From Sarona:  (clockwise from upper right):  Dried fruit, Olive oil, spices and halva (different flavors, made with crushed sesame seeds).

Tuesday I was in Tel Aviv to meet with our daughter before my trip to the States and also to deliver some Hebrew videos for editing.

I love to go to Tel Aviv.  It is always busy and the population is so varied.  There are hippies, hipsters, religious, very business-looking (few, as Israeli culture is so casual), old, young and from many different countries. When walking down the street, you hear Hebrew, Russian, French, English, Amharic (spoken by Ethiopians), Tigrigna (spoken by Eritreans), and other languages.  It is quite a melting pot.

Tel Aviv has dog parks, grassy areas with hammocks (yes, really!) bike lanes, and so many cafes you can’t believe it.  On this particular day, we sat at a popular area with a great view for people-watching.

Great location in the center of it all.

Also near the cafe, a restored building next to a new high-rise and a very small take-out cafe in the middle of the boulevard.

I did’t make it over to the tayelet (boardwalk) but there was still a bit of a breeze.  Before meeting our daughter, I walked to Sarona (see pics above), which is like Chelsea Market in New York City. They have little shops with spices, olives, tea, high-end cookware and very trendy restaurants.  It is fun to see and smell all the delicious-looking foods.

And finally, my view while waiting for the bus to take me home at 8:00 pm!