Beauty

Beautiful Allergy Season

/ IlanaB / 1 Comment

I don’t usually suffer from allergies, but this week I found that I was sneezing and snuffly.  As I walked to the office this week, I noticed several fragrant suspects and I decided that I didn’t mind so much after all.

There’s a hidden courtyard behind the Waldorf-Astoria in Jerusalem.  Each corner seems to have something special.

IMG_20170420_090536

Orange blossoms

IMG_20170420_090611

Wisteria with a background of grapes

IMG_20170420_090647

I think this is a type of sage

IMG_20170420_090703

A rose is a rose is a rose …

IMG_20170420_090732

I don’t know what this is, but it has a very strong, sweet fragrance

IMG_20170420_090748

I don’t know what these are either, but they smell nice too.

There’s a small rose garden next to the King David Hotel.  They aren’t the typical full-bodied roses that I remember from the US, but they are still lovely.

IMG_20170420_091457IMG_20170420_091518IMG_20170420_091544IMG_20170420_091732

On the last leg of my journey, I walk through Bloomfield Park.  Here were some smaller blooms, but mostly just the typical Jerusalem greenery – olive trees and various other shrubs.

IMG_20170420_091821

I don’t know what these are, but they are tiny and pretty

IMG_20170420_092134

And come in alternate colors

IMG_20170420_092239

Soft, delicate I-don’t-know-whats

IMG_20170420_092339

Jerusalem greenery

IMG_20170420_092416

And more Jerusalem greenery

And then I arrived at the office thinking that I would rather be outside (because maybe I’m actually allergic to work?).

Springtime Stroll in Jerusalem

/ IlanaB / Leave a comment

While a lot of really depressing things have happened this week, this Friday post comes to you on April Fools’ Day.  So rather than try to make sense of that paradox, here’s a photo essay of a springtime walk in Jerusalem.

This week as I walked to various appointments I noticed that there was a wonderful aroma in the air and so many flowers were blooming everywhere I looked.   I didn’t take pictures at the time, so this afternoon I retraced my steps and captured some of the beauty of Jerusalem.

Community garden on Zamenhof Street, tended by volunteers from the neighborhood.

IMG_20160401_141040-COLLAGEZamenhof Street and Lincoln Street.  Funny fact:  The pronunciation of Lincoln in Hebrew doesn’t resemble the English very much.  All the letters are pronounced with an extra vowel between the last l and n – Lin-co-lin.

IMG_20160401_141325-COLLAGEOutside the Orthodox Union building.  They take care to bring lots of glorious color to the street.

IMG_20160401_142432-COLLAGENear Jabotinksy Street.  As I took the photos of the window box and the orange blossoms, a group of monks in brown robes tied with rope belts walked by speaking Italian.  Just a typical day in Jerusalem.

IMG_20160401_142714-COLLAGEGan HaShoshanim.  I was nearby, so I decided to take a detour and I’m glad I did.  Another interesting fact:  Gan HaShoshanim means rose garden, but there are no roses growing in this park.

IMG_20160401_143736-COLLAGEArlozorov Street.  Wisteria, lilacs, and many other beautiful things.

IMG_20160401_150119-COLLAGEAnd finishing my walk with a passion fruit ice cream.  I can happily confirm that it was GOOD!

IMG_20160401_152012

I hope you enjoyed this little springtime stroll.  There’s so much more to Jerusalem than the typical Old City views and while there may not have been actual roses to stop and smell, there is plenty of beauty to stop and admire.

Happy Spring!