A late morning departure from our boojie hotel in Aqaba had us headed for the Jordanian border…destination Eilat, Israel where we would catch a short flight to Tel Aviv. Navigating the land-border crossing and entry into Israel seemed much easier than going the other way, but perhaps we were just getting accustomed to the multiple layers of security and forms to fill out that didn’t seem to get used. A short bus ride left us at the Eilat airport curbside, somehow comforting with the familiarity of airports we all have.

It seemed but moments later that we were stuck in Tel Aviv traffic. Welcome to the big city! Although it’s not actually that big of a city…Tel Aviv proper (which includes Jaffa) is only about 450,000. The greater metro area is big, however, with about 4 milllion – nearly ½ the population of the entire country. 

I can’t say it’s the prettiest city around, but it has its charming and cute neighborhoods, some with central promenades that divide the traffic where families play and the dogs get walked. The city is known for its Bauhaus architecture, and there is the “old city” neighborhood of Jaffa with cobblestone streets and alleys that are abuzz with activity, especially at night. Tel Aviv is an exploding technology hub, and the skyline is crowded with cranes building mostly offices to accommodate this boom (but what about the shift to working from home? Hmmm…)

It’s also a surprisingly expensive city. We are consistently taken aback at the cost of food…taxis…drinks at the pool. Apparently housing is very pricey as well.

Tel Aviv Pride is already underway, so we jump right in that evening at a Pink Pool Party. While our group has pretty much outgrown such events, it was really fun and everyone was super friendly. And let’s be real – there was a lot of eye candy around! There is just something about the Israelis…

That evening, we met a friend from Tel Aviv who happened to be in town and he took us to a great spot for dinner in an area of Jaffa’s pedestrian-only streets. We sat at an outside table so we could take in the bustling local scene while being brought dish after dish of amazing and creative food (our friend knows the owner ). Laughter and music and stories among friends filled the air. It was such a treat to be hosted by a gracious and funny local and get to experience life as a Tel Avian (Tel Avivan?)…if only for a short time.

Our final day with Lior was spent walking Tel Aviv. He took us all over the place, telling us about the neighborhoods and the history of the city. We went by the Ben Gurion house (1^st Prime Minister of Israel), and the site of Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination in 1995. 

We wandered through everyday neighborhoods, the people going about their business occasionally eyeing the group of tourists making their way down the street. We stopped for lunch on the edge of Carmel Market (similar to the Mechane Yehuda market in Jerusalem), and continued through a cool neighborhood called Neve Tzedek as we made our way toward Jaffa and the cliff’s edge that looks north toward all the beaches. It was time to officially bid farewell to Lior, a bittersweet moment as he has been so great introducing us to Israel.

Speaking of beaches…let’s go! Perhaps not surprising given the melting pot of cultures and beliefs, there are different beaches catering to different folks: the gay beach, the family beach, the dog beach, and the “modesty” beach where the Orthodox Jews and Muslim men and women take turns on different days of the week so they can enjoy the surf and sand without violating their beliefs about what each gender can and can’t see (or be seen).

And then came Pride, Tel Aviv style. A massive parade and festival attended by 250,000 people, mostly young (some say Pride is for young people, and here it seemed so). It is so striking that this beautiful celebration of being who you are and loving who you love, supported so deeply by this community, is just an hour away from Jerusalem where Pride is much more of a protest than a party. This felt like freedom, and in Jerusalem it felt…subversive and activist.

That night was the big Pride party. Super famous, local-boy done good DJ Offer Nissim gave us an awesome 5-hour set, including a surprise appearance by Debra Cox. We got there early and the place was empty…but the crowd kept coming and it wasn’t long before it was filled with the energy of loud music, dancing, laughing, friendly shenanigans, people just chillin’ on the hillside, and even marriage proposals (yep – we saw that!). 

Night fell, the crowd swelled further, and the lighting came up. The beat kept going, and somehow we did too…

After an amazingly fun night, we managed to make our way off the fairgrounds and into a taxi – who tried to pick up more people, unsuccessfully, and then had to stop at a gas station “for water” – but then he didn’t get any water. We never figured that out. We got back to the hotel and were spent but in such a great way. You know that feeling of being exhausted but happy and fulfilled and grateful all at the same time? That’s what this was. 

As I packed my bag the next morning…one last time…and thought about our whole adventure that began two weeks ago in Jerusalem, I also thought about how thankful I am for the team at Outstanding Travel that organized everything, our amazing guides, and for the wonderful new friends we made along the way. 

But even more so, I thought about how blessed I am to have shared this journey through histories and cultures with Bobb and Brian – such great friends and traveling companions. We explored with curiosity, pushed boundaries, learned, shopped, relaxed, ate too much, made new friends, and became just a bit more citizens of the world. I love you guys and cherish you more than you know.