Tel Aviv

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv aren’t just two cities 40 miles apart, they are worlds apart.Tel Aviv doesn’t have the restriction that Jerusalem does, to only build out of the local stone. So big glass sky scrapers are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. Like all modern cities, these bright towers overlook the decaying old squat buildings.

I need to spend more time in Tel Aviv, it has a lot to offer. I went with two girlfriends to Sarona.Sarona is a recreation of a German settlement in the area in the mid 19th century. In Jerusalem, we have the German colony. This was built by similar people near the coast. At the time, it was pretty far from Jaffa and Tel Aviv wasn’t even a concept.Many of these buildings were in The Kiriyah – the headquarters of the Israeli army and were used as office buildings. A few years ago, the city, moved most of them across the street and created a large open space mall and park.I didn’t see many old plaques, probably because major restoration was done on the buildings. What can I say, I love Israel, they preserve the old plaque from 1874. And yet, they still haven’t installed the light or whatever it is that those electrical wires are meant to support.Unlike Jerusalem, the buildings were stuccoed. The choice of color is probably new, I don’t think the Germans had time to think of bright colors in a desolate desert country. They came for religious reasons, they were good Christians who called themselves Templers. Interesting story, in WWI the Germans sided with the Turks, so when the British took over – they expelled these Germans. They went to New Zealand of all places.I wonder if originally they looked more like this?  Maybe the stucco is completely new. This is the Olive press, they even recreated the press itself.This being Tel Aviv, the new is surrounding the old.Each building is now a store or restaurant, but that isn’t enough, so the Sarona market was built as well.More retail and of course new apartments.

We then walked to the old port. The streets are full of people, busy going places or sitting around it coffee shops.Tel Aviv is known for it’s Bauhaus style buildings, what we call Art Deco. Luckily many are being restored. The heat and the humidity have really taken a toll on Tel Aviv, there is a constant need for updating.

One area, right by the beach that should be demolished is Kikar Atarim, built in the 1970’s in the Brutalist style – all fortress like and bare concrete. No wonder it has failed miserably. I had to capture some of the arrested decay, even though I hope it will be destroyed soon. This awful complex overlooks a fabulous Tel Aviv landmark.The ever popular Gordon swimming pools with the marina beyond.There is something very special about old friends, at my age I can use the word old without any irony. I’ve known Penny and Naomi for close to 40 years. It’s a pleasure spending time with them.This is the best image I captured of the sunset over the sea. Israel, Lebanon and Turkey are the only Mediteranean countries that face west.  It was a great way to close out the day.