are visiting a shopping mall or their home. Israel is a security sensitive country, having fought a few wars with its neighbours after 1948 and faced internal disturbances throughout and is well prepared for it. There are concrete bomb shelters and bunkers throughout the country, even at the airport, and sirens are common and they have sort of become a part of normal drill. We explored one such bunker during our visit and were instructed that when the sirens went on, we had to take shelter in the staircase of the hotel or a nearby bomb shelter or a bunker. Of course, the situation did not arise during our visit.
Anyway, one of our stops in Tel Aviv-Yafo was a visit to the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, founded in 1996 by Nobel Peace Laureate and former Prime minister and President of Israel, Shimon Peres. Its aim is to further Peres' vision of people in the Middle East working together to build peace through socio-economic cooperation and development and people-to-people interaction. It gives information about some of the most prominent innovators of Israel, particularly those in drip irrigation and developing stents (for heart) which revolutionised agriculture and health care all over the world.
We walked in the lanes and bylanes of the historic town of Jaffa, which we were told is at least 7000 years old and several settlements are buried in the city one on top of the other as it has not yet been excavated. Buildings from the time of the Ottoman Turks who ruled the area before the first World War were there and many have been preserved well. One such building houses the Ilana Gur Museum which exhibits original sculptures, paintings, old furniture, utensils etc. Standing on the balcony of the Museum, overlooking the sea, was a visual delight--miles and miles of blue-green water with an occasional helicopter hovering above in a routine sortie or perhaps keeping a hawk eye on the coastline of the country.
The walking tour then led us to the Jaffa Port from where one could see a panoramic view of modern Tel Aviv. Located on the Mediterranean, ancient traders travelled far and wide to Europe, Asia and Africa from this port, the remains of which are clearly visible. One could imagine how traders travelled in those days after seeking blessings as per their respective religions. There is a historic mosque, Church as well as a synagogue for all such travellers before they set out for their travel and to thank gods after they arrived safely.
Time to explore the flea market of Tel Aviv--the Levinsky and Carmel Markets. As I am not a shopping enthusiast, I just took a stroll around to see what was being sold. As compared to prices back home, things are quite expensive so it is better to do some exploration and window shopping rather than fall prey to the shopping impulse. I asked about the prices of fruits and vegetables in the market and this is what I got. Grapes for 30 Shekels or Rs 720 per kg, most leafy vegetables used in salads for around 15-30 shekels per kg, Cabbage was only for 5 Shekels or around Rs 120 per kg. I thought that was the cheapest vegetable along with potatoes which were also being sold roughly at the same price. As Israelis have a sweet tooth like us Indians, the price of halva was around 100 shekels a kg or around Rs 2400, depending on the exchange rate.
Long walks on the Sea always fascinates me as I come from a landlocked City with the nearest coast may be over 1500 kms, so the opportunity which I got again to criss cross the promenade of Tel Aviv's beaches on the Mediterranean Sea for the second consecutive day, was sort of godsend. I went to the far corner of the beach till the old Tel Aviv port area, something called a Dogs Beach, a parking place for luxury and other yachts and boats, Frishman Beach...so many of them. I found that Tel Aviv is one of the most dog friendly cities in the world with pet owners taking out their four-legged friends for long walks, jogs and runs on the promenade and the soft sand beaches. Also, it is perhaps one of the most cycle friendly cities I have seen as there are separate tracks for them and many locals prefer cycling to work or use the e-scooters which are cycles on which you simply stand, taking you to your destination. Having had an eyeful of the blue-green waters and the silken sand, it was time to move on for yet another day of exploration of the city.
We now went to the German colony of Serona, right in the heart of Tel Aviv in and around which are government buildings, including the Ministry of Defence. There is an interesting story about the German settlers called Templers, who came to different parts of Israel (holy land of Jesus) in the late 19th and early parts of the 20th century. The temple society was founded in Germany and it supported the idea of gathering 'God's people' in the spirit of the New Testament, based on the desire to serve as the epitome of a worthy Christian society that would prepare the people and the country for the second coming of the Messiah. Apart from other areas of modern Israel, their colony was founded in Tel Aviv too and practiced modern agriculture and technological innovation. The British occupied their homes and properties after the first World War when Germany was defeated in the War. These Germans then were expelled from this area. After the War, they were allowed to return but then in the run up to the Second World War, they started supporting the Nazis in Germany. After the defeat of Germany in WWII, the templers were expelled to Australia and other places and their properties confiscated, first for the use of the British military and establishment and then by the newly established state of Israel. But a beautiful model of those houses have been preserved very well even as the area is surrounded by high rises and property prices are booming.
The next in our itinerary of the day was a Square where the family members of those Israelis who were kidnapped by the Hamas of the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 have been protesting and demanding that they be brought back. It was something like Jantar Mantar in New Delhi which has been an area of protest for years. A big countdown clock had been set up to remind the people about the time-frame of the kidnapping, pictures of all those who had been kidnapped. some of them have been pasted in and around this Square. Barely able to hold back her tears, a family member of one of the kidnapped, was giving an account of how everything unfolded. A replica of the underground tunnels had been created to indicate the living conditions of those still in captivity and a big dining table with tables and wine glasses too had been laid there to suggest how the people missed those Israelis who had been missing since then. A big piano of one of those in captivity was placed there and an Israeli soldier played it for us for a few minutes. The protest site was just opposite the ministry of Defence and the headquarters so that the message goes across to those for whom it was meant. In fact, all over Israel these photographs of those in captivity have been pasted and right after one disembarks from the aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport, these are visible. "Israelis never forget nor do they allow others to forget," the cliche goes.
Serona Market and then the Levinsky Market, a walk through these areas in the afternoon gave glimpses of how Israelis prefer to spend their afternoons. Beer in hand, having food on the pavements, streets and the roads under umbrellas, enjoying a perfect weather with food aroma pervading the atmosphere for the right effect. In the evenings, the civic authorities close the roads and the restaurants simply put their tables and umbrellas in the middle and the party goes on till midnight and beyond. I too decided to enjoy myself and immerse myself in the atmosphere for the next 3 hours, doing in Israel what the Israelis do.
One interesting tit bit I found in Tel Aviv was a fascination for Pre and wedding photo shoots. Dressed in their best, the grooms and brides were posing in different parts of the city for their wedding or perhaps pre-wedding photo shoots with camera persons in tow. When in the market, I found a couple rushing to a restaurant in their wedding dresses, sipping coffee and getting photographed. Well, this was quite a familiar sight as I see such couples in my neighbourhood parks quite often going through the same drill.
Nightlife and party scene in Tel Aviv is similar to most modern cities of the world. Pubs and dancing places are open till late in the evenings and the youngsters and not so young too join the party scene after work. In fact, in many streets, I saw roads being closed for traffic in the evenings as restaurants and pubs place their chairs and tables right in the middle of the road for partying. The streets in the evenings resemble those in Europe and tipsy youngsters,boys and girls, men and women, can be seen leaning on street furniture after having their fill of booze. Western music and also Israeli music is played on decent volume and I saw these very youngsters dancing to the tunes till their legs gave away after exhaustion or maybe due to after effects of liquor.
TANDOORI RESTAURANT LANDS END
Throughout our stay in Israel, we had dinner in different restaurants and we did not repeat them. So naturally, we were exposed to a great variety of food from all over the world, what I would say fusion cuisine. This has the influence of Arab and Middle East, Ottoman Turks and also Europe. In fact, from wherever the Jews migrated to Israel, they brought their own version of food and they still continue with those.
On the last day, we did not really have dinner as we had to catch an Air India flight back home, but had a great Supper at sunset at one of the most scenic spots on top of a small hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Jaffa. The restaurant called "Old Man and the Sea", which is perhaps named after a novel by Ernest Hemingway, had such a fantastic seating arrangement that it made the setting sun on the Mediterranean look awesome. In that setting, we had some great Sea-Food, inspired by Mediterranean and Arab cuisine, plenty of salads and fresh pita bread. That was to be our last meal in Israel.
But I would say the icing on the cake was the Tandoori Lands End Restaurant, run by Reena Pushkarna in Tel Aviv an evening before "Old Man and the Sea". Reena, who had her roots in Mumbai, was fluent in Hindi and at one time, she was running over half a dozen Indian restaurants in Israel. After Covid restrictions and disturbances, she had to close a few and now runs two in Tel Aviv. "Indian food has caught the fancy of the people here. We have food lovers from all over," says Reena. She proudly informed me that when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Israel, he had 'Moong dal ki Khichdi' from her restaurant. She proudly displays her photograph with Modi in her restaurant in one of the most happening places of the city, in front of the promenade facing the Beach. Reena said she was a Jew from Baghdad, but had lived in Mumbai and then to Israel. She keeps coming back to India quite often and the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv orders food from her restaurant whenever there is a delegation to be served Indian food. The lady entrepreneur was indeed impressive in the way she has done her business, the way she is connected to India and is a symbol of the close partnership between the two countries in recent years. We had samosas, juicy kebabs, different varieties of Chicken Tikka and fish and also Dal-Chawal and Tandoori Roti-Naan. So much food was served that it was impossible to even taste all of them.
In her restaurant, we met Mr Mani from Chennai, the Head of State Bank of India in Israel. "We only have one branch here and it is entirely corporate and government business and not retail," he said. He was having dinner with a few Indians, including a retired government officer who was visiting a security exposition. I asked about his three-year stay in Israel and he said, it was a great learning exercise about the country and the people. He asked us about our 8-Day experience in Israel and the only word I uttered was "amazing".
