Utrecht

I was in Utrecht for business last week, from Monday evening until Thursday. Although I put in plenty of 12-hour work days, I did manage to take a few photos. The hotel that I chose was in the center of town, near the old section of Utrecht, with canals. The canal in the first photo was only a few blocks from the hotel.

Below is a a church roof, underexposed to show the silhouette.

Tile peacock decoration on a building on Neugerachte.

The Dom tower is visible from almost every place in the center of Utrecht, so I have a lot of photos of it. There was good light on the second evening.

Love the colours of the boots and bicycle. If I hadn’t been so rushed I would have taken this shot at a lower angle. When you’re wearing business clothes it’s a lot harder to get down on the ground to take some shots.

The first morning it rained. I photographed this tulip near the large canal in front of the hotel.

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Holocaust Memorial Day, 2013

Few photos I took this morning during the siren at 10 a.m. I was standing on a very windy balcony on the seventh floor.

Driver in orange standing on the overpass of the Begin expressway.

Cars on Golda Meir Boulevard, near the underpass of Begin.

Three roads: Yadin Expressway in the background, Begin Expressway in the foreground, and Golda Meir Boulevard underneath.

My Son, the Soldier

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.