... while people watching and window shopping on Ibn Gabirol st.

Cycling on David Hamelech (King David) blvd.

Today, on my way back from some early morning chores, even though I was in a bit of a rush, I couldn't resist and took some time to walk under Ibn Gabirol's st. arcades. I've already sung praises to the wonders of these arcades - cool and shady in summer, providing a shelter on a rainy day, they are really perfect for a city stroll. And they are also perfect for the window shopping of Ibn Gabirol's stores, that line this long and busy street, and for watching people that walk, cycle, shop, meet, and drink coffee in the many cafes along Ibn Gabirol.

"Tsav Kria" - used bookstore near Rabin sq.

The used bookstore "Tsav Kria" is one of my favorite in the city. It's small but really well organized, with a great book selection and reasonable prices. There's something truly special about the used books - every time I open one, I can't help but wonder about its previous owners - what's their library looked like? What they liked in this book? Had they highlighted any passages or wrote some notes on the margins? I really like finding these notes, these mementos from the previous book owners - to me, it adds so much to the value of the book!

I must mention here two books-related blogs that I really like: Bookstore guide is an amateur guide to book shopping throughout Europe. Since I'm a fan of bookstore tourism, I check it up whenever I travel, to see if there are interesting bookstores at my destination. And Forgotten bookmarks is a lovely blog by a used & rare bookseller, who writes about "the personal, funny, heartbreaking and weird" things he finds in those books.

"Chocolata" on Chocolate blvd.

There are so many chocolate boutiques on Ibn Gabirol, that Haaretz newspaper had dedicated them an article suggesting to nick-name the street "Chocolate Boulevard"! Read this nice article for "3 hour chocolate tour on Ibn Gabirol", see my other posts about this pretty special and unique street, and check out Our World Tuesday for more photos, posts and stories from interesting places all over the world.

... from Lower Galilee

Sunset over Mount Tabor

We've spent the Jewish New Year weekend in Kfar Kisch, a small village in Lower Galilee. "What are you doing while you're there? - asked my mom. - Probably taking some walks in the countryside, enjoying the views." Truth is, we hadn't. One of the reasons was that we're not such fans of countryside walks; but another one was the fact that the view from our B&B room was so spectacular, that we basically just spent most of the time simply enjoying it without leaving the premises.

According to wikipedia, the Lower Galilee is the southern part of the Galilee, and it's called "Lower" since it is less mountainous than the Upper Galilee. Mount Tabor is one of its tallest peaks. This is what makes the view so especially beautiful: to the west (perfect for sunset watching), you can see a chain of low hills, dominated by Mount Tabor. There's no settlement in view, except for the one at the base of Mount Tabor - and of course there's a church on its summit, since according to Christian tradition this was the site of the Transfiguration.

Transfiguration and Mount Tabor are mentioned in one of the most wonderful (in my opinion) poems ever written - "August" by Boris Pasternak. This is one of the poems included in Pasternak's novel "Doctor Zhivago", since its protagonist, Yuri Zhivago, is also a poet... Yuri Zhivago - or Pasternak himself - describes the vision of his own wake. As often in Pasternak's poetry, the hero is at first shaken by the image of upcoming death, but is sustained by his art and his faith... Here's an excerpt from the poem, in Andrey Kneller's beautiful translation (you can find the full text on the translator's site).

<...>

Then I recalled what had been done

To make my pillow moist, I ached,

I dreamt you walking, one by one,

Across the forest to my wake.

And while the crowd was proceeding,

All of a sudden, someone stirred:

It was the sixth of August, meaning,

-- Transfiguration of Our Lord.

This day, from Mount Thabor, often,

A flameless light burns through the skies

And autumn, like a lucid omen,

Draws to itself observant eyes.

<...>

“Farewell, the blue Transfiguration,

Farewell, the gold of festive blessings.

Come soothe this hopeless desperation

With gentle, womanly caresses.

<...>

Farewell, the wingspan and the reach,

Farewell, the free, persistent soaring,

And world’s reflection caught in speech,

Creative work and wonder-working.”

(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)

... on Sunday mornings

Ben Gurion blvd. kiosk, Sunday morning

Since Israeli weekend is Friday-Saturday, Sunday is the beginning of our work week. So today - Sun, Sept 1st - it's a beginning of the new week, new month, and a new season... I love days and dates that work out like this...

Tel Aviv is a city of marvelous open cafe culture, and it's splendid to see people opening their day in the cafes all over the city. Those who work from home run their meetings and make business calls; those who have a day off just relax and read a paper; and those on the way to the office grab a coffee to go. Each street corner and each morning hour sees its regulars, and some places open as early as 6:30 AM!..

Opening Sunday morning at "Streets" at the corner of Ibn-Gvirol - Arlozorov

Today I had time for a morning stroll on some awesome Tel Aviv streets - first Ibn Gvirol, then Ben Gurion, then Dizengoff. And the streets were airy and happy, and the cafes filled with patrons. I especially love the open, inviting, integral-part-of-the-city cafe-kiosks (more about Tel Aviv kiosks here and here), like this one on Ben Gurion blvd.

Pink bicycle on Ben Gurion blvd. for CDP theme - pink :)

The last photo is for today's City Daily Photo theme - pink :) Click here to see more happy pink from around the world. Happy Sunday and happy September everyone!