A Warm Reunion and Reflections on Israel

When I return to the Florentine Hostel, it is surprisingly touching how happy several of the hostel’s volunteers are to see me again. Especially Daniela from Finland. According to her original plan, she should already have been on her way to Jerusalem and further into the West Bank, a region with ongoing tensions. She had kept that plan very quiet because visiting those areas can sometimes create complications when leaving the country. In the end, however, she decided to stay in Tel Aviv for a few more days.

But what is Israel actually like?

First of all, it is a fairly developed country, with prices similar to Europe. A kebab wrap, for example, costs around 6–7 euros. At the same time, the cities are not always particularly clean or orderly, which is quite typical for southern countries.

One thing that stands out is how often fighter jets fly overhead. On Independence Day, they even flew in formation, sometimes accompanied by bombers. Despite this strong military presence in the air, it did not feel as though soldiers were everywhere on the streets.

A striking detail during Independence Day was the Israeli flags attached to almost every car. Many drivers kept them there for several days afterward.

I had previously heard that Israelis can sometimes seem tense or suspicious. There may be some truth to that. On one bus ride, for example, an argument between an elderly Arab woman and a Jewish bus driver escalated so much that the driver nearly threw her off the bus.

However, the young people I met were extremely friendly. They were happy to include foreigners in their groups and often invited me along — whether to a barbecue, the beach, or a pub, wherever they themselves were heading.

Almost everyone spoke excellent English, except for a few Russian bus drivers with whom I had the chance to practice my Russian.

Flights to Israel are often very affordable. My Finnair round-trip ticket from Tallinn cost 265 euros, which means that overall the trip does not end up much more expensive than visiting many supposedly cheaper countries.

And because nobody tries to scam you, Western comforts are widely available, and crime is very low, Israel is a destination that can be recommended to almost anyone.

Come and see it for yourself!