Tel Aviv & Jerusalem

The trip to Cyprus earlier in the year made me think that Israel, which is not much further away,  would be a feasible and 'inexpensive' option as well. The flight was indeed cheap, but I was surprised to see how expensive it is. Having visited New York not long before - which obviously is known to be an expensive destination - I found that Tel Aviv was similarly if not more expensive.

I opted to stay in a hostel; advertised as a +30 hostel, so not a party place. It turned out not to be a bad choice at all. You shared a room with three others, but it was quiet, spacious and clean. The best thing about it was that it had recently opened a little bar and that is where I would hang out most days since they offered affordable drinks.

Tel Aviv is an interesting mix. Some new buildings, a lot of older stuff too. It does not look very clean and sophisticated, but rather old and gritty. But I think that adds to the athmosphere. I found several places where during the day but particularly at night it was busy with crowds having drinks on the streets.

I took a bus to Jerusalem twice. I do not remember exactly how long it took, but it is all fairly close by. Visiting the old city was definitely the highlight of the trip. It gave me a weird feeling when you realise that such an enormous amount of conflict originates from this little place.