My final days in the Holyland were certainly unforgettable and loads of fun.

Israel Diary Week #3

As my three weeks in Tel Aviv, Israel come to an end, I can honestly say this was one of the most unique (and longest) trips I have taken in a while. Staying in an apartment on one of the busiest streets in Tel Aviv called Ben Yehuda, really allowed me to immerse myself into the lifestyle and culture. Seeing Jerusalem, Masada, and just recently the Dead Sea, I can confidently say I have seen some magical and must-see places when visiting Israel. These final few days have been a tad more laid back, but none-the-less, I wanted to share them with you!

Day 1

This Friday I was exhausted because I had just returned back from Germany in the evening and wanted to go straight to bed. I had barely eaten all day and after showering and getting comfortable I figured I should order dinner since Emmy was with her family for Shabbat. A restaurant called Thai House was right under us and I only heard great things about it, so I gave them a call and ordered their Red Curry, my go-to, for takeout. It was SO spicy I was fully sweating. I highly recommend it if you are a spicy food person, but if you aren't definitely skip this one!

Day 2

After having a mellow first night back, I was extra ready for day two since we were headed to the Dead Sea! I had been waiting weeks to visit here (literally) and it was worth all the hype and more! Emmy's family friends were nice enough to take us from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea, which is about 2.5 hours away by car,on Saturday, their day off, and we went to a hotel, used their facilities, and got ready to float in the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth at 393 meters or 1,289 feet below sea level. It also has the highest salt content found in any natural body of water at 30%. It was such a once in a lifetime feeling to float in the Dead Sea and see the salt under you and indulge in the oily feeling of the water. I know that sounds so weird but people from all over the world come to visit the Dead Sea for it's healing benefits. Think of it as a natural spa for your skin leaving you feeling soft and flawless afterwards! That evening we thought we would be exhausted, but we actually were feeling good so we went to Thai House for dinner because I wanted Emmy to try it, but honestly we were disappointed! It wasn't as good as our favorite, Nam. After dinner and chilling for a bit we went out to one of the hottest outdoor clubs in Israel, Shalvata for a night of dancing and fun with some of our other friends who were in town. I highly recommend going to Shalvata if you visit Israel. It is outdoor and right on the water! So much fun!

Day 3

As you can probably imagine, we got home late the night before and didn't start our Sunday until around 1PM. We walked down our street and settled for breakfast from a little cafe called Adraba. It was not anything special but it was good and easy! We spent the majority of our day afterwards laying out and chilling at Gordon Beach, one of Israel's most famous beaches. Since Israelis treat Sundays as their Mondays, we had no problem getting chairs and the beach wasn't very crowded with anyone other than tourists. For dinner we had Vong, vietnamese food, which was great. Clearly we just could not get enough of our ethnic food! After dinner we walked to Anita ice cream which was unreal! They had flavors like Kinder Bueno and Coconut Sorbet that were out of this world!

Day 4

This would be our last day since our flight was at night. We tried to make the most of it and went to Shakshukia a super tasty shakshuka place that Emmy had been wanting to try and I highly recommend it! It opens daily at noon and all they pretty much serve is different types of shakshuka. I got the Chickpea Shakshuka and then you can pick on a scale of 1 to 5 how spicy you want it. I got a 3 and it was pretty spicy, I can't imagine how hot a 5 would be! We laid out on Bugrashov beach and took it easy for the rest of the day before we packed and ordered Nam to be delivered for dinner, our favorite Thai restaurant in Tel Aviv! We sat on our balcony after dinner and just talked about our trip and reflecting on everything. Our flight ended up being delayed from 1AM to 5AM so we stayed up and didn't leave for the airport until 1AM. It was truly an unforgettable trip, thank you Emmy for being my tour guide!

Until next time!