Introduction to Israel - by Jay & Nicole

Jay & Nicole's Initial Pictures from Israel
(click any picture to get enlargement)

This adventure begins as Nicole's assignment in Venezuela ends and her next posting begins in Israel.
After selling many items,
turning over the apartment
& saying goodbye to friends,
we left Venezuela. After spending three weeks in Switzerland, we packed up
again and flew to Israel.

Israel is located on the south-
eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea.

Size: Same as New Jersey
Coast: 270 km (160 mi)
Population: 6,500,000
Religions: Jewish 77%
& Muslim 16%
Languages: Hebrew & Arabic
but luckily many speak English

Israel lies below Syria and Lebanon. To the east is Jordan & the Dead Sea. To the south is Egypt, Saudi Arabia & the Red Sea.

Capital: Israel proclaims Jerusalem as its capital, but nearly all the countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv, which is on the coast.
Problem Areas: The areas of the Golan Heights (near Syria), West Bank (near Jordan) and Gaza Strip (near Egypt) are in constant dispute.

Currency: New Israeli Shekel; about 4 NIS equals $1

The northern part of Israel looked quite dry and arid. As we neared the Tel Aviv airport, things looked a greener. The city of Tel Aviv looked a lot bigger than we expected.

When we initially saw the neighborhoods around the airport, we almost felt like we were back in South Africa ... ... oops, these ARE pictures from Africa ... sorry about that !

The hillside neighborhoods had rows & rows of simple brick buildings that reminded us of the barrios in Venezeula ... ... dang, these ARE pictures from Venezeula ... again, sorry !

OK, I finally found the right set of pictures. Tel Aviv is known as the "city of white" because of the large number of white buildings.

UNESCO proclaimed Tel Aviv as a World Cultural Heritage site, for being “an outstanding example of new town planning & architecture in the 20th century”.

We got picked up and taken to our hotel ... which was a shock! By the hotel name, we assumed it was a tall skyscraper.
It was not even close to what we expected, even though it did have a roof-top terrace ... but ???.


OK, it is true that the Embassy wants to save money, but they actually put us up in a very nice place.

The Carlton hotel had a nice room with a desk & sitting area ... and an excellent breakfast buffet!

We were situated in the
"City Center" of Tel Aviv.

We found the people to be very conservative and religious. The clothing was mainly black & white, women covered their arms, and everyone prayed multiple times per day ...

Oops, I made another error ... it is in Jerusalem where people pray!

In Tel Aviv we found the people to be very cosmopolitan ... it is a place where people play!

Driving is somewhat difficult, as in any big city ... so walking or biking is recommended ... and safe!

Did I mention, though, what the best part of Tel Aviv is ... ???

Remember that Tel Aviv borders the Mediterranean Sea ... which means .... beaches!!!

The Hotel & Embassy are within seconds of nice beaches.

The views from the roof-top swimming pool were quite amazing ... as were sunsets from our balcony.

From the Roof-top:

<=== To the left are beaches and a promenade that lead to the old port town of Jaffa, about 30 minutes walk away.

====>
To the right, the promenade leads past beaches to the new 'tourist' port area; a 10 min. walk.

The Carlton had it's own beach area directly below us. Sometimes the breakfast buffet was served sea-side ... nice!
The city view was also breath-taking; it is a big city!

Many buildings are of the 'Bauhaus' architectural style, which was made famous by Tel Aviv from 1920-1950. There is are many new-style buildings going up ... but $$$!

With such nice beaches, we must spend lots of time there, right? But no, we don't ... is that because we can't read signs? Or is it because some of the beaches are religious?

No, it turns out that we didn't visit any beach during the first week since we were so busy looking for an apartment; each day multiple realtors took us around.
On the relaxing side, Jay did find a bar which serves many kinds of beer, starts happy hour at 9am ... and offers free internet!

Again, our main task at this point is to search for an apartment.
We want to be close to the Embassy so Nicole can walk to work...

... and we want to be close to the promenade & beach so that we will always have plenty of things to do. These goals didn't sound too difficult, but we soon found out none were possible.
The Swiss Embassy ...
we want to live close to here!

We discovered that the tall buildings along the coast were hotels, so high-rise penthouses with sea views were out of the question. Also, very few of the 'front-row' buildings had vacancies; those that did were way too expensive... bummer!

To the north of Tel Aviv there are many new neighborhoods being constructed ... but the bad rush-hour traffic turned us off. We did find a great store to do future shopping at!!


The search for an apartment continued, but we soon realized that getting a nice-sized apartment would require us to live further from the sea & from work. That also meant Nicole would need to take the car to work, which leaves me without easy transportation. Also, we were hoping for a place which had swimming and tennis facilities... but again, anything of a decent size was way over our budget.
So yes, we got a bit bummed out, especially since there weren't many apartments available and those that were had strange set-ups, unpleasant views or wouldn't pass the security requirements.

Also, after a week in Tel Aviv, we began to run into problems with our cat. Blacky was not acting 'normal'; he didn't seem to like the salt air and humidity.
It also didn't help that he was constipated and got scared when the maid or mini-bar guy came in.
We tried to keep the hotel workers out of the room, but they did not speak English. It also turned out that the internet was only available via a shared computer in the lobby...
... so, even though our situation was not bad, we began looking for a different living arrangement.

We began to look at short-term, furnished vacation apartments that rent for less than a hotel room.

We found a nice place in one of the most unique buildings along the beach-front promenade; it's the right-most building above.
We get the entire fifth floor, which includes the little triangular balcony on the front & a bigger balcony on the side.

The kitchen has everything, even staple foods, spices, etc. The dining area has floor to ceiling windows; nice! This balcony has a world-class view of the beach & sea.

To the left is an open beach with a volleyball net and a few public gazebos. Umbrellas and chairs can be rented at various points.
During the mid-day it is too hot for beach sports, but the late afternoon weather is perfect.

To the right is a continuation of the nice open beach and some more public gazebos.
During the weekend, it gets a little more crowded, but not bad.

We hear that during the summer, the beach really gets packed.

Back in the apartment, the living room comes next. Everything is open-concept, so the rooms merge into one another.
From this room we also have floor-to-ceiling views of the beach & sea.

The entertainment area has a big TV, stereo, couch ... and yes, another balcony!

There are two bathrooms, each with high-grade fixtures; the master has a jacuzzi tub with a view!

The master bedroom has tons of closets, a nice big bed, a TV & video/stereo ... as well as a desk, study area and high-speed internet ... and another balcony!
The guest room has 3 beds, but Blacky is the only one who uses it. This room has become our storage area.

Yes, we are actually quite spoiled ... but we fully realize this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend a month in a place like this.
A world-famous viola player, Tabea Zimmerman owns this $$ apartment. She brings her family from Germany quite often so the kids get acclimated to the Jewish culture and Hebrew language.

If we could afford a few thousand bucks out of our pocket per month, we would definitely choose to live here full time!

Anyway, our search for an apartment continues ...
... stay tuned for the next story, hopefully coming soon!



The following are additional tid-bits about the climate in Israel :

Weather: The temps will be moderate, which we like; the humidity is high though :(

Centigrade                High & Low temps                  Fahrenheit

Sunshine: Since we will no longer be close to the equator, the length of the days will vary with the seasons; and the rainy days should be few.



Rain: The desert-like conditions means it will be dry, especially in the summer.


*This adventure begins as Nicole's assignment in Venezuela ends and her next posting begins in Israel.* After selling many items, turning over the apartment & saying goodbye to friends, we left Venezuela. After spending three weeks in Switzerland, we packed up again and flew to Israel.

Israel is located on the south- eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea. Size: Same as New Jersey Coast: 270 km (160 mi) Population: 6,500,000 Religions: Jewish 77% & Muslim 16% Languages: Hebrew & Arabic but luckily many speak English

*Israel lies below Syria and Lebanon. To the east is Jordan & the Dead Sea. To the south is Egypt, Saudi Arabia & the Red Sea.*

Capital: Israel proclaims Jerusalem as its capital, but nearly all the countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv, which is on the coast. Problem Areas: The areas of the Golan Heights (near Syria), West Bank (near Jordan) and Gaza Strip (near Egypt) are in constant dispute. Currency: New Israeli Shekel; about 4 NIS equals $1


*The northern part of Israel looked quite dry and arid.*	*As we neared the Tel Aviv airport, things looked a greener.*	*The city of Tel Aviv looked a lot bigger than we expected.*


*When we initially saw the neighborhoods around the airport, we almost felt like we were back in South Africa ...*		*... oops, these ARE pictures from Africa ... sorry about that !*


*The hillside neighborhoods had rows & rows of simple brick buildings that reminded us of the barrios in Venezeula ...*		*... dang, these ARE pictures from Venezeula ... again, sorry !*

OK, I finally found the right set of pictures. Tel Aviv is known as the "city of white" because of the large number of white buildings. UNESCO proclaimed Tel Aviv as a World Cultural Heritage site, for being “an outstanding example of new town planning & architecture in the 20th century”.

We got picked up and taken to our hotel ... which was a shock! By the hotel name, we assumed it was a tall skyscraper.		*It was not even close to what we expected, even though it did have a roof-top terrace ... but ???.*

*OK, it is true that the Embassy wants to save money, but they actually put us up in a very nice place.*

*The Carlton hotel had a nice room with a desk & sitting area ... and an excellent breakfast buffet!*

We were situated in the "City Center" of Tel Aviv.
	*We found the people* to be very conservative and religious. The clothing was mainly black & white, women covered their arms, and everyone prayed multiple times per day ... Oops, I made another error ... it is in Jerusalem where people pray!

*In Tel Aviv we found the people to be very cosmopolitan ... it is a place where people play!*

*Driving is somewhat difficult, as in any big city ... so walking or biking is recommended ... and safe!*

Did I mention, though, what the best part of Tel Aviv is ... ??? Remember that Tel Aviv borders the Mediterranean Sea ... which means .... beaches!!!

	The Hotel & Embassy are within seconds of nice beaches.


The views from the roof-top swimming pool were quite amazing ... as were sunsets from our balcony.

	From the Roof-top: <=== To the left are beaches and a promenade that lead to the old port town of Jaffa, about 30 minutes walk away. ====> To the right, the promenade leads past beaches to the new 'tourist' port area; a 10 min. walk.

The Carlton had it's own beach area directly below us. Sometimes the breakfast buffet was served sea-side ... nice!	The city view was also breath-taking; it is a big city!


*Many buildings are of the 'Bauhaus' architectural style, which was made famous by Tel Aviv from 1920-1950.*		*There is are many new-style buildings going up ... but $$$!*


With such nice beaches, we must spend lots of time there, right?	But no, we don't ... is that because we can't read signs?	Or is it because some of the beaches are religious?

No, it turns out that we didn't visit any beach during the first week since we were so busy looking for an apartment; each day multiple realtors took us around. On the relaxing side, Jay did find a bar which serves many kinds of beer, starts happy hour at 9am ... and offers free internet!

*Again, our main task at this point is to search for an apartment. We want to be close to the Embassy so Nicole can walk to work... ... and we want to be close to the promenade & beach so that we will always have plenty of things to do. These goals didn't sound too difficult, but we soon found out none were possible.*		The Swiss Embassy ... we want to live close to here!

We discovered that the tall buildings along the coast were hotels, so high-rise penthouses with sea views were out of the question. Also, very few of the 'front-row' buildings had vacancies; those that did were way too expensive... bummer!


*To the north of Tel Aviv there are many new neighborhoods being constructed ... but the bad rush-hour traffic turned us off.*		*We did find a great store to do future shopping at!!*

The search for an apartment continued, but we soon realized that getting a nice-sized apartment would require us to live further from the sea & from work. That also meant Nicole would need to take the car to work, which leaves me without easy transportation. Also, we were hoping for a place which had swimming and tennis facilities... but again, anything of a decent size was way over our budget. *So yes, we got a bit bummed out, especially since there weren't many apartments available and those that were had strange set-ups, unpleasant views or wouldn't pass the security requirements.*

*Also, after a week in Tel Aviv, we began to run into problems with our cat. Blacky was not acting 'normal'; he didn't seem to like the salt air and humidity.* *It also didn't help that he was constipated and got scared when the maid or mini-bar guy came in.*		*We tried to keep the hotel workers out of the room, but they did not speak English.* *It also turned out that the internet was only available via a shared computer in the lobby...* *... so, even though our situation was not bad, we began looking for a different living arrangement.*

*We began to look at short-term, furnished vacation apartments that rent for less than a hotel room.*
*We found a nice place in one of the most unique buildings along the beach-front promenade; it's the right-most building above.*		*We get the entire fifth floor, which includes the little triangular balcony on the front & a bigger balcony on the side.*


*The kitchen has everything, even staple foods, spices, etc.*	*The dining area has floor to ceiling windows; nice!*	*This balcony has a world-class view of the beach & sea.*

		*To the left is an open beach with a volleyball net and a few public gazebos. Umbrellas and chairs can be rented at various points.* *During the mid-day it is too hot for beach sports, but the late afternoon weather is perfect.*

*To the right is a continuation of the nice open beach and some more public gazebos.* During the weekend, it gets a little more crowded, but not bad. We hear that during the summer, the beach really gets packed.

*Back in the apartment, the living room comes next. Everything is open-concept, so the rooms merge into one another.* *From this room we also have floor-to-ceiling views of the beach & sea.*


*The entertainment area has a big TV, stereo, couch ... and yes, another balcony!*


*There are two bathrooms, each with high-grade fixtures; the master has a jacuzzi tub with a view!*

*The master bedroom has tons of closets, a nice big bed, a TV & video/stereo ... as well as a desk, study area and high-speed internet ... and another balcony!* *The guest room has 3 beds, but Blacky is the only one who uses it. This room has become our storage area.*

	*Yes, we are actually quite spoiled ... but we fully realize this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend a month in a place like this.* *A world-famous viola player, Tabea Zimmerman owns this $$ apartment. She brings her family from Germany quite often so the kids get acclimated to the Jewish culture and Hebrew language.* *If we could afford a few thousand bucks out of our pocket per month, we would definitely choose to live here full time!*

*Anyway, our search for an apartment continues ...* *... stay tuned for the next story, hopefully coming soon!*


*The following are additional tid-bits about the climate in Israel :*
Weather: The temps will be moderate, which we like; the humidity is high though :( Centigrade High & Low temps Fahrenheit Sunshine: Since we will no longer be close to the equator, the length of the days will vary with the seasons; and the rainy days should be few. Rain: The desert-like conditions means it will be dry, especially in the summer.