Day two in Tel Aviv saw one of the greatest and most interesting meals I have had in quite some time, and one of the most mediocre.  I would say they would have almost cancelled each other out, but the day was so fantastic, and the meal at Carmella Bistro so mind-blowing, that we will focus on the positive. An exploration, and rediscovery of the great city of Tel Aviv on foot, along with happenstance, really reminds me what I enjoy about travelling, and about being in Israel. 

The heat was near debilitating, but when you have your mind set on exploring, and are as stubborn as I am, you throw some water in a bag, grab your camera, and away you go. Tel Aviv can be a walkable city, depending on what your goals are, and even better if you set very few and see where the day takes you. We met up with some of the family, and set out to feed them. We had eaten breakfast at the hotel, and came along to spend some time together and see what we could find. I am often wary of recommendations made by hotel employees, especially when there is a discount, or something else on offer. That makes me believe it wont be good. The guy at my sisters hotel had made such a recommendation, and I tried to sway her based on some research I had done with regards to hat was actually open, and would provide activities and nourishment. They did not have breakfast with their hotel, so by the time we met up they were quite hungry. 

There is an area between Tel Aviv and Yaffo that was a train station that was abandoned in 1948, and has been converted very recently in to an area with cafes and shoppes, much like the Distillery DIstrict in Toronto, only cooler. 16 restaurants and cafes to choose from, and after some walking around we sat at a small cafe called Daphna. Everyone was quite happy with their food, and the iced coffee I had was terrific.

Did I mention is was hot? Really, it was the kind of heat that you could cut with a butter knife, but you could catch the odd breeze off the Mediterranean and seek shade wherever it existed. We strolled around Hatachana (literally "station") for a bit, and then headed in to Neve Tzedek, the neighbourhood boarding to the north. 

Neve Tzedek is one of the great areas to explore in Tel Aviv, and is very artsy and bohemian, dotted with cafes covered by ancient trees, artists studios, and various shoppes. If you are here, you have to check it out. We were here before Shabbat ended, so it was nice to walk around but very few businesses were open. As we headed towards the beach to part ways, I started to recognize the area at the end of the street we were walking down. Divine intervention exists everywhere in this world of ours, but in Israel it is at every street corner. After all, this is the Holyland.

My cousin and I had wanted to take some shots of the Carmel Shuk both closed and open, and we were presented with the opportunity to walk through the landscape that is usually bustling with activity as tumble weeds rolled through (no, not literally). We split with everyone else at this point, and started to wander. 

This is an area that I am relatively familiar with, and when we were nearing the top of the market, and heading to Nahalat Binyamin, we stumbled on nirvanna. Literally. Carmella Bistro was identified by a number of people I contacted when trying to line up some great places to eat when I came to Israel, and this was in the top three. It appeared before us, as if we were directed there by GPS. One look at the menu, and I was sold. 

Are we ready to check out the food? This is what we are here for as far as I am concerned, and the tour is just a bonus.