NOT TOO HOT for the Beach: Tel Aviv Beach at 35 ° C
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| Hardcore Matkot players take advantage of a hot afternoon when Gordon beach clears out. To some, it is never too hot for the beach / © 2010 |
Tel Aviv beaches are a magnet to tourists and locals all year long. Except when the temperature rises above 35° C (95° F) and the sun is at it's peak. This July and early August we had a few hot days. They come in two and three at a time. Even the busy beaches empty by 2 PM. On a Saturday afternoons this feels strange. Empty spots on the beach is not something bathers are used to. The hard core sun bathers get quiet and enjoy the quiet in the air. The hard core matkot players, that are used to kids dodging balls and mothers screaming "watch out" or "go play somewhere else" are still hitting balls back and forth. I always wondered how this game became so popular. In Israel there are not that many unique games. On the beach there are volleyball nets and a few people passing a soccer ball back and forth. So inventing a game just for the beach, that is easy to get started, is a good idea. Interesting how this really simple game can become an advanced competitive sport. The competition is not the main object here. The object here is to keep the ball going back and forth. Advanced players can stand 10 meters or even 20 meters apart and hit the ball so hard, it is a challenge to hit it back. That is how two players measure their skill level. Harder and farther away you stand from each other, more advanced your skill level.
For more info on events and places in Tel Aviv take a look at Lisa Goldman's book: City Guide Tel Aviv
What about the tourists and locals that headed away from the beaches? Tel Aviv has plenty of cool places to enjoy the summer. All along the beach strip are restaurants, bars and shops. On hot summer afternoon, most bars are not going to shoo you off for nursing a cold drink. The standard cold drinks of summer run the range of crushed ice lemonade with crushed mint leaves (Na'na in Hebrew) to cold coffees of all kinds. Ice cream is a big hit now. McDonals offers a 3 shekel soft cone, American style. There are lots of Italian gelato stands offering a single scoop from 9 shekels to a dish of six scoops topped with whipped cream and sauces for 50 shekels. If a movie or a museum are more your style, there are plenty of choices here too. Most movies in theaters are in English with subtitles in Hebrew. The latest Hollywood releases make it here at the same time as everywhere, sometimes a week or two after the US release. Tel Aviv also has a few great modern art museums. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art offer a mix of local Israeli and international artists. A wonderful exhibit of Chagal sketches in the basement is an amazing look at the artists as illustrator. A collection of prints he illustrated for a Russian book somehow survived in Tel Aviv. One of these projects artists get into and never release to the public. The museum and other museums in Tel Aviv. Don't miss the Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv. Here is a small and excellent collection of ancient glass, coins, ceramics and tools going back thousands of years in this geographic location. Whatever you choose to do, enjoy the hot summer in Tel Aviv.
For more information of Tel Aviv locations and activities, see Lisa Goldman's City Guide Tel Aviv
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