nun bet

A couple of weeks ago I started a new part-time job in Tel Aviv. Hopefully it is going to become more full-time once I move to the big TA on Friday. A job in Tel Aviv and an apartment in Jerusalem meant commuting to work. I really don’t like the bus or the sherut (minibus). After considering all the costs and inconveniences, I decided that the train to Tel Aviv was a good choice. The train from Jerusalem to Bet Shemesh is incredibly slow as it winds through mountain valleys. However, the scenery is beautiful - inspirational even.

For the past few weeks, I’ve seen people harvesting olives. To me it looks like whole family groups bring out every sheet and plastic tarp they have at home and put them out under one tree. Then the whole group goes to work on that tree. Some folks climb the tree to higher branches. Some pickers were using ladders. It’s definitely one of those romanticized “Holy Land” images that I associated with this place before I came here.

On my last trip down the mountain, I saw a gazelle of some type similar to the one in the picture above. It was amazing watching it run through the valley. Israel is home to at least two kinds of gazelle, the Israeli or mountain gazelle above and the Dorcas gazelle.

In Tel Aviv, I disembark at the HaShalom station which is connected to the Azrieli Center. Since 1999, the Azrieli towers have become symbols of Tel Aviv. Until recently there have only been two towers at this complex - a circle and a triangle. As you can see from the picture, the third and final tower - a square - is moving on up.


This image is of a model of the Azrieli complex. In the foreground, you can see the curvy roof of the train station I use. There is a pedestrian bridge that connects the train station to the complex and right into a huge mall on the bottom three stories or so of the complex. You can see the mall in the model stretched out among the towers.

While you’re checking out images of Tel Aviv, click on over to this panoramic shot of the skyline from Tel Aviv University. It’s an amazing shot!