From Place To Space: Tel Aviv's Carmel Market

Lately I am stunned by the number of friends who have been to Israel over the past few weeks and months. I myself visited the beautiful country last month and showed you a few highlights from Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Jerusalem. I don't know if there is a major ad campaign from the Israeli tourism board or something else, but the popularity of Israel as a holiday destination seems to be booming. But I know one thing for sure: Nobody of my friends was disappointed. Neither was I - I enjoyed the country very much. So for today I thought I'll take you back to Tel Aviv and to its vibrant and lively heart - the Carmel Market.

Wherever I travel I love to visit the local market at least once. Originating from a country where people still buy their daily groceries at the farmers' market, I am drawn to the colorful, vibrant and bustling markets in the cities around the world. Tel Aviv's Carmel Market is in the city center and a typical example of a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern market. It has awning covered alleys to protect the sellers and shoppers from the burning sun as well as to keep the fresh produce in the shade. The offer of fresh fruits, vegetables, pastries, cheeses is abundant - and so are the various food stalls for a quick snack on-the-go.

I don't know why, but probably because I am used to similar markets in Serbia and Greece, I feel very comfortable among the buzzing crowds with yelling salespeople, with the touching and tasting, with all the scents and sounds that go with such an experience. Those markets are not meant to be picturesque tourist motives yet they are wonderful to be captured with a camera as they are utterly authentic and have that unique smack of local real life.

The Carmel Market is open every day except Saturdays and on Tuesdays and Fridays it has a special attraction - local artists sell their unique crafts, art and jewelry on the bordering Nahalat Binyamin Street. So whether you prefer fresh veggies, juicy fruits or local handicraft - the Carmel Market is not to be missed. But what you will get completely for free is a plentitude of inspiration, local lifestyle and the peculiar taste of Tel Aviv at a glance. Happy new week my friends!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Tweet

From Place To Space: Hello Tel Aviv!

Hello back all my friends and readers! It's so good to be back with you. What has been a two-weeks holiday seemed like a little eternity to me. But I filled up the little eternity with a maximum load of inspiration in Israel. But before I dwell on my Israeli adventures, can you imagine what's the hardest part of coming back home? Yup, going through hundreds of pictures and picking just a few for the blog. But be reassured, I will blog about my Israel trip several times. And today I want to start the Israel travel experience with the first introduction of my home base in the Middle East: Tel Aviv.

Now let me reassure you: A trip to Israel is an experience packed with so many impressions, sights, scents, ideas that it feels difficult to put it down in words and pictures. But I will try to share a bit of the experience with you all. I traveled to Israel and Tel Aviv for the first time - thus I arrived with a very sketchy idea of what Tel Aviv is like. I knew it has a cool lifestyle, is pretty young, has great beaches and means 'Spring Hill'. That's it more or less. 

Tel Aviv is all of that and more. It is very vibrant and leisurely cool. It is a little architecture open-air museum with numerous buildings in the Bauhaus style, it features a mixture of beautifully restored white facades and worn-out buildings, it swirls up a European look with a Mediterranean lifestyle and Middle Eastern chaos, colours and scents. Tel Aviv is also a city that has many green spots and corners - something that caught my Urban Jungle Bloggers eye of course!

But the best part of Tel Aviv is: It is the home to some of my beloved Israeli friends. I am such a happy chap to have those friends who took the best care ever of me, showed me around, organized a mutual dinner in a kosher restaurant and took me to a fab Jerusalem expedition and Jaffa flea market and design discovery (more on these adventures over the coming weeks). Thanks again to Chedva, Diego, Sivan, Sarah and Einat for a fantastic Israel experience!

To keep it simple for potential Tel Aviv visitors among you - here are a few of my favorite spots in this beautiful city: 

For breakfasts, brunches and yummy pastries all day long: Bakery (try the chocolate-halva roll), Benedict, Baker's, Café Nina.
For drinks & good food: Shulchan, Nachmani, Ahat Ha'am, Orna & Ella.
Yummy ice cream: Anita's.
For sunset snacks & drinks: Banana Beach Café.

More will follow over the coming weeks. Stay tuned! Happy Monday everyone!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Tweet

I Am Off: Happy Israel Trip!

Yes, the time has come for a new happy travel adventure. And this time it is a very special trip: For the very first time in my life I will be traveling to the 'Holy Land', to Israel. I am excited on so many levels. Not only I will visit some of the most stunning places in Jerusalem like the Wailing Wall, the church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Dome of the Rock, but I will also enjoy the vivid lifestyle and design scene of Tel Aviv and the fantastic nature of the Dead Sea. And I will meet some wonderful Israeli friends. I already feel blessed!

In order to fully enjoy my happy Israel trip, I will keep it quiet here on the blog and will return packed with inspiration on May 12th. But up to then I will not let you alone. In fact I am inviting you to join me on my happy Israel trip. All you have to do is follow me along on Instagram. I will use the hashtag #HappyIsraelTrip for my pictures on-the-go and will share the most amazing spots of the 'Holy Land' with you.

Do you want to join me? Buckle up, I am taking off on Saturday!

See you back on May 12th! 

Photography by Richard Nowitz via Fine Art America

Tweet