Another view: May in Tel Aviv

As I sit desperately trying to fan myself through this mini heatwave on a glorious Tel Aviv beach, minutes away from the nearest ice-cream, I have a few seconds before I dive into the cool water to review how exciting this month has been so far.

I have my complimentary Sea Executive Suites sunblock and paddle by my side, so I can catch a game of “matkot” with a fellow beach dweller without the sun scorching my lily white skin. Apart from staying in a luxury suite at Sea Executive Suites (lucky me) I have been busy as a bee, eating drinking and getting involved in the life in and around Tel Aviv throughout May.

With Remembrance Day and Israeli Independence Day stretching into a long weekend – the four day break has meant a lot of great food, parties and drinking. I checked in at several pre-Independence Day Parties in Sputnik and Duplex and drank my way through every boutique Israeli beer I could get my hands on.

There has been the onslaught of summer crushed ice drinks, refreshing and now a necessary part of my day. My favorite being Limonana, made of crushed ice, lemons and nana (Hebrew for fresh mint) – one could even say, when life gives you lemons, in Israel all you need to do is add a little nana.

In addition to this, the opportunity to attend barbeques has been relentless since the beginning of May. Get yourself down to Hayarkon Park and witness the carnal carnage for yourself. Israelis call barbeque “A la Aish” and although the event itself may resemble summer barbeques from North America, a Middle Eastern Barbeque is an exotic assortment of spiced rather than sauced meats that you throw on the grill usually accompanied by a variety of salads, pita and humus. The smells are overwhelming and so is the taste.

And it’s not over, even though Independence long weekend has come and gone later on this month Israelis celebrate “Lag B’omer” where everyone barbeques yet again, nationwide.

My favorite barbeque dishes are beef kebabs lightly spiced with nutmeg and cumin, Shashlik (Chicken cubes on a skewer) and barbequed vegetable skewers. The vegetable skewers are usually what I swallow down when I want to remain at the barbeque and continue eating but I literally can’t squeeze any more meat into my stomach.

I’m very grateful that it’s so easy to rent bicycles across Tel Aviv as I may be able to burn off at a fraction of the calories I’ve consumed over the past two weeks. Pick up a TEL-O-FUN rental bike a few minutes from Sea Executive Suites; just ask at the reception for where the nearest pick up and drop off is.
With all this May activity, Tel Aviv is warming up for one of the best summers ever.

Another view: May in Tel Aviv

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