Neve Tzedek in the Rain

Despite our New Year Celebrations we rose at a reasonable hour on the morning of the first.

Breakfast was a simple continental not the Israeli breakfast extravaganza of 4 and 5 star hotels. And when most of the guests appeared at the same time it got a little crowded but the fruit juice and the coffee were fresh and the food tasty.

Normally our visits to Tel Aviv are spent on the beach or strolling along the promenade but then normally we visit in spring or summer. January 1^st in the middle of a storm the Tel Aviv promenade was so blowy we could hardly stand and the waves were racing up the beach in an exhilarating manner.Making headway against the wall of air was a struggle but I had plans!

Stormy Tel Aviv Beachfront

As we made our way South, leaving behind the 5-star hotels and entering the more rundown area of the city, a cloud rather violently dumped its quota of rain on our heads. We cowered in a bus stop and considered retreating to somewhere more sheltered. Instead we walked a short way farther and having turned down a grim alley entered into the charming beauty of Neve Tzedek.

Neve Tzedek was one of the first areas built outside Yafo (Jaffa) and is an enchanting oasis in the middle of bustling Tel Aviv. 

Its maze of narrow streets and historic architecture makes it an extremely pleasant place to stroll around, window shopping and maybe enjoying a coffee in one of the cafes.

We took our morning caffeine in a delightful gelateria that will require a return visit in a more ice-cream compatible season.

Of course at 11am on a Tel Aviv Friday most places are only starting to open up. Most of the people on the streets are walking their dogs. It seems as though everyone in Tel Aviv owns a small dog.

After winding our way through Neve Tzedek we continued down the wide boulevard of Nahalat Binyamin – surely home to most fabric shops than the rest of Israel put together.

A detour down Shefer St led to the hustle and bustle of the Carmel Market and then we were out on Allenby at the corner with King George opposite the famously trendy Shenkin St.

By this time we were hungry and I was curious what we would find to eat in a street which has lent its name to Israel's most well-known type of non-kosher ham.

The street itself is pleasant and there are plenty of people to watch so we braved the cold and sat at a table outside, warmed by mulled cider and a patio-heater, and did just that.

After lunch we trekked back to the beach front to retrieve our car and returned home to wish our family a Happy New Year having made a wonderful start  to 2016.