... because of Nachalat Binyamin craft fair

"Nachalat Binyamin" is a pedestrian zone in central-southern Tel-Aviv. It hosts street bazaars on Tue and Fri every week. This is a great place to shop for holiday gifts, to buy some knick-knacks and to get into a "holiday everyday" spirit.

Nachalat Binyamin st. is called after Nachalat Binyamin neighborhood, that was established at 1911. Neighborhood's authorities hoped to get a funding either from Zionist Organization (inspired by Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl), or from Baron Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild. Eventually, no funding was given, but the name already stuck. Arts and crafts fair is hold since 1988.

... because of the markets

Usually I'm not a big fan of markets. I'm not one of those tourists that strive to see all the markets in the place they visit to make sure to catch some local color. One always keeps in mind that many people have to shop here, not for the colorfulness, but because of affordable prices.

Never-the-less, markets in Tel-Aviv are great. You can get here stuff they don't keep in boring supermarket chains: watermelon in winter, strawberry in summer (yes, from some unknown reason, winter is the strawberry season in Israel). Exotic sorts of tea and delicious pastry. Spices and even clothes and toys.

This picture is from Ha-tikva ("the hope") market. One of the sellers in the market insisted he's got a match for me. "Thanks, but I already have a boyfriend." "Hey, if your boyfriend is a sugar, this is honey!" I asked if I can take his picture. "Better not, sweety - I'm wanted by the police." So I ended up taking a picture of my potential match :)