Cool and Soothing 'Green Lung'

The modest fountain in the above picture is not  placed, as most of the traditional ones, in the middle of a town square. This fountain with a circular basin , and straight, perpendicular falling water is located in a corner, a very strategic one - facing two long, busy roads, one of which (Ben-Gurion Rd. ) is dividing two cities (Bney- Brak and Ramat-Gan).

the  perpendicularly falling water

Even on hot days as our summer days are, it's quite cool near the fountain, and the sound of the falling water is very soothing. The whole spot is a little gem with grass, flowers, young trees and benches. It looks well kept - no litter, no mosquitos of any kind. There's no children's playground around, so the spot is usually quiet. It is a place mostly for young couples, teenagers, elderly people, passers by.

a cool, quiet little gem

Whenever I'm in the area I take the time to sit on a bench  and enjoy the serenity of the spot. Behind the fountain there's a coffee shop, one of the many coffee shops belonging to the fine chain called 'Aroma'. It's a pleasure to sit at a table outside the cafe with a cup of coffee and a sandwich and contemplate the fountain and its visitors. 

Aroma cafe with its red sign and people sitting outside

chairs and flowers outside the Aroma coffee shop

tiny birds found some food on a bench vis- a -vis the fountain

This spot is a blessed genuine 'green lung' in an urban area. It creates a much needed balance between Man and Nature, development and environment. We definitely need more of the kind.

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Across the street there's an interesting high  statue exhibit named "the sky is the limit,"  composed of human figures in motion . Like the fountain, this outdoor colorful work of art  gives people not only visual pleasure, but also much food to thought.

'the sky is the limit' statue

Pedestrian Again.....Residents' Victory

Apropo round shape (my previous post 'Rotunda'), and women (the Woman's Day celebrated on the 8th of March last week) :

The round Dizengoff square in the heart of Tel-Aviv, originally named Zina square (Zina, the name of the mayor's wife) in honor and praise of all the women of the city - is currently in the news -  and that made me re-read my post "Fire and Water" from February 4, 2011 regarding the above square.

The big News is that the square (unveiled in 1938) is going to return to street level ( in 1978 it was elevated above street level, to allow flow of car traffic at the lower level;  this layout was very unpopular with the residents of the city who expressed their opinion on the topic,  in the 2011 survey initiated by the Municipality).  After the planned restoration, the place will belong only to pedestrians and their activities. 

Dizengoff is the name of the first mayor of Tel Aviv, the name of the most iconic street in this city , the name of the square  (the meeting point of this street with six  lateral streets), and the name of what is known as Dizengoff Center which includes a mall and an oudoor vintage market.

The square is round, and so is the main attraction in the middle of it - the fountain named by its famous designer Agam - 'fire and water'. The regular visitors  of  the square are: kids (playing and feeding the pigeons), bicycle riders, dog owners walking their dogs, seniors resting on benches, joggers, and many others.

she looks good and so does the dog

Dad is watching boy feeding the pigeons

having a chat while sitting on blue (ugly) benches

mobility

Moscow 7 - The Bolshoi

If you're lucky enough to obtain a ticket for a ballet or opera performance at the worldwide famous Bolshoi Theater - then  you probably get your chance to be exposed to the highest form of culture available.

Tickets, however, are expensive and have to be bought in advance; even a tour of the  building's renovated interior is not without problems. The tour takes place only on certain days and you have to queue. As I was limited by time, I decided to just go and have a look from the outside at the historic building and its surrounding area.

The Bolshoi is not far from The Red Square and one can easily reach  the place  by metro.  There was no sign anywhere with the name Bolshoi, so I had to ask a passer-by to make sure that was It.

The neoclassical building is beautiful and  has a lovely fountain and garden in front of it. People seem to love sitting on the benches in the little garden, enjoying the sight of the fountain.

The 'neighbor' on the right side of the building  is the back (ugly) of the ZUM department store. (Something should be done about that; it kills the view).

                                the back side of ZUM (Tsoom) store