... because it's picture-perfect

Thanks to "Lost in Cheeseland" (one of my many Paris reads), I came across HostelBookers 7 Super Shots. Here is my attempt to show Tel Aviv as a picture-perfect city that it is.

1. A photo that… takes my breath away

I think that 80% of my Tel Aviv photo collection are sunsets over Mediterranean. Pretty much each one takes my breath away, especially if there's a sail on the horizon, and surfers in the waves...

2. A photo that… makes me smile

I can't help but smile each time I look at this picture. I can't decide if I should call it "Charlie's Angels" or "The Three Tel Avivian Graces". (Graces are goddesses of  charm, beauty, and nature in ancient Greek mythology. This Wikipedia article includes many reproductions of various "The Three Graces" paintings.) Angels or graces, they are so undeniably cool in their effortless summer outfits (the photo was taken in November by the way!).

3. A photo that… makes me dream

These two are walking on sunset, barefoot, on the warm water of the end-of-the-summer sea. This picture makes me dream of a summer...

4. A photo that… makes me think

I was taking some pictures in this shop on the main street of Hatikva neighborhood, when I saw this young mother with a baby in a stroller. As they passed by, the baby kept looking right at me - seems that my strange big camera made him think and wonder. And he made me think and wonder about the day-to-day life of his family and of families of many foreign workers that live in this neighborhood.

5. A photo that… makes my mouth water

This category was the most difficult for me. The thing is, I usually don't take pictures of food, or food markets (I probably should, especially with the later). Then I recalled that I did make exception for this hot chocolate!
Imagine a cold winter afternoon. It rains outside the glass walls of the street cafe veranda. You work on your notebook at the cafe table, slowly sipping this delicious cup of hot chocolate...

6. A photo that… tells a story

This is one of my favorite photos. I often look at it and wonder - who is this young woman? Would I recognize her if she turns to me, or is she a stranger? What is she doing on Hatikva market on Friday afternoon? She looks so different from the rest of the people on the street.


7. A photo that… I am most proud of

This photo is pretty old, but I like it so much. This is the view of Hayarkon Park, looking south. I like the stillness of this night, the perfect symmetry of the reflection, the glow of the city behind the tree line, and the many colors of the light created by the park lane lanterns and the nearby buildings...

I would like to see 7 Super Shorts from:
 - Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo
 - Sparrow Chatter
 - Fragmente (m)eines Lebens
 - Artistique
 - The View From Right Here


You can participate in this meme too! To do so, just do the following:

1. Choose 7 of your own photos, one for each of the 7 categories above.
2. Write a short description for each image.
3. Write somewhere in your blog post: ‘I am taking part in HostelBookers 7 Super Shots‘.
4. Tell HostelBookers that you have participated and tweet the hashtag #7SuperShots
5. Nominate 5 other bloggers by including a link to their blog in your post.

Take a minute to look at many perfect pictures from all over the world on "Our World Tuesday".

...because the street is everyone's front yard

If you walk along Nordau boulevard in the morning hours of a fine winter day, you'll see a bunch of people sitting on the benches, drinking coffee, reading newspapers, talking - getting their day started in the open air.
One of the things I like about Tel Aviv is that people actually consider street as an extension of their home. It's not unusual to see someone sitting on a park bench, drinking a coffee from a mug, talking over the phone. So like almost unconsciously one is going from room to room while talking on the phone, one can just as easy go outside. The street is just another room. The city is an extension of the apartment.
One early Saturday morning Lesya and I were taking a walk on Pinsker street. It was pretty early, the street empty, most of the people still asleep. Suddenly one of the doors opened, and out went this guy with a cup of coffee. He sat on the staircase leading to the building, drank his coffee, and then returned inside. And I thought how cool was it that the outside stairs were his porch, and that the city is everyone's front yard.