For my non-Jewish readers, a sufganiyah (plural sufganiyot) is a donut that we eat around Hanukkah time. Originally, it was jelly filled with powder on top. These days, bakeries do all sorts of crazy modern twists on the sufganiyot, with edible gold, pearls and sparkles. Well, I dont even care what kind I get, eating a real Israeli sufganiyah is #3 on my list. Now, my list is not done in order of importance at all…but I must say, if it was, sufganiyah would be #3 at the very least.
This week, I crossed off multiple list items, including eating a sufganiyah! I met Benji’s uncle, aunt and cousin. They were eating at a little cafe in Rabin Square and Benji told them about my list. Upon hearing about the sufganiyah, his uncle immediately gets up and buys me said sufganiyah to try. (This is why I love this country…people are seriously the nicest on earth, I’m convinced). So, with all my excitement, I got to cross of list item #3 (see visible excitement in pictures below). The sufganiyah was AMAZING. So fluffy and full of cream. Heaven! I also decided I need more food related list items.
*THANKS TO BENJI FOR CAPTURING MY EXCITEMENT ON FILM (:
Also this week, I went back and did a more thorough exploration of Neve Tsedek. As I said in my blog last week, I went (and loved it!) but didnt have time to really see everything. So, I returned this week with my friend Maristela and we wandered around the beautiful streets, walked into the shops and ate the good food. See the views below!
I also crossed of list item #21: Spend a day exploring Rothschild Blvd. This street runs through southern/central Tel Aviv and is actually a World Heritage Site. It’s home to Independence Hall (where the Israeli Declaration of Independence was signed in 1948), Israel’s National Theatre, many tech start-ups and iconic Bauhaus style residences. It’s as Tel Avivian as you can get…so I had to go see for myself. Now, I have been on this street many times before but never have I walked the entire length of Rothschild…until this week. I took a bus from my apartment to the southern end of of the boulevard and walked all the way to the other end, taking it all in as I went. Rothschild, like many Tel Aviv streets, has a center walk/bikeway between the cars that is lined with trees and scattered with amazing coffee stands and bakeries. This makes for a very easy time exploring…and keeping a full belly. I decided to do this list item solo, so I could stop where I wanted and just take it all in. Feeling more Tel Avivian by the minute!! (:
This week I also started a new job as a Data Scientist at a Cyber Security company, so I really feel like I’m falling into a more permanent routine here in Israel. I feel a bit like I’ve been on vacation until now and here comes real life…work, Johns Hopkins, freelancing and Ulpan all coming at me at once. But, if my time in Israel has taught me anything, life is all about balance. And even with all of these (seemingly overwhelming number of things) to be done…I always have time to go watch the sunset on the beach or take a walk on the tayelet to bring everything back into perspective. So…bring on real life, I’m ready! (Also finally getting a paycheck is a huge plus….just saying…).
Here are a few more views from the week!
Check back next week for more adventures!! Shavua tov chaverim!
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