Gan Koveshim

Packed in quite a few sights today as I heard most places would be closed the next day as it was going to be Sabbath. Started my walk up to and down the beautiful Rothschild Boulevard. I've noticed the city is quite green. There are numerous bikes and e-scooters, as well as parks and giant recycling cages for hard plastics. You'll even find a few rope hammocks and bean bag chairs if you just want to hang out.

Out the end of the Rothschild Blvd is one of the city's auditoriums. From there, I stumbled upon a flea market only open Tuesdays and Fridays, you'll find antiques and lots of clothing booths. A stone's throw away is the Sarona Market. It reminds me of Granville Island back home with the variety of food places with an artsy vibe. With three apartment towers above the market and a good sized park outside, it feels like a great community .to live in.

From there, Azrieli Center is a short walk away. If you go up the tower, you'll get panoramic views of the city. The restaurant was closed but we could still go up to see the view. At 22 Shekels (about $5.50 Euro) it's alright. The mall itself is interesting, there's a Miniso as soon as you get to the 1st floor on the escalator. There's also a good outdoor area to have lunch on the 3rd floor. Me? I took time to enjoy my sandwich from Sarona here.

Onwards to Rabin Square where city hall is located. I would hear the story of Rabin the next day from our guide, but otherwise enjoyed the large space and saw the Holocaust Memorial as well. Oh, also picked up Israeli ice cream from a place called Iceberg along the way. They're known for having some pretty crazy flavors here, but I settled for mango and passionfruit with coconut milk. Hoping to progress as the trip goes along if I can remember which ice cream places are great where.

Off to Diezengoff Square then where I came across the most memorable busker ever. Imagine hearing a funky drum set playing to prerecorded music, and imagine the musician being a man who was probably in his 70s if not older. Super talented, one can't help but sit down and take in a few songs. Everyone passing by was appreciative, leaving the man a tip. And he was a great time himself, not ever missing a beat.

When I finally tore myself away, I popped into the nearby Dizengoff Center for a washroom break. The guard at the entrance (they're at the entrance of every mall here) chatted with me about the politics in Canada, strange but ok. I also found a shop for an Israeli jewelry designer I'd read about. At first, I was hoping to find a store in Azrieli and couldn't, so had actually given up. Didn't end up buying anything but still, a beautiful shop to visit.

Back on the road, I stopped in my tracks when I saw a Korean shaved ice & bubble tea shop. Of course I had to poke my head in. I think I ended up chatting to the owner as I was looking at the menu. The bubble tea menu was sparse (I live in Vancouver after all!) and I think the shaved ice was shaved ice and not shaved milk. The store is new though and not run by Koreans, so we talked about expanding their menu and using flavor syrups instead of powders. I was also looking for green tea with syrups. He openly welcomed the suggestions, so perhaps soon, the menu will be more extensive.

Continuing down King George V street, I made my way back to the Carmel Market, it looked busy and crowded, and having been there the night before, I opted to take the other road, home of the Nachalat Binyamin market that is packed with artists and craftspersons. Shoppers will love it here and probably go home with a few items. Memorable artists included a glass blower. You could also hear talented musicians but not quite as riveting as the senior drummer earlier.

I decided to continue south towards Neve Tzedek to check out another fountain at a museum. At this point, I didn't realize that places where closing up due to Sabbath. The museum was closed so I just wandered the neighborhood before returning to the hotel.

For dinner I'd hoped to try the sabich (sandwich with fried eggplant and hard boiled egg) but many places were closed by now. Oops, did manage to find a falafel place not too far away to have a simple night and early night in. Time to rest the feet.Read more