This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)

In my head was the dilemma of what to do in Tel Aviv. Actually, I wouldn’t even have wanted to go there if I hadn’t had the return flight from there. I imagined that I would be bored, but instead I found it interesting, although much less so than other places in Israel that I later knew.

Difficulties at the border in Israel

Carmel Market Entrance, Tel Aviv, Israel
The entrance to Carmel Market for many at the top of the list on what to do in Tel Aviv

Back in Aqaba, I had a cab take me to the border. Crossing it was not a formality given the usual thousand questions from the Israeli military.

At the time it was said that it was appropriate to ask not to have the stamp in the passport, to avoid any fuss in case you wanted to go to some Arab country in the years to come as well. I won’t tell you the discussion, although I knew it was a request many people made.

In what to do in Tel Aviv is the Carmel Market, deserted here on a holiday
I may be weird but I like to walk around the markets even when they are closed even if they are creepy

At the Tel Aviv border for my re-entry it was even worse because it was not yet dawn and I was quite sleepy. It was challenging to answer the relentless questioning where I am used to ask you the same questions again to see if you are wrong.

What to do in Tel Aviv

On that occasion, other than the barren landscape to get there, all I saw of Israel was Tel Aviv, which is a very modern city and overall quite unremarkable but with something interesting. Of beauty there is the tiny neighborhood of Jaffa, and a beautiful and very long bike path that runs from the waterfront (featured photo) and through a beautiful, very green park.

Alley in the medieval neighborhood of Jaffa in Tel Aviv
A glimpse of the picturesque neighborhood of Jaffa

The Sabich, which I first ate here, at a renowned kiosk with a perpetual line, is undoubtedly my favorite sandwich in the world.

Inside a pita is fried eggplant, salad, eggs, and various sauces (including tahina sauce). Apparently the origin is Iraqi. It has been starting to be found around in Italy for a while now, too, perhaps at festivals with ethnic stands if there is Middle Eastern or Israeli one.

Something I found disturbing and at the time excessive, never imagining what would happen a few years later; was the realization that my hotel had the anti-missile bunker.

Home travel Jordan/Israel Welcome to Jordan (and Israel)

Previous stop Sleeping in Wadi Rum, with a Bedouin cat on your belly

Meadows and palm groves in Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv.
Yarkon Park is really beautiful and the Israelis are undoubtedly very good at remedying greenery in otherwise barren areas I toured it by renting a bike

Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent

Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives

Countries visited in my travel stories

newsletter strange things traveling

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author avatar
Fabio Viroli
Ho sempre avuto tante passioni, ma da sempre più o meno latenti, le principali sono viaggiare e scrivere. Tra le altre cose ho una laurea in psicologia; ho fatto per più di 30 anni l’allenatore di basket; leggo tanti libri; sono stato molto appassionato di sport e di musica rock; e faccio improvvisazione teatrale