Tel Aviv
We've only been in Israel 5 days, and I already have a new favorite city in the world: Tel Aviv.
After a beautiful and challenging hike in the Golan Heights capped off with a refreshing dip under a waterfall, Bus 308 departed for Israel's crown jewel on the Mediterranean Sea.
The nearly three hour drive was filled with jamming to Israeli music (yeah for snake fish or fish snake or whale shark or whatever the band was called) and taking pictures of people sleeping with their mouths open... sorry Dan.
Suddenly, as we entered my new favorite city, we were told to get our stuff together as our fourth challenge was about to begin. We exited the bus quickly into Yitzchak Rabin square and were briefed on what the next few hours would hold... THE AMAZING RACE: TEL AVIV STYLE. Each team was given a folder with certain clues of locations across the city and a walkie talkie in case you got lost (spoiler alert: we did.) Then, we were off. The challenge consisted of navigation tasks as well as certain photo tasks. For every navigation task accomplished, meaning you located the building in the folder and took a picture of it, you got a certain number of points. We also got points for taking pictures with random people like soldiers and street performers. Thank goodness for our Hebrew speaking teammates, as we had to ask many streetgoers for directions. It was interesting to hear people's responses as we raced past with television cameras following us. I heard more than one person wonder out loud if we were on the amazing race tv show. We had two hours to explore one of the most famous cities in the world in a way few people do. Sadly, my team (TEAM SABABA!!!!) did not win (the white team dominated) but it was an awesome experience nonetheless. Besides, if Team Sababa won everything it would just get boring for everyone else ;).
I thought I loved Tel Aviv at that point, but I had no idea. After eating dinner and changing at the hotel, we trekked to the beach. Sitting in the softest sand I've ever felt while there were beautiful buildings to your left and an even more beautiful beach to the right with a World Cup game being projected on a huge screen in front of me is an experience I won't soon forget. Having to leave that beach to head back to the hotel is one of my saddest experiences on the trip.
I have always heard a lot of fuss about Tel Aviv, but never understood it until today. It is a modern city rich with history. It is a skyscraper-filled metropolis right next to a beach. It is the site of so many important moments in Israeli history, both good (declaration of Israeli independence) and bad (Rabin's assassination.) It is filled with bustling markets and beautiful parks. American chain restaurants and Israeli 'Ma and Pa' shops. Meaningful memorials and Bruce Willis billboards. If there was every any doubt before, it has now been erased. I am definitely making a return trip to Israel sometime in my life, and I have Tel Aviv to thank.
-Bus Blogger Steve Polansky
