From the moment my son was born, I knew that this day would come but it’s still a shock to realise that Binyamin has reached this milestone. Last Thursday he began his mandatory three years of army service. (He’s actually in the air force, which is why he has a beige uniform with a blue belt.)
There wasn’t a ceremony, just hugs and goodbyes. We took an early bus to Ammunition Hill and arrived at 7:30 a.m. on a cold, windy day.
His girlfriend Ayala and his friend Ori came along.
Binyamin giving his name to the receptionist.
The lady giving out candies is a volunteer for an organization that helps soldiers. They do a lot of good work, especially for “lone soldiers” who do not have family in the country or who come from broken homes.
Here’s our final view of Binyamin, leaving to join the other recruits. They boarded another bus to go to “Bakum” (absorption and assignment center) at Tel haShomer, where they received their vaccinations, were issued uniforms, kit bags, etc., and gave DNA samples and dental impressions. Sometimes the process can take a while, especially if a soldier is not happy with the assignment. In Binyamin’s case, he already had a placement, so he didn’t stay very long.
He was gone for most of the day and returned in the evening in his squeaky new uniform (first photo above) for Shabbat. This morning he left early to begin his basic training in the south.
CityPass called him on March 18 to confirm that it is still possible to transfer from an Egged bus to the Light Rail without paying twice. That’s good news! The woman from CityPass also confirmed that sometimes the machine takes two “clips” (rides) by mistake but you can try to get a refund at the CityPass office in the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem.
Remember before the Jerusalem Light Rail opened, when you could ride the length of the city on the number 18 bus? Remember how Egged discontinued all their downtown lines, because it would be so “convenient” to transfer between trains and buses? Even if you were disabled or carrying heavy groceries and had children with you? Apparently you now have to pay for the privilege. According to David Sedley’s recent blog posting, you now have to pay for the privilege. CityPass no longer honours Egged bus transfers. I wasn’t able to find any confirmation on the CityPass site, only a short page (Hebrew and English) touting the benefits of transferring to connecting lines.
The guitarist is Baldi Olier, originally from Romania. The dancer is Yael Tuchfeld. Someone told me that the rhythm guitarist is Olier’s son. They played after dinner (department fun day). Sorry about the unsteady camera. After a day’s activities, a couple glasses of malt whiskey and a lot of food it wasn’t easy to hold the camera still.
We spent the afternoon and evening at Eretz Bereishit (Genesis Land). Yes, I did ride a camel, but not the one in this photo.
Red buttercups:
Tiny irises:
Purple flowers, which I’ve never seen before:
I photographed this kid during the shepherding workshop. What a face! It was in constant motion, so I was lucky to get this shot, head on and in focus.
The live entertainment after dinner was provided by flamenco guitarist Baldi Olier and dancer Yael Tuchfeld. They were very impressive.
Last week we had our last line (= department fun day) for the year and our last one as NDS (Cisco doesn’t splash out like this on social events). During the morning we had breakfast in Yemin Moshe, followed by an elaborate treasure hunt in Yemin Moshe and the Old City. I managed to take a few quick snapshots. The photo above is a street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
Lion fountain, a gift from the German government, in Bloofmield Gardens:
Mishekenot Sha’ananim was the first Jewish neighbourhood (1860) built outside the Old City walls. It’s now a guest house for prominent artists, musicians, and academics visiting Israel. The almond trees have started to bloom.
Mondays and Thursdays are the weekdays when the Torah is read publicly, which makes these days popular for bar mitzvahs. Here’s a bar mitvah boy under a chuppah, accompanied by relatives and drummers, on his way to the Kotel (Western Wall).
We had to wait outside Zion gate for a while, trying to decipher a clue. I photographed this metal gate outside an Armenian Church.
Boys going into Zion gate. I’m not sure what the hats are supposed to be but they were cute.
Dormition Abbey, on Mount Zion, Old City.
Courtyard of Kinor David restaurant, where we ate lunch. This was taken from the patio on the roof.
I didn’t have the time to take a photographic panorama of the view from the top of the tower, so you’ll have to make do with a video instead.
So that’s it! This is the last posting for our Italian vacation. It only took eight months to get them on-line.
I’ve created a Photography page and will gradually move my photography-related blog postings there. In the meantime, the Italy section is up to date. Eventually I plan to add the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv postings.
The Torre Grossa is the tallest surviving tower of San Gimignano. There is no elevator, so you have to climb all 54 meters on foot. The inside of the tower has been reinforced with a steel staircase winding around the interior.
The view at the top makes it all worth while….
I noticed a sculpture of a naked man on top of a nearby tower.
The Piazza della Cisterna has a beautiful old well. The first photo (above) was taken through the arch of the well.
The Palazzo Comunale (“Municipal Palace”) is the town hall of San Gimignano and has been so since 1300. Photography is not permitted, so these photos were taken very quickly.
The photo above, in the “Dante Room” (Dante visited San Gimignano in 1300 as ambassador from the republic of Florence) is decorated with a painting by Lippo Memmi, the “Maesta” (“majesty,” a depiction of the Mary and Jesus enthroned, surrounded by the heavenly court and angels).
The Podestà apartments (Camera del Podestà) are decorated with frescoes by Memmo di Filippuccio, depicting married life.
I photographed the masonry under the stairs leading up to the Torre Grossa.
The entrance of the palazzo:
Looking down into the courtyard.
The courtyard frescoes depict the coats of arms of families who have held public office. The Palazzo is still a seat of government, but the current offices are on the same level as this courtyard. I wish I could have spent more time photographing this beautiful courtyard but we were in a rush.
One of the joys of travel is serendipitous experiences, like San Gimignano 1300. Our visit to San Gimignano was unplanned. I had heard that it was worth a visit, so we hopped on a bus from Poggibonsi. Baruch discovered this museum while wandering down some alleys. He disappeared for a while, then came back at a run and said, “You have to see this!” We were the only ones in the museum, so the woman showed us around and let me take all the photos I wanted. It is off the regular tourist path.
San Gimignano 1300 is a project to recreate San Gimignano as it was in its glory, with over 70 towers along the skyline, using models and dioramas. The artists, Michelangelo and Raphael Rubino (brothers from an artistic family, began the project in 2006. The recreation was painstakingly researched. A team of artists took nearly three years to complete the project. The project is currently closed for renovations (from November 2012 to “spring” in 2013, whenever that may be; the site didn’t give a date).
The entrance hall contains dioramas and ceramic models of life in 1300:
The detail of the models is breath-taking. I was lucky to be able to get these shots through the glass.
Have you ever wondered how people could live in those towers? Well, these reconstructions show how it was done. The rooms were probably quite dark and you would have done a lot of climbing by ladder to get from one floor to another.
The jewel of the museum is this model of San Gimignano as it was in 1300, with a sound and light show:
The lights dim to represent night:
Or storms:
If you happen to be passing through the town, this museum is worth a visit, especially if you have children (they have some kind of treasure hunt). Just make sure that it’s not closed for renovations.
