Day 37 - The Olive Oil Journey

Day 36 during car rental

Sheesh I wrote this blog out of order and believed I was done but NO EUROPCAR IS THE WOAT (worst of all time) OF RENTAL CARS. Yes I said yesterday I will try and remain neutral - not t-t-t-today junior. This warrants being the intro segment.

I thought I rented my car from Hertz so I ask to keep my bags behind the counter while I see the old city. The girl behind the counter said of course, but we immediately realize I didn’t have a hertz booking, it was Europcar right next door.

I walk up to Europcar and ask the same question. They say no - citing safety concerns. But after a minute of scoffing at me the guy says they may be able to get me the car now (11am at the time). The only reason I would ever say yes to that would be to get a place to store the bags (why would I want to pay for parking). I walk in and put my water bottle on the counter the same guy says "that cannot be there, take it off" - holy hell this is like a dictatorship. After 20 minutes and a 3x greater than necessary security deposit, he directs me to pick up the car a 10 minute confusing walk away to the corner of the garage, where 3 employees are sitting on their phones by the computer [of course]. By the way most rental car companies just give you the keys at the counter but Europcar figures to always complicate things.

Once the car is ready, I get into the already running car, drive to a "sorta" secret in the Arab quarter parking lot thanks to my cousins direction, then park and spend the day in the old city.

4:45pm hits and the parking lot closes at 5pm. I try turning the car on and fail. OMG there was a passcode but they never gave it to me because the car was already turned on. And the company wasn't on whatsapp so I had no way of calling them.

Mom to the rescue but I was cursing out the company to myself.

It gets worse.

Fast forward to returning the car mid day 37. They charge me 137 Euros for a rental period greater than 24 hours!

I had 3pm-3pm booked and I never knew the earlier rental demanded a return 24 hours later at 11am! I was livid, but quickly contained myself as the guy behind this counter was 100% innocent.

Beverly, time to get to work.

Day 37

Tel Aviv --> Athens | December 1st, 2022

I wake up this morning in a Pod. The best way to explain pods are stacked rooms where on the outside you only see squares and they extend like a rectangular prism on the inside. Incredible space-efficient concept that is a massive improvement over hostels. For those who don't know what a hostel is, think of it as a hotel where you share a room, bathroom, and common area with strangers. Pods are the same, but you have your own mini "bedroom" for sleeping.

I assume Tel-Aviv is one of the first cities with these - they're typically ahead by a couple years. Pods will spread like wildfire once people catch on.

I wanted to give surfing a go this morning but find out there were 0 waves - at least the water was pretty. By mid-morning I pack up, put everything in the rental car, and scooter to the Tel-Aviv main beach. But I realized I'd prefer to go off the beaten path and 180'd to the beach at Jaffa. Good Choice.

Quick Cheesy Zaatar Pita for breakfast (just beat a 30 person group) which I finished as I arrived at the beach, ran a quick lap, and took my first dip into the Mediterranean Sea since March 2019. For some reason I always remember the slight surface vibration of the sand under water. Majestic is the best word to describe it. Also literally 0 rocks. Bluest water. Perfection.

After about an hour I decide to walk to Jaffa and was sucked right into the pomegranate juice stand. Check out the squeeze on the IG reel. I think I mentioned this in one of the first Days of the trip but I remember trying to make Pomegranate juice at home in like 8th grade and it came out terrible. I pretty much gave up on Pomegranate Juice.

Well, Pomegranate juice is officially back.

And in season! But POM juice is equivalent to Tropicana OJ - pales in comparison to freshly squeezed. Oh wow an analogy that sounds familiar…

Strolled through the historic town and found a scooter to get me back to Carmel Market. I wanted those sunflower seeds - actually didn’t end up getting them. I opted for the Challah Schnitzel as well as samples of exotic fruits for 1 Shekel ($.30 / piece) instead. By far and away the [surprisingly] best-tasting fruit: FIG.

Mom I love you but I'm not the biggest the fig jams in baked brie. It's like 90% high fructose corn syrup and tastes nothing like the real thing. Most people like it though so I stay silent.

I brought the fig from Carmel market to Athens City Center to see if it would survive the trip. Did not disappoint. Maybe a future viral TikTok video? That's a post-Day-50 problem.

At this point, I already think I missed the 1 hour window to check my luggage and just as I'm speed walking in. Boom. Full interrogation by the IDF. I guess I'm terrible at not looking sketchy. But against all odds I made him smile when I told him why I was in here (he loves Olive Oil). And luckily, unlike Ryanair's 60 minute policy, Israir has a 45 minute checked bag policy. Phew.

No customs line, 5 minutes on security, and I was chilling with 40 minutes to spare. 1.5 hour delay, quick nap, 2 hour plane ride that was unlike any plane ride I've ever been on. Felt like a TV show. Everyone was talking to each other. The complete opposite of any US flight - which is quieter than a library and people scoff at you (making you think you have bad breath or something when talking to them).

I used the locals to help me train to my hotel. My phone died and I attempted walking home but quickly gave up and opted for the 12 Euro Cab from city center. $35 / night on points, but as soon as I saw an option for customizable ambient lighting, I know this hotel is quality. Definitely parking myself here for another night.

1 Olive Oil Takeaway

Today was a break from olive oil, so I'll give the takeaways a break as well. More tomorrow.

-Jack

Thank you for reading and welcome to the blog! I'm traveling through Europe on a quest to find great Olive Oil.