A first-person travel vlog by Kara and Nate documenting time in Israel: exploring Tel Aviv (Levinsky market, local food), experiencing a Shabbat dinner and the practical impact of Sabbath on public transportation, then taking a budget bus to Jerusalem and checking into a hotel near the Old City. The vlog mixes cultural observations (religion’s role in public life) with practical travel details (transport options, costs, food recommendations).
Questions this video answers
From Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset (the Sabbath).
Over $200 (quoted as the taxi price they were quoted).
$4.50 per person.
Approximately 100 meters away.
Three nights.
Chapters
So we're not sure what we've gotten ourselves into. We've made it to. Is this called the Old Town?
We're Karen Nate and we are currently traveling in our 96th country of Israel. This is so crazy. We spent yesterday exploring the incredible city of Tel Aviv. And last night we had the opportunity to experience our first Shabbat dinner.
That was a super unique experience. I went from having to Google what Shabbat was last week to being fully immersed in Jewish tradition last night.
We had a great time, and I feel like it's something that not a lot of visitors get to experience.
It really gave us a chance to understand, like, what the Sabbath means to the Jews and to see how they, like, disconnect and spend time with friends and family. And it was just a really special, special thing to get to be a part of. It also lasted till 3am.
So our original plan was to catch an early train to Jerusalem this morning. But yesterday I realized that I've done a whole horrible job of planning this trip. It turns out that all the public transportation in this country stops running on the Sabbath, which means that from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset, there are no buses and no trains running in this country. So that means the only way to get around is by car, which we don't have, or by taxi.
So our plan B was to get a taxi to take us to Jerusalem early this morning. But after staying up until 3:30am and realizing it was going to cost over $200.
We just decided to spend the day in Tel Aviv. We're at this super popular coffee shop getting a little work done. And tonight, when the public transportation starts working again, we'll head to Troslaw.
How you're supposed to eat this?
So I'm taking a little break from work just to stretch my legs. And I've walked back down to the Levinsky market where we were yesterday. And the contrast is pretty incredible. This was the place to be yesterday when everybody was buying food and preparing for Shabbat. Like, there were just so many people. And today all the businesses are closed and it is super quiet. I'm pretty much the only one here. This is where we were buying flowers yesterday. Kara bought a juice from this little stand. This is where they were selling a ton of spices. They were selling nuts here. And today everything is closed up while people are resting on the Sabbath. I can look literally just walk down the middle of the road. I think what's so interesting to me from an American perspective is that back in the U.S. there's such a separation between church and state. And here religion is so ingrained in the culture that the public transportation shuts down one day every week. I'm just trying to imagine what would happen if the US Tried to do something like that on a Sunday. People get bent out of shape about Chick Fil? A being closed.
All right, the sun has just set, which means that the Sabbath is officially over. But before we head to Jerusalem, we're gonna grab some dinner, because it will be a shame for any meal to go to waste in Israel.
Hi.
We get one hummus and one shakshuka and a Coca Cola. Who is the first best? Ah, yeah, that's funny. We have found ourselves at a restaurant called the House of Hummus because it was the only hummus restaurant nearby that was open. They also claim to be the second best hummus in Israel. And I asked our waitress who the first one was, and she said the name of the restaurant that we went to yesterday. Abu Hassan. Hot. Okay, thank you. Thank you.
Mushrooms are so juicy. We got two main dishes, first one being hummus, which I love, because in Israel it kind of reminds me of pizza. Like, the hummus part is always the same. Then there are always different combinations of toppings that go on top. And it seems like everywhere we go, there's a new combination that I've never had. This time we got pan fried onions with mushrooms and parsley. And the mushroom juice is just, like, seeping down into the hummus, like, giving it so much flavor. And then the crispy onions and the fresh parsley on top, and olive oil, of course. And we got shashuka, which is another super popular dish. It's pretty simple. It's just two poached eggs with tomato sauce and little things like onions and spices and parsley. You can eat it with pork, you can eat it with a piece of bread. You can eat it for breakfast, you can eat it for dinner. It seems like there are no rules.
And healthy. Plus, we got a bowl of tahini, which can just go with everything. A little plate of pickles and onions and a salad. We didn't even know this was coming.
Public transportation is running again. We've heard the best way to get to Jerusalem is by bus. So.
Picking up the bus to the bus station, 15 minutes.
This.
All right. We just bought two tickets for the bus to Jerusalem. And if these are the right ones, we paid $4.50 each, which is quite a bit cheaper than the $200 taxi we were thinking about taking.
So we were told this bus doesn't really run on a schedule. It just kind of goes once it fills up and then another one comes. And literally as soon as the last person stepped on this bus, we were off.
And we should have an hour until we get to drill.
That was super easy. We literally made two quick stops and less than an hour later, we're here. Bus was super nice. There were chargers. Did kind of smell like a toilet, even though there wasn't a toilet on the bus. That was kind of confusing. But all in all, not a bad ride.
Wow. Very, very, very.
Who are you?
Who are we? Kara.
Thank you. Wow. We're attracting a lot of attention right now. Enjoy. Nice to meet you.
Wow.
Lots of nice children in Jerusalem.
Bye.
The bus station is nowhere near the old city, which is where we're staying. So we are taking another bus. Bus from 3.
So we're not sure what we've gotten ourselves into. We've made it to the old town of Jerusalem. And when I was looking online to book a place last night, there weren't a lot of affordable options available. The one thing I did find was a Jewish Orthodox hotel. I assumed it was a hotel that catered to Jewish Orthodox, but also it's up to other people. We got on a bus and more and more people piled on there. It was like 14 stops and by the end there were probably 100 people on the bus and I was the only male not wearing a black hat. I just feel like I'm going to do something wrong or like disrespectful. So we're going to go try to check into our hotel. It kind of looks like we're at like, like a college or maybe it's a place meant for pilgrim. I literally, like looked at it for like two seconds, booked it, and I was like, it's in a great location.
Can you just get a call?
Sorry.
Is it a hotel?
That was not our hotel.
A guy walked up and was basically like, are you Jewish? This is for prayer. And showed us where to go.
I think we found it. He went to get somebody. It's very nice.
We stay for three nights.
This is perfect.
This is so cool.
They didn't speak English. The check in process was a little challenging, but, like, we are literally 100 meters away from the western wall. This has to be the best deal in the entire city. Beautiful chandelier. See what kind of view we have. Some air conditioning units. Wow. Good thing I booked one with a window. No, I think like, like, this is so great. If you're gonna come to a place you might as well, like, completely immerse yourself. And that's what we've done. This is cool.
We're very ignorant to, like. Like, I know some history about the western wa. Very ignorant to, like.
Customs and rituals and what's appropriate and what's not. I don't want to walk down there and see it, so I'm covering my head.
That was gross.
Sorry about that. Still getting over sickness. So I'm taking a little break from work to stretch my legs. And I've just come for a walk. The one time.
Says I look like the girl on Willy Wonka the Chocolate Factory who ate the blue candy and turned into a blue round person and rolled away. Is that what happened in the movie? Did she float away or did she roll away? I know she, like, got really.
For YouTube. Oh, which. Which kara and nate. It's just our names.
Travel. We travel.
Where are you from?
The united states.
Forever. Yeah.
Thank.
Go walking in Israel. It's very good. Very, very good.
