Environmental

I usually notice all those  things that add positive value to our urban environment: a green corner with trees and bushes, a nice bench, an original trash bin, an interesting street mural, a splashing fountain, a  gracious sculpture, an attractive sign or poster, a cute phone booth, an innovative bus stop etc...

(The top picture shows a fish sculpture facing the airport of Eilat).

Unfortunately, people with vandalistic tendencies notice them too and leave their ugly fingerprints upon them.

Eilat , for example, is a touristic resort ; things are being taken care by the municipality ,and if neccessary by the tourist police. Nevertheless, I found this (see  picture below) in the very center of the city. I suppose it used to be a lovely sculpture of a man holding a round trash bin in his arms. The trash bin is there and still very useful, but the head of the man holding it is disfigured.

trash bin (Eilat city)

Near it, there's a standing painting of two chasidic dancers. (Chassidim are orthodox jews who're loyal to a prticular rabbi).  It inspires joy and optimism and puts a smile on our lips. I'm glad vandalism hasn't touched it (yet).

painting- chasidic dance (Eilat city)

I'm also glad the delicate Menorah (a nine branch lampstand used on the jewish  holiday of Hannukkah)  is intact.  It stands on a stone pedestal  in front of a supermarket and a cinema hall, and adds a sort of spiritual touch to the place.

menorah (Eilat city center)

Since the introduction of cellphones in our  life, there are fewer and fewer public phones; and yet, each little or big town has them,  located in central, strategic places - major streets, commercial centers, hospitals, hotels, schools, train/bus stations, airports.

Besides being useful to the public they also look cute, until ...vandalism reaches them.

public phones on commercial street (Ramat-Gan city)

public phone- graffity and scratches (Ramat-Gan city)

                                        public phone near hotel (Mizpe Ramon city)

Vandalism hurts us people because it damages and even destroys things we need and care about; it also costs us tax money to get them fixed. The trouble is that punishment for acts of vandalism is not serious enough.

The Red Sea Pearl

I celebrated the first days of our Jewish Passover in Eilat, the popular desert resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea Gulf. The night before our plane arrival in Eilat, two Grad rockets , fired from the egyptian Sinai peninsula, have landed in the city causing big explosions and anxiety, but luckily no casualties and no damage.

Eilat airport located.. in the town center

Eilat, the southernmost city and port of Israel has lots of attractions - most of them for free: sun (as they say, ' everyday here is SUNday'), sea, sand, many beaches to choose from, red mountains, bird watching, shopping centers; some attractions require entrance fee: the underwater Observatory, coral reefs Reserve, dolphin reefs where dolphins interact with swimmers (I've visited the observatory and the reefs on a previous trip).

Eilat museum and art gallery

Hayam Mall- northern beach


Dancing near the mall

The climate here being very hot and dry, most of the time people are at the beach, sunbathing , practicing water sports such as swimming, snorkeling, surfing, diving - or inside the house/hotel/mall/museum and other air-conditioned spots.

on the beach

see the mountains in the background?

I needed a change of scenery and climate, and I fully got that in Eilat. The festive Passover meal (Seder Night) was also quite successful. As for the Sinai missiles, they'll probably 'visit' Eilat again, partly thanks to those wise guys who've encouraged what's poetically yet stupidly called ' arab spring'.