Packing, making household arrangements, and near 24 hour flights take a toll. Thus, it’s a wise move to leave a day post travel to relax, regroup, and catch up on rest. A hotel on the Tel Aviv beach provides the ideal circumstances for refreshing the body and spirit for more adventure. The gentle breeze wafting the curtains of the wide open balcony door with sun kissed Mediterranean air delights lungs weakened from hours of the stale airplane atmosphere. I welcomed the gift with wide open doors all night long and spent a several hours today enjoying the view of the sea from my balcony. It was fun to play house and settle in at the affordable and well-appointed hostel where I booked a room for several days. I tried out my newly purchased backpacking dishes and pans that allow me to control culinary sanitation, caught up on some computer tasks, and even took an afternoon nap to ease the time zone transition. By dinner time I was ready to explore the Tel Aviv beach front.
Within steps of the hostel are numerous places to purchase freshly pressed juices, so I grabbed a tall glass of pomegranate juice to sip while walking on the beach. The Tel Aviv beach front is within sight of my room encouraging guests to come out and play. I joined tourists from all over the globe and fitness-minded Israelis on the wide boulevard designed to accommodate both people walking beside the sea and those on bicycles. 
Occasionally one comes upon an adult playground appointed with outdoor workout equipment as well as children’s areas and beach cafes that provide lounge chairs with umbrellas on the seashore where it’s fun to sit and watch happy people playing in the sand and surf. As it was getting dark I took a table at one of these places and ordered the first burger I have eaten in more than a year (Kosher burgers are hard to find in Salt Lake City!), accompanied by a tossed salad, fries, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. It was like being a child all over again. The Tel Aviv beach puts Southern California to shame in almost all aspects; it’s a beautifully joyful place. One can easily spend several days walking to the port, through parks, to Old Yaffo… This evening, I walked to the Tel Aviv port, leaving Yaffo for another day. Even in the dark, one feels safe among the people there for exercise and the sea breeze.
The do-it-yourself spa day has me perfectly poised for a sound sleep and bright start tomorrow when I will transplant myself in Petach Tikva with my friends from all over the world. That prospect is the stuff of dreams to make me dance!
Any comments or funny stories?
No Trackbacks.