A Glimpse of Tel Aviv

I was sitting and thinking about the best way to write this blog when suddenly it hit me. I will do it in an interview style! The reason will be obvious later…

‘Mr Cross, can you tell us when you arrived in Tel Aviv?’

I arrived in Tel Aviv on Saturday the 1^st of October at 2am after a 5 hour flight from Amsterdam. From the airport it was straight to the hotel to get a few hours sleep before the exploring started.

‘And what exploring did you do?’

I had initially intended to spend the day in Jerusalem, but with it being Shabbat there was no public transport and that option fell away. I had heard that Tel Aviv is famous for its beaches and so headed down to the coastline.

‘And what can you tell us about the beaches?’

The beach was buzzing. There were people swimming, walking, cycling, roller-blading, playing beach bats, playing volley ball, surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing, wind surfing, tanning, picnicking, reading, people gazing, ice-cream eating and cocktail sipping. But the beach activity that caught my attention was the foot volley tournament. It is exactly the same as regular volley ball, except the players cannot use their hands or arms. By the time I arrived the tournament was down to the final four teams. All I can say is that they have skill!

This clip will give you an idea of what it is all about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39xH-ImUb4Q

‘That is all very interesting Mr Cross, but what is your reason for being in Israel?’

Work. Israel has three ports (Ashdod, Haifa and Eilat) and I was attending the kick-off meetings for a new project that is being undertaken for the Port Authority. Unfortunately Saturday was the only bit of free time that I had to see Tel Aviv (the Israeli weekend is Friday and Saturday).

‘And so you did no other sightseeing?’

Unfortunately not, but I will be back in Israel in November. The plan is to stay a little bit longer (and for Bron to join me) and to see Jerusalem and the Dead Sea.

‘And did you take any photos while you were in Israel?’

Does the Pope drive in a Pope-mobile?

A view of the Tel Aviv beaches

This restaurant had a great view of the sea. Seems the name is appropriate. (By the way, Goldstar is the local beer. Definitely worth a try)

Some of the stranger architecture in Tel Aviv

Some of the pre Foot Volley entertainment

One of the things that struck me was how many buildings are in serious need of restoration. This one is alongside a number of 4 and 5 star hotels. 

The only bit of 'art' I saw in Tel Aviv. Quite the opposite of Rotterdam where art is found on every street corner.

The hotel I stayed in.

The view from my hotel balcony.

So if you have made it this far and are still wondering why the interview approach to this blog, you have obviously never tried to leave Israel! Getting into Israel is relatively easy. It is leaving that is tricky. I was interviewed at the airport for over half an hour about the places I had been, the people I had met with, the company I worked for, the reason the company had sent me, the reason the company had sent me now, who my boss is, etc. At one stage I was sure that they were going to run out of questions, but then they started on my trips to Dubai (the passport does not lie). Where did I stay, did I meet anyone there, did anyone try and make contact with me, etc.

To sum up this trip: I think Israel is a fascinating place with an amazing history. It’s just the local paranoia that might get to you.