Last spring I went on an amazing trip to Israel and I wanted to share a little about my experience.
I’ll start off by saying that it is no problem touring Israel as a solo female, in fact, I found an awesome female tour guide who I hired for some parts of my trip, and she also helped me plan itineraries for other days that I didn’t even hire her for!
The first day began in one of the holiest cities in the world: Jerusalem. In this city the three largest monotheistic religions in the world meet: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
I found that Jerusalem is one of those cities that has it all: in the morning I visited ancient and glorious sites, then had lunch in culinarily unique spots and in the evening you can enjoy the nightlife of Shuk Mahne Yehuda – the famous marketplace that becomes a street full of small bars at night.
I couldn’t help but marvel at the magnificent Kotel. This is the wall that has been standing since the first temple days and holds a great emotional significance to many people. When you go down towards it, you can feel the emotional draw to it of everyone around you. There is a belief in Judaism that if you write a wish on a note and put it between the cracks of the wall, god will read it and your wish will become true.
From Jerusalem we headed to the Dead Sea. Thanks to my tour guide we avoided the main tourist beach and visited one of the undeclared spots a bit to the north instead. This gave me one of the most serene and quiet experiences of my life. Words can’t describe the surprise I felt the first time I put my foot in the water. You don’t have to move a muscle in order to float in the Dead Sea! It was more like being cradled from all directions than being in water.
After relaxing in the water for a bit we went to the Nahal David hiking route for a bit of heat relief. During the hike we passed through several water falls that offered a refreshing sweet water bath.
It was a long day, and I was ready to head to Tel Aviv where I booked a hotel for the night. Thankfully Israel is so small you can see and do so much in one day because nothing is very far!
The next morning I headed out to explore the diverse city of Tel Aviv. Strolling around the small streets off of Rothschild Blvd. – the main boulevard in the center of TLV, I saw beaten down houses in front of new and shiny mansions. Tel Aviv has some buildings that look like 20th century Europe next to buildings that look like old settlements. In this area I also got to enjoy many of Tel Aviv’s great bars and amazing restaurants. Due to the fact that Tel Aviv is only about 70 years old, Tel Aviv doesn’t really have its own culinary history. This has made this city take something from every immigrant that arrived to it and mix it with the existing Arab cuisine. I felt this in the great diversity of the restaurants. I ate the best hummus and fresh Pitas for lunch and snacked on street food options all day – it was delicious!
In Tel Aviv I also enjoyed the flea market in Jaffa, Shuk Hacarmel in central Tel Aviv and of course the beach!
My trip in Israel was one of the most memorable I had in my many travels. From the historical and religious locations to the art, food, and people.
Until next trip,
Maimy
