From the moment you walk into the sunny streets, Tel Aviv can catch you. It’s not just a Mediterranean breeze or a golden building. It’s an energy – a modern, uneasy pulse that feels both modern and rooted in something older. As I cross the city and revisit the plans of Jaffa’s ancient port the next day, I began to grasp the stratified story of the region, each block revealing another chapter in a long and evolving narrative.
Although Jaffa and Tel Aviv are governed by the same municipality today, their personalities are no different. Jaffa is the mother – old, long, heavy, with a history of more than 3500 years. Tel Aviv is the daughter – less than 120 years old, confident, bold and modern. However, they blend almost seamlessly with each other, like a conversation between the past and the future.
A building in particular caught my attention. It once served as the headquarters of the British during its mission reign and later served as the intelligence office for Israeli services. Today, this is a high-end hotel with a rooftop pool that offers views of the city. It’s hard to reconcile its smooth design with the grim memory it once had. In short, however, this is the story of Tel Aviv – without doubt erasing the past.
This contrast is still along the city’s famous promenade, where locals pass through wide beaches and family picnics in shade. On one side, the turquoise ocean is glittering in the sun. On the other hand, the ribbons of modern buildings (Hotels, embassies and high-rise apartments) are rising steadily. This is Israel’s commercial heartbeat, and Tel Aviv pulses in style.
In the north, the community began to change. These are the city’s wealthy suburbs where spacious houses and embassies sit comfortably with luxury apartment buildings. There is a calm, buffered from the busy center of the city, but still in touch with its vitality. The preservation of the Bauhaus building is particularly eye-catching. Tel Aviv has one of the world’s largest collections, the curved balconies and geometric lines, which are so fresh even now. Unlike many European cities where buildings were damaged during the war, Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus gems were deeply protected.
Also reminds the region of agricultural past. As we drove past a citrus wood, I was told that it was once Israel’s gold, a legendary Jaffa orange exported around the world. Although many orchards have given way to development, they still rely on the ever-expanding edge of the city.
The weekends offer locals the option to relax. Some travel to the sprawling parks in Tel Aviv, while others prefer museum tours or family lunches. Then some embrace the city’s buzzing nightlife or its souks, which have been living in the evening. Public transport makes all this easy and has a well-connected bus route and subway that keeps the city moving forward.
Despite all its energy, Tel Aviv is very safe. CCTV cameras, police patrols and even plainclothes safety provide a sense of calm, in stark contrast to the unrest that is usually associated with the wider area. Life here feels spontaneous, open, but under the foundation of a strong sense of order and vigilance.
I carried with me the clear spirit of Tel Aviv, a city that refused to stand when I was looking forward to returning to Jaffa. Its streets whisper, stories about resilience, cultural collisions and coexistence, and a city that rises again and again, are always the root of one eye, the other is the horizon.
