Tanning in Tel Aviv

The last few days in Rome, saying goodbye to friends one by one was very bittersweet. We enjoyed our last authentic and very filling italian meals and made the most of our last days and nights together at the end of our abroad experience. Rome you shall be missed o so much!

I can really say that I would not have been able to go straight back to the Minnesota from Rome, and I am so happy that I had planned my trip to Tel Aviv at the very end to visit Nicole...her turn to show me around.

I was all packed and after my final meal (brushetta and rigatoni amatriciana) and a visit to see the Trevi Fountain lit up at night and one last coin toss and gelato, I would say it was the perfect way to say goodbye to Rome. My plane was scheduled to leave at 9 AM, so I headed to the train station to get to the airport very early. The flight was easy and I landed in Tel Aviv around 2 pm. The plane to Israel was so strange, I really didn't know how to feel, abroad was over, but not quite..very odd transitional feeling, but nevertheless SO EXCITED to get to Nicole.

I arrived to her dorms via taxi in Ramat Aviv, which is a suburb of Tel Aviv, where she was standing at the gate ready to greet me. It was not quite as movie-reunion-esque as the first reunion between the two of us, but it was still rather grandiose. Did I mention it was boiling outside and I was wearing pants??
Description of where Nicole lives: Nicole, unlike me, during her abroad time, actually went to Tel Aviv University, which is a real campus with numerous students from all over Israel and elsewhere. It is a gorgeous campus, I am telling you so pretty and impressive. She was put up in housing in dorms, where not just abroad students live, but all of the above. There are several towers that house students, thank god she happened to live on the second floor. Her dorm room was big enough, with an area for a "kitchen", I say this in parentheses because her kitchen included and fridge-freezer, sink, table, and hot plate...so not much cooking going on in there. She had one roommate and two suite mates, so two bedrooms and one bathroom with shower. Pretty quaint space, but I felt very very lucky for the apartment I lived in all semester in Rome. This is when I began to miss Rome. Nicole had been very nice and prepared for my stay by purchasing an air mattress, which she blew up with a hair dryer. Nice. I got situated and plopped down my bags. I had warned her before coming, that I would be fully wearing only her wardrobe during my visit, since 1, I had no summer clothes, and 2 I was just sick of my wardrobe. Thanks Nicole!

The first few days Nicole showed me all around Tel Aviv. We went to the beach, walked down Ben Yahuda street, Dizengoff street, shopped, and ate. The life in Tel Aviv runs at a much slower pace than Rome. This trip was much more of a vacation than any other trip I took abroad. I was able to just enjoy myself and enjoy being with Nicole and her friends. We laid on the beach, which is gorgeous. Tel Aviv beaches have the smoothest whitest sand and the water is warm! The beach was packed everyday with tons of Israelis and beach bathers. I got a pretty decent tan for the amount of time I was there, but in comparison to Nicole I was still pale. Nicole took me to some really good places to eat. I had no pasta! But instead ate as many vegetables as I could. Israeli breakfast is a staple, with eggs, israeli salad, tuna and an assortment of bread, and real coffee. We had really good salads and shakshuka, and hummus. The works. It was incredible, all of my favorite foods! I know you must think I am crazy for choosing these types of foods over pasta, but I guess I was just on pasta overload at the moment, and someone honestly would have had to pay me to eat another bowl of carbs. However, I am craving pasta, now that I am home. mmm. The streets of Tel Aviv are lined with the cutest little cafes and restaurants all with outdoor seating. Each is so different, and welcoming, with lounging areas and breezy atmospheres. Tel Aviv also has great shopping! So many places with cute sun dresses, sandals and accessories. We also had our fair share of yogurt, which Nicole and her friends let me know is a must have when in Tel Aviv. Basically it is like frozen yogurt, but tastes like tangy yogurt. You can choose from several toppings from fruit to chocolate to granola to put on your yogurt. It is very refreshing. Nicole and I had such a good time just going to eat, walking around the city and going to the beach and relaxing. Her lifestyle abroad was in fact quite the opposite of mine in Rome. Everything is much more laid back and free, while in Rome I always felt busy and consumed by the culture of the city. I loved the feel in Tel Aviv and hearing everyone speak hebrew, and seeing hebrew everywhere. Another big difference between Nicole and my experience abroad was our living locations in each of our cities. I lived right in Rome and had it very easy and convenient being able to hop on the tram (for "free") to head into Trastevere and get anywhere really by walking. Nicole lived in a suburb of Tel Aviv, so she really got the hang of commuting everywhere, either by cab or sherut (a shared cab, much like a van). She still lived in a great location, but just not as simple and effortless to make an on the whim decision to head into Tel Aviv.

One day, Nicole, Todd, Steve and I took a day trip to Jerusalem. Nicole planned it all out and how to get there. It takes about a 45 minutes to get to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, and we took a cab with a very nice cab driver. We went straight to Wall and the boys and Nicole and I went our separate ways, splitting among the mahitza divider. Nicole and I put our notes in the wall and stood in front l for a good amount of time just to take it all in. It really is amazing seeing all the people at the Wall, the women, children and men (on the other side) all praying. We walked around the old city and then headed to Ben Yehuda street. I remembered everything very well from Birthright, which I can say is impressive for me with my memory. We had really delicious bagels with lox spread for lunch. We then went to the Shuk, which is a huge market in Jerusalem with everything, including rugalah. O my goodness, the best. So warm, gooey, fresh and salivating. Good thing I only had one. The day in Jerusalem was short, but we were able to see alot for the amount of time we were there. There is not much to do in Jerusalem, but being there is in itself enough. The feeling in this city is much different than in Tel Aviv. There really is an unsaid presence of Jewish culture and religion. I would have enjoyed being at the Wall during shabbat, but there just wasn't time. We called the same cab driver that drove us to Jerusalem to take us back, which was kind of funny, but really convenient.

We took another day trip to Haifa, just Nicole, Jess (Nicole's roommate), and I. We hopped on a train, which I was fairly familiar with, but excited to see what Israeli train rails were like. Let's just say it is a joke. Anyone can go on, you barely have to buy a ticket, and random men will just let you through the gate. O, and did I mention the trains are filled with Israeli soldiers? This is where I decided the Israeli train system beats the European train system. Plus it really is much less stressful then the scary run ins you can have with logistics and tickets on Euro trains. But all of Israel is laid back about most everything. Back to the Israeli soldiers. One in particular boarded the train. I could not help staring, and it happened that he ended up sitting down with the three of us. Best part of the day. He was beautiful. Nicole attempted to take a picture, I began to giggle like a little girl, it was bad. He said a few words to us, but no I did not get his name, so I am sad to say there will be no wedding in the future. Done with daydreaming...on to Haifa.
Haifa is a very small city at the very north of Israel. We went straight to the beach and had lunch. The beach there is very odd. There is sand and grass, I did not understand. We sat at a quiet little restaurant near the water and had a relaxing lunch/breakfast, with a very nice waiter. We then went to see the B'hai Gardens which Haifa is known for. They are huge gardens with many levels, it is beyond perfect. So beautiful. After touring through the gardens, we were directed to go to the the cable car, where there was a church, and the cable car would take us back down to the beach. We went into the church, which was small, but still a sight to see and pretty, with stained glass windows and gold detailing. But we learned that the prophet Elijah is supposedly buried there...pretty cool. We then took the "cable car" down. This was similar to a gondola or tram, but instead with three orange ball shaped cars that took the three of us downward to the beach. It was hysterical. See picture for a more vivid image. The day was great, and exactly what we wanted to do. The train ride was not as eventful as the way there, I slept. I was happy to actually tour around Haifa, because on birthright they just have you hop off the bus overlook the B'hai Gardens and get back on the bus. Needless to say, you do not get a very good feel of the city, so on this trip I did.

My time in Tel Aviv was great and exactly what I wanted, to spend time with Nicole and see her life there. In 8 days I really got to see what a day in the life of an Israeli is like. Tel Aviv is so relaxing and just has a carefree essence to it. The beach, cute loungy restaurants, shopping, and hot hot hot weather, what is bad about that? Plus the hebrew adds a lot to it and I enjoyed being able to at least try putting my language skills to use. Nicole showed me a wonderful time and I can definitely see the temptation of wanting to stay longer in Tel Aviv for the summer, as many students who study there feel toward the end. I will most probably be going back at some point in my life.

I left bidding shalom to Nicole, who had less than two weeks left. It was sad, and me leaving made her realize how soon her abroad time was about to be over as well. We had a really nice last dinner and yogurt, and took one last sherut ride back to her dorm before leaving. My flight was at 5:15 am and I was prepared for a full 24 hours of traveling ahead of me.

Tel Aviv, thanks for the great tan to go back to the states with and Nicole, you are actually an Israeli. Perfect way to end my time abroad!