It was a race to get to Tel Aviv before 2:00 pm as it was Shabbat and the rental car place would be closing, and not just for the day but for the following day as well. We rolled in with 15 minutes to spare. The attendant told us we needed to go fill up with gas or a $40 US fee would be charged on top of the price of refuelling. This caused a bit of confusion as when we rented the car the attendant in Eilat had told us we didn’t need to fill it cause they had a fleet card and it would be cheaper. Needless to say, we jumped back in and raced to the gas station, filled up and returned to Hertz. Now with only 6 minutes to spare we were stopped on the main road waiting behind 2 other cars now trying to get into the dramatically undersized parking lot. Bexley had been crying for quite some time and we had thought it was just her not wanting to be in the carseat any more. Once the car return was taken care of we pulled the girls out to discover Bexley having a surprise poop explosion running down her leg. We already had our bags on our backs and were on our way so we were forced to stop at the end of the parking lot and stripped her down, found a bag for her clothes and hunted down a onesie that was readily accessible and cleaned her up. We then continued on our way on foot to find our hotel which was only a 5 minute walk down the road, The Home apartments.

We dropped our gear off and headed the half block down to the promenade and beach. It was pleasantly sunny and warm with calm seas. There were people everywhere, relaxing in the sun, playing volleyball with friends and jogging along the shore. We stumbled upon a nice beachfront restaurant that was very accommodating with high chairs for both girls and a table under an umbrella to protect them from the sun. I ordered a local beer while Tyson had a mango drink and we enjoyed the sounds of the waves and the smell of the sea. Afterwards we continued walking the promenade enjoying the setting sun then retired to our room for the evening.

The following day we woke up to rain, heavy rain and blowing wind. We took this as a down day and relaxed making only one outing in the elements to eat lunch at the fancy restaurant connected to the Home Apartments. The rain had stopped for a little bit once we were finished so we walked to the supermarket and picked up a few snacks to get us through the afternoon. Then it was movie watching time back at the room and have the girls role around.

The next day it was still a bit windy but sunny and warm so we journeyed down the promenade to The old city of Jaffa. We stopped for a shawarma and falafel pita and then meandered through the streets checking out the flea markets and such. We then meandered up to a viewpoint overlooking the sea and the city skyline before dropping back down to the promenade to make our way back.

With flip flops in hand we walked barefoot along the sandy beach and dipped our toes into the Mediterranean Sea for the very first time. It was surprisingly cold and the waves were quite strong still from the storm that had just passed. There were surfers out in full wet suits catching the waves but no one else in the water. Lots of people were relaxing on the beach and making the most of the sunshine. We came to rest back at the beach bar from before and sat in the sand enjoying a drink while the girls played and ate sand.

The following and final day in Tel Aviv we met up with one of Tyson’s travelling friends from over 20 years ago, Nomi. We went down to the Carmel market and browsed before meeting up for lunch at the Meat Market. We had a great catch up visit then walked over to the clothing market where we parted ways.

We shopped for a few essentials like bathing suits and clothes for the girls and then headed back to walk along the water to the marina for our final sunset.

Wish us luck on 9 hours of flights with layovers to London and then 13 or so hours longer from London to home.

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