Israel

6 months, 6 countries: Israel

November 3, 2012

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6 Months, 6 Countries: Israel
September 2012

By September I had no properly functioning cameras. The Canon 350D had pretty much given up on me, and none of my film cameras were working either. I decided to upgrade to a full-frame DSLR.. Canon 5D Mark II, and took it with me to Israel with my favourite lens – 50mm f/1.8.. : )

I used to narrate every blog, making sure every picture that deserved a story had one. I’m not sure whether it’s a lack of time or just an evolution in my photography, but I don’t really have a desire to do that so much anymore. Most of these photos speak for themselves – I hope.  If you’d like a more indepth insight into this place, you can find my previous entries at the bottom of this page.

I took a very British beverage with me.. Pimm’s – Israeli style (with nectarine, lemongrass and mint!):

In Rehevot

My friend Ricki in her lab at uni:

Jerusalem – one of my favourite cities.

Fantastic band – wish I knew remembered their name..

Dome of the Rock:

When I took this shot he didn’t believe it had come out as it was so dark and I hadn’t used flash..

The power of ISO 6400!

Making baklava:

When I took that shot I had a feeling of deja-vu, and later realised I’d shot the same man in this baklava shop in 2009 here – http://tanya-n.com/Israel2009/IMG_0027.jpg

Christian pilgrims:

You can see them all around these areas tracing the steps of Jesus..

Somehow ended up in this courtyard which was for an Ethiopian Church:

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (where Jesus is thought to have been crucified..) and as such packed with pilgrims:

He was walking around videoing himself:

The last time I came here it was so quiet and peaceful and I’d stumbled across it by chance.  This was the complete opposite – there were so many people I could barely move.

Western Wall

The synagogue in Ricki’s home town/village.  We went there at 5am for Yom Kippur : )

Went to Hanita with Ricki. Hanita is a kibbutz town in the north of Israel, right on a border of Lebanon.

You can see Hezbollah bases from here

Dana, Alison, Eliad and Ricki – some of the loveliest people I’ve met! : )

A deserted appartment block in the kibbutz where the youngsters of the community used to stay.  It was like a scene out of a movie – an amazing view of the hillside from a derelict building.  Someone would pay good money for that!

Where missiles from Lebanon landed a few years ago:

The fence was only put up a few years ago after someone from Lebanon attacked from across the border. Until then people were pretty much free to venture onto the other side..

Had some amazing food

This is the 2nd time I’ve been to a kibbutz. The concept is one I can’t imagine would work in many places – where people live in harmony sharing meals together with their neighbours. The feel is one of a village – where everyone knows everyone. It was a bit surreal being in a place where people feel safe keeping their doors unlocked yet have an underlying fear of missiles.  It’s something I think most of us would be unfamiliar with..

Tel Aviv

Pua Bar and Restaurant in Jaffa, Tel Aviv:

Random photo of Princess Diana came with the bill:

Shakshouka – a delicious Yemen dish that’s very popular in Israel:

This part of the Middle East amazes me every time I’ve been there. The people are so hospitable and I’m lucky to know Ricki and her family. Through them I’ve learnt so much about a place I’d otherwise be ignorant about. Whatever your views may be about Israel, the place is undeniably amazing and diverse in so many ways.. I couldn’t even begin to sum it up!
As for the 5D, being able to use my 50mm full-frame has suddenly made this lens even more appealing. I have a feeling this will be the only lens I’ll be using for some time.

Next stop – India.

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If you’d like to read more about this beautiful place, you can find my initial impressions here – my previous 2 trips to the ‘holy land’:

Shalom! http://www.tanya-n.com/?p=125

4000 years, 3 cultures, 1 city http://www.tanya-n.com/?p=396

The Wall of Separation http://www.tanya-n.com/?p=419

Sun, Salt and Christianity http://www.tanya-n.com/?p=424

Tel Aviv, Walls and Clouds http://www.tanya-n.com/?p=432

Tel Aviv, Walls and Clouds

October 28, 2009

9 comments

Shalom!

Some random last snaps from Israel – this time from Netanya and Tel Aviv.

Lovely bonfire/BBQ at Ricki’s place:

I learnt some Yemen dancing :D

I dislike cats but honestly, how cute is this:

Netanya Market:

She started arguing with me about me taking a picture of her (above) but I told her I was more interested in the market.  She then wanted her picture taken!

Largest knickers I ever seen.  It puts Bridget Jones to shame.

Went to the beach with some amazing sandwiches from the above place. Tuna, peppers, tomatoes and some spicy stuff – it’s some kind of Tunisian mix. Very yum.

Something was up with the camera hence dodgy focus.  Anyway, focus got fixed and Ricki took over while I frolicked in the sand.

I don’t get to run on sand often especially in this kind of heat and scenery, so yeah, I kind of made the most of it :P

Me with the plastic camera, and yes, I really was that red after an hour. I think my shoulders suffered for 2 weeks, but it was worth it!

Some scans of the pics from the disposable waterproof camera (£8 buy one get one free from Boots!):

I like the colours – and this is without any editing at all.

Some snaps I took at the Dead Sea:

En route to Tel Aviv!

Eyal + Goldstar

We had Goldstar on the roof of Eyal’s place and watched all the dressed-up people spilling out of the club below.  It seemed like an unappealing crowd – I was happy to be up on the roof!

I don’t know why I love capturing graffiti so much.  I guess it’s such a universal thing.. I can’t imagine any city without it.

Very cool old school camera shop:

I had a conversation with the lady who was selling this:

She told me she loves the London Underground and that’s why she made that, and she was honoured to meet someone from London. Maybe she was trying to get me to buy it. Or maybe she was just being nice : )

I really liked this Lego/olive pic:

Tel Aviv was hot.  Quite a bit more hot than Netanya which is only 20 minutes away by train.  Walking around in the sunshine takes it toll (especially with already burnt backs), so we went to Rotem’s place and chilled for a bit:

Back at Ricki’s place.. my last morning!

Shalmi – the most arrogant yet adorable cat I know : )

Turkish coffee (mmm!), cake, and nargila for the last time : (

Bye bye Israel..

OK, so airport food is usually barely edible, but I was impressed with the backlava for dessert!

Clouds fascinate me.  I always have to sit by the window so I can stare at the view in awe.  Not many people I know seem interested in looking out of plane windows, which I don’t really get.  Unless you fly every week, it’s surely not possible to get bored of seeing the planet from a completely different perspective.

Full-view:

You can see the faint trail of another plane in the distance. Boring? Not to me!

Hello London:

I only got back last month, yet it feels like years ago.  I don’t remember half of the things I wanted to say about this part of the world, but then, I guess this is a photoblog, so the pictures can speak for themselves. You can read my previous posts if you want more of a descriptive account.

Thanks for looking

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Previous  posts:

2008

2009

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