Holiday in Tel Aviv, my hometown

[Guest post by Smadar Raveh-Klemke in Tel
Aviv] To
break the long and cold winter in Hamburg, my husband and I went for two weeks
to Tel Aviv to get some sun, meet family and friends and enjoy the city where I
grew up. 

We
rented a nice flat in the old north of Tel Aviv. It had a large window with a
beautiful street view. Every morning after breakfast while G. was busy with
Trump news and parodies, I was sketching the view through the window. 

I
love walking in the streets of Tel Aviv. My mother, who was born in England and
missed the English way of life and architecture, used to tell me that Tel Aviv
is full of life but very ugly. I, who live now in northern Europe and miss the
Israeli way of life, find that Tel Aviv is beautiful. With the years, Tel Aviv
became a very green city. The trees and bushes got bigger and are decorating
houses and streets. And there are many benches all over – perfect for an urban
sketcher. 

Tel
Aviv is noisy and crowded, and all cafes and restaurants are always full of
people. It gives an impression of a big celebration and that nobody is working
in this city. 

At
the end of our long walks, we ended always on the beach, usually Gordon Beach,
where I spent a lot of time in my young days. Watching the sea, having a karich sabich (sandwich with eggplant,
egg and tahini), we soaked up the sun’s rays for the cold days in Hamburg. 

Graphic designer and illustrator Smadar
Raveh-Klemke lives in Hamburg, Germany. She previously published guest posts
about the Stairs
Quarter in Hamburg and paragliders
in Spain. See more of Smadar’s work on her blog.