Archive for April, 2009
Them beaches are open!
Yesterday, if you didn’t notice, was the beginning of the bathing season in Israel. Oh yes!
Never mind that the beaches have been full every weekend for the last few weeks and that tourists have been splashing around in the Mediterranean and Red Sea for even longer, the beaches are officially open! Only now can you get screamed at by lifeguards and get asked to cough up some cash to access your favourite beach (not all beaches, thankfully). Could be the perfect time to read our guide to Tel Aviv beaches.
That’s right, all 137 of Israel’s official beaches (and yes, I’ve done a pretty good job of visiting most of them, more on that to come) have opened their sandy doors, not to be officially closed until mid-October. If you live in Akko however, up on the northern coast, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer thanks to the discovery of some gorgeous pollution.
Most beaches are supposed to be free to access, though some sneaky local authorities have got round this by charging for parking. But there are just so many free options out there you really shouldn’t have to pay to access any of Israel’s beaches. Don’t worry, we’ll be keeping track of the best beaches and any rogue beaches that might be trying it on.
Wherever you end up, enjoy yourselves, drink lots of water (and beer) and splash the sunscreen on. And watch out for those undercurrents, they can be lethal (44 people drowned off Israel’s beaches in 2008).
The Japanese love Tel Aviv sushi!
Yes, it seems that the Japanese have fallen in love with sushi restaurants in Tel Aviv. The number of Japanese tourists, as well as those from other Asian countries such as China, has grown some 20% in the last year and, yes, there must be a valid explanation. It has to be the sushi in Tel Aviv.
The numbers of Japanese tourists interested in Israel has grown so fast over the last couple of years that the publishers of Japan’s biggest tourist guides have included Israel in its latest series of Globetrotter books, the apparent tourist bible of the Japanese. The equivalent to the Lonely Planet guides, I guess. Sales of this guide have proved successful - the new guide book has climbed to second place on the company’s best-seller list of guide books by country.
Could that mean that real soon we’ll be sat alongside hordes of Japanese tourists in Tel Aviv’s sushi bars, with cameras flashing and V signs aplenty? I’m going to start perfecting my “mashi mashi” and “konnichiwa”, as well as brush up on my chopstick skills…
The only real question at Passover is…
Nutella or HaShahar?
The real question (there are four questions) for Jews at Passover is not why they are eating matza at Passover, but which chocolate spread to smother all over the matza?
HaShahar is the Israeli made spread and has never really tickled my tastebuds, seems too sickly sweet. Generations of Israelis swear by it though, so I guess it’s what you get used to. Nutella has a more refined taste, with that great nutty element, bit pricier though.
For me, there’s only one choice, Nutella.
Hag Sameach! (Happy Holidays!)
McCafe lands in Israel
Yes, there are some great cafes in Israel, and especially great cafes in Tel Aviv, but will we be adding McCafe (McDonalds’ new chain of coffee shops) to our list of preferred coffee joints? Somehow I doubt it: the king of world coffee domination (Starbucks) have tried it and couldn’t or wouldn’t understand the Israeli coffee drinker and were quickly shown the door as a result.
I can’t see many people going for their Latte and newspaper browse with a laptop tucked under their arm in a McCafe, but who knows…they’re also promising muffins and cakes (er, wow), so maybe that’ll tempt them in. Looks like their first branch is in the Ramat Gan mall, Kenyon Ayalon.
But whatever you think, the branding behind McDonalds is phenomenal work, that ‘M’ is instantly recognisable wherever you go. Good luck to ‘em!
South America ready for the Israeli invasion?
El Al’s new flight routes to South America are being publicized on Israeli TV these last few days. With the help of a couple of local celebs, they are getting some attention and raising a smile or two. I know that my wife just cracks up when she sees the ad below. Unfortunately it’s in Hebrew, and is a play on words that even I didn’t get. The catch line that seems to tickle everyone’s funny bone is “Ver be sof, ha-akavish okesh otcha”, which roughly translates to “And finally, the spider [should be bites but the mispronounced Hebrew means nothing but seems to have everybody in stiches] you”. But if your Hebrew is very good and you can get past the play on words, then this is for you…
By the way, these flights to South America are already in demand and are predicted to be the next big thang. In comparison, direct flights to Thailand were slow to attract customers when first introduced a few years ago, but now some 200,000 Israelis fly to Bangkok every year. The same and more is expected for Latin America.
