City of Light, Part II

Continued from Yesterday...




Multi-colored buckets hanging from the retaining wall of the Temple Mount.
Lights on trees. It looked sort of wintry to me.
Back in the downtown area, spinning "movies" projected onto the Iriyah (City Hall.)
In the central plaza of the Iriyah, a 3-dimensional projection of an image. The symbols of all of the 12 tribes, in this case Reuvein, were projected holographically.Meanwhile, back in the Christian quarter of the old city. A fountain in the main plaza was covered with a giant plastic bubble. Fans spun feathers and bubbles around inside the giant plastic bubble, to make it look like it had its own weather system.

Making juice next to the giant plastic bubble fountain.

City of Light, Part I

A couple of weeks ago, the Jerusalem municipality put on the "city of light" display, where artists displayed their light-based sculptures, also projecting colors and images on the ancient walls and buildings of the old city.

Click on the images below for larger versions.

Walking toward the Jaffa Gate, the streets are lined with hanging colored lanterns. some sort of glowing translucent plastic tanks which constantly change color.

Welcome sign projected on Jaffa Gate.

People dressed in light.
Outside the walls of the citadel, some sort of whale-shaped figurine with a kinetic flying bicycle attached.

The kinetic flying bicycle.

In the Cardo, vendors selling lamps.
Multi-colored, ever-changing lights projected onto strings.
One of the benefits of the City of Light display was that all of the archaeological gardens, parks, etc., were open to the public free of charge. We went into the archaeological gardens to view some of the sculptures on display there.
Images projected on giant 20-foot tall spinning vases.

Light tubes, with a little Magen David (Star of David) in the middle.
Looking at the light tubes from the bottom.








To be continued...

The Old City in the Morning

I recently had a chance to walk through the Old City of Jerusalem at sunrise. Just posting a few shots here.

Looking south toward Abu Tor and Armon Hanatziv

Pesach in Pisgat Ze'ev

Today is the first day of Chol Hamoed Pesach (the intermediary festival days of Passover.) I decided to bike around Pisgat Ze'ev and snap some photos. Enjoy.

Signs advertising "Pesach in Chevron!" (Passover in Hebron)

The grocery store uses plastic to block off items which are not kosher for Pesach.

Long lines at the store. After the first day, everyone realizes what they forgot to buy (in my case, salt.)

I did a little bit of work, but it was such a nice day, I decided to go for a ride. Pisgat Ze'ev, and neighboring Neve Yaakov, are completely surrounded by the ever-present security barrier. It gives the whole area a locked-in ghetto feeling, and pretty much everyone hates the idea. Still, the wall included the Neve Ya'akov Forest within its boundaries, so I decided to ride over that way.

The wall, now an unpleasant reality. In Europe, the first Jewish Ghettoes were built by the Jews themselves.

I see the forest every day, when I go jogging. It really doesn't look like much from up high. A few trees and paths.

The Neve Ya'akov Forest.

Downhill is always easier.

But once you get closer, the forest envelops you, and it starts to feel a little bit like the pine forests of the California coast.

Inside the Neve Yaakov Forest.

Kids looking at frogs and tadpoles.

Ruins and fields, looking north.

Walking along, I came across an Arab shepherd and his flock.

One of his goats had given birth less than an hour ago. Here you can see the umbilical cord, still attached.

A crowd gathered around the spectacle.

Hikers and day trippers pass by.

Children playing in some ruins. The houses above are Neve Yaakov.

Of course the ever-present security fence watches over our comings and goings.

Yours truly on bike.

A new grove planted to the right of this photo. And now to head back uphill.