Sale at the Interchange

Ikea's big winter sale was mainly a pretext for a trip to the Poleg interchange zone  located south-east of the central city of Netanya.

The coastal route leading to the interchange, passes by some notable places: Levinsky college of education, Cinema City Glilot, high-tech zone with Microsoft's imposing building, 'Gaash' mineral springs Spa, Wingate  physical education institute and other.

The weather was wonderful!  Warm and sunny. I could hardly stay indoors on such a beautiful day.  On approaching Ikea, I  felt caressed by a very gentle breeze coming from the sea. (The latter is  not too close;  good thing, as it's winter  and easy to catch a nasty cold from the encounter with the Mediterranean).

Before entering the store, I like to take the time and contemplate the palm trees and the flags. I do so from under an adorable, slightly distant tree overlooking the Ikea complex.

tree overlooking Ikea complex

'Poleg' is a major central interchange leading north, and Ikea store is adjacent to it.  Every year the  area gets some new comercial companies added , becoming crowded, and somehow unesthetical. According to  economic articles, Ikea, with its beautiful blue/yellow colored complex is considered  key factor in the development of the  vast industrial-commerce area by the Poleg interchange. It certainly attracts a lot of customers.

There are some well-known firms (Ace, Office Depot, Auto Depot..) and less known firms and shops here, as well as bank,supermarket, and institutions.
I was rather surprised to see also the one and only popular "dollar store" Max, in a huge building ( huge, certainly compared to its branches in the city).

column with part of the business' names on it

Max  "dollar store"

Acostel, Optical center, H&O, Fox, WeShoes, Superfarm, Supermarket

Red  'Sale'  posters were greetting customers  not only at Ikea but also at some fashion stores. 

red Sale posters at Ikea

Sale posters at a fashion store

At Ikea, I intended to buy a certain new light fixture to replace an old one, but I was told the last one got sold out shortly before my arrival at the store. Pity. I might try my luck at another Ikea store (this one is the closest to my hometown). 
I didn't come home empty-handed though;  bought some trivial, things like a door entrance mat, some glass / metal candle holders, AA alkaline batteries, and a few other small items.

Inside the store - a festival of consumerism.; no other phrase would describe that better. And, of course, no one dares leave the place without sampling some swedish meat balls, soup in a bread bowl, salmon delicacies, and other swedish specialties at the store's cafe-restaurant section.  

When I leave Ikea, I take another look at the palm trees and flags, but this time from across the Exit direction.

                              

Tower of Peace

Frankly, I wouldn't like to live in a tower or near the woods - because of safety reasons, fire hazards in particular (See the latest disasters: Grenfell tower -London, and the forest fires in Portugal ).

I 've worked ,however,in a tower for many years, an office tower in Tel Aviv, called Shalom Tower ('shalom' meaning 'peace' in hebrew). 
I wasn't crazy about the place despite the view of the Mediterranean through my window .  I disliked the dependence on elevators and the impatient crowds waiting for them. I did like, though, its central position and proximity to the sea, city market, cultural and  shopping areas.

Panoramic view ,including the sea, from the 19th floor (not digital photo)

Shalom  Tower ,named after Shalom Meir, father of the tower's two developers, has 34 floors, the lobby and the first floor serving as free art galleries (mosaics, paintings, sculptures), and photo exhibitions (of people, maps, projects..) with emphasis on the city's history and urban development.

mosaic wall

mosaic wall

photo exhibits

photo exhibits

When its construction was completed, in 1965, it was the tallest tower in  the Middle East. Since then, many towers, both residential and office towers have been  erected in  the major cities of the country, some of them of  great architectural beauty.

Shalom Tower seen from adjacent Herzel street

Whether we like it or not, these towers are taking over. There's shortage of land, of housing, of parking lots, of green spots - so we're told - and the towers are supposed to solve these issues.

Let's hope that towers and skyscrapers regardless of place will bring real 'Shalom' ('Peace')  to the people that live/work in them.