It had been 7 years since my last visit to Israel, a country that I had spent over 2 years living and traveling through during my college days. Thus, my anticipation and excitement to return here were sky high, especially eager to show off the country to Jason. However, my first impression of Tel Aviv was definitely a disappointment, discovering how dirty and rundown parts of the city seemed to have gotten. This was especially evident on our walk along the esplanade to Old Jaffa, where the number of deserted structures, heaps of garbage, and stray cats clashed against the beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea. I returned from that afternoon a little disenfranchised about why this place was so special.

One night out with our friend Yoav, coupled with great conversation about why this city maintains so many of its quirks, helped us to see through some of the superficial flaws. I started to experience all the wonderful aspects of the country that I had fallen in love with years ago. First and foremost, Israeli people are a breed all of their own. Although their no-nonsense, straightforward approach to life often comes off as rude, I find their blunt nature somewhat refreshing. I was especially impressed when our waiter informed the table next to us that had not left him a tip, that service is not included and that it's typically 10%. In the states you would have just been left with a disgruntled server who most likely wouldn’t have said anything.

The food in this country is absolutely outstanding. I had forgotten about all the fresh breads, delicious array of dairy products, and incredible salads they have here. Our first day in Tel Aviv we made a b-line for Yotvata to indulge in the fresh smoothies that are amazing. There is a really cool area along the water that didn’t exist when I was last there called the New Port. We spent many meals in the great restaurants there, including an afternoon at Aroma Café catching up with my old friend Asgeir who I met in Jerusalem.

Our 4 days in Tel Aviv flew by, and before we knew it we were on our way down south to spend Yom Kippur with my cousins in Beer Sheva. No doubt being in Israel for the high holidays is a unique experience, since the entire country literally shuts down. It is generally accepted that people don’t drive their cars on the holiday, which leaves the streets completely open to pedestrians. It felt like a block party as we walked to shul for Kil Nidre, the streets flowing with people socializing and children riding their bikes. It’s a site that apparently only happens once a year. The best part of the weekend in Beer Sheva was of course spending time with my cousins Amy, Miryam and Yishai, all of who I had gotten to know when I spent time in Israel before.

Yesterday was an adventure filled day with Miryam, Achiad (her boyfriend) and Yishai. After packing I think around a dozen sandwiches for just the 5 of us, they took us on a day trip to some beautiful sites in the Negev. First we stopped off at Ben Gurion’s gravesite, which is a spectacular look out onto a large canyon. We descended into Ein Avdat, and did a little hike in this area, eventually coming to a small flowing spring. Yishai, Jason and I opted to climb to the top of the canyon, which was an adventure in itself. Yishai and his 17-year-old nimble body, was practically giving us a heart attack with his attempts to scale the side of the mountain instead of using the path. Once Miryam and Achiad picked us up in the car, we continued to Makhtesh Ramon, the largest crater in Israel. Since I was last there, they have set up a sculpture garden along the rim of the canyon -- we had fun swinging on the large swings structure! Watching the sunset from Camel Point was the perfect way to end that long day in the desert.