We’ll gloss over the circumstances which brought me to Israel for a few days, and simply say that the opportunity arose, and I’d never been before, so it seemed like a good idea!

Of course, one of the wonderful things about tango is you’re never a stranger anywhere: wherever you travel in the world, there are hugs waiting for you …

I’d booked the cutest little studio apartment on Airbnb.

Israel was experiencing something of a heatwave, and the locals told me I must be feeling the heat. I told them that London was actually much the same at present, but Tel Aviv was far better equipped with aircon. Exhibit A: despite the diminutive dimensions of my temporary home, it was equipped with not one, but two powerful air-conditioners!

Arriving on Shabbat, quite a lot of places were closed, but there was a 24-hour convenience store right next door, which this local recommended to me.

There I was able to pick up a few essentials in exchange for most of my life savings.

Back in my business travel days, it never failed to amaze me how often I would bump into friends who happened to be in the same place at the same time – or at least, travelling through the same airport. Those days are long behind me now, but not, it seems, the habit of running into friends. Julia was here visiting family, and suggested a milonga that was taking place on the day I arrived.

Milonga Milagro turned out to be reasonably conveniently situated for me.

The precise location was a little unclear from the map, as it was a bit of a zigzag inside a pedestrianised area off the street itself, but that’s another great thing about tango: once you get close, just follow the unmistakeable sound of the music!

Julia had, I think, been to this milonga exactly once before, but already seemed to know everyone, and set about introducing me to them.

The milonga takes place in a beautiful little venue, with a great floor, a large backroom with seating and snacks, and a balcony area above. It, too, has great air-conditioning, though my fan was pressed into service to waft the cool air toward myself and my partners.

The music was wonderful! I mean, truly, truly incredible! Some DJs seem to think they have to start with the plinky-plonky stuff early on, but Irina Nekrasova was straight in with the most delicious tandas. The whole evening was just wave after wave of the most layered and lyrical music you could imagine – I was in heaven!

It was also super-friendly. In the rare moments I wasn’t dancing, there was no shortage of people to chat with, even before Julia’s introductions.

The dance level was mixed, and I danced with a couple of beginners, but the overall level was perfect. I had some absolutely beautiful tandas!

Tango really adds a whole other dimension to travel – especially solo travel. It provides an instant community, and a wonderful mix of new and familiar worlds.

Plus you get the loveliest of people in the tango world. Isratango lists all the milongas, but can’t necessarily be trusted on locations. Google Maps, in turn, speaks more English than Hebrew, which also adds interest to working out where things are. But Julia put me in touch with Guy Chuck, a local dancer who was actually in Berlin at the time, and he provided my own personal WhatsApp helpline! I shall owe him a drink when he visits London next month.