Spring in Venice

The time has come to say goodbye to Israel up to autumn and to move to Europe.

Let’s start new spring-summer season with Italy. At the end of April we like to go to Venice. The way from

Vienna to Venice takes a little bit more than seven hours, so we get to train at Süd Buhnhof in Vienna at 6:30 in the morning and some hours later have a dinner in Venice.

We get off a train at Santa Lucia terminal and inhale sea air that we don’t feel when live at the sea coast in Nahariya during a winter. We lead only few days far from the sea and begin to feel the miss of sea.
Today I wonna to show you other Venice, without a habitual look at Grand Canal and of Piazza San Marco, and on the contrary I suggest to take a look at Venice which hardly ever may be apprehend distinctly during short travel.
So, we start with first photo that I took early in the morning and shall finish with last beams of sun.I’ll divide my Venice photo story into three parts. The fist two - we tour the “small” and not having a smart appearance Venice, and the last one – we’ll visit Murano Island. And at last, along with legendary Orient Express will leave Venice for Vienna.

Gold Filled Jewelry for Every Day. Green Diamond SJD

Within 2009 we constantly represented in our online store “Green Diamond SJD” jewelry novelties made of material which became recently especially attractive as effective alternative to items made of Gold.
And I’ve understood that customers are not acquainted with Gold Filled well and now I would like to introduce closer this not so new but still not completely clear material, metal or … what else can we say about?
Gold filled look like a Gold but is cheaper than Gold Jewelry and better than simply Gold plated.
All items of our collection are equaled at 14 karat Gold layer and stamp 1/20 14 kt GF and have the same appearance as 14 karat Gold.
And one more advantage of our Gold Filled items than their counterparts: lightweight, multipurpose but at the same time meet with modern Jewelry trends so we can wear them both with business suit and cocktail dress and small charms will bring you a little bit flippancy to your days-off.

Earth Day in Israel – April 22, 2010

Forty years passed after the first Earth Day. And today, on April 22 the Earth Day will be marked around the world, including in Israel.
This day we should remember that Earth is our House and we need to clean up the Earth. This year Earth Day named “Green Agenda” and this day include the Green Globe award ceremony for environmental excellence, Earth Hour in which 14 cities will shut off their light for an hour and motley of other events throughout Israel.
Green Globe ceremony will take place in Tel-Aviv at Rabin Square
Earth Hour: Lights in homes, factories and other structures will be shut off for an hour as Israel marks Earth Hour fir the third year running. This symbolic and educational act aims to increase awareness of the vital need to reduce energy consummation.
And now, take a look at some photos that I took in Israel this spring.

Spring near the Sea. Nahariya, April.

The spring in Israel as well as in other countries is filled with freshness and multicolored array. Now in Nahariya the early-flowering roses show the most magnificent first spring attire. And in the first photo you see a favorite rose breed of my husband – Iceberg (Schneewittchen). The buds open into lightly double, pure white flowers with just a hint of pink at first.
Date Palms (Phoenix) (one of the world’s oldest trees and also it is a holy symbol) already form the future crop but now it is very “young” clusters.
Strelizia. Only the one kind of Strelizia with stately white flowers is graded in park near my home. It is named White Bird of Paradise. And in two lasts photos – flowers of Pomegranate.
I started my walk early in the morning. The spring sun hasn’t reached zenith yet, and so photos look very bright and cheerful. Saturday morning. There aren’t a lot of people outside, but in the beginning I’ve taken a walk through my city and then went toward the Sea where yachts have set up a true queue to put to sea.

Tzippori. Mona Lisa of the Galilee

Today I once again invite to visit Tzippori and look at mosaics of a magnificent Roman Villa “Dionisius Party” containing one of the famous mosaics in all of Israel.
At the top left corner (first photo) you see a modern building which was constructed specially to protect ancient mosaic panels. The fixed temperature and air humidity are maintained inside and special “foot bridges” are constructed for easy-to-look.
The villa was built around the year 200, and destroyed in the earthquake on 363.
The mosaics lie in the dining room. The tables would not place in the middle of the room and couches were put at the sides so people could enjoy the mosaics while eating.
The mosaic panels show excerpts from the life of Dionysius, the major figure of Greek mythology, ancient God of wine. In additional to winemaking, he is the patron of deity of agriculture and the theatre. He is seen along with Pan and Hercules in several of the 15 panels. Smaller mosaic pieces were used to allow for greater details.
The daintily laid compositions of thousands of tiny stones in 23 colors depict wine processions, drinking competitions and others.
And certainly, the main Tzippori’s attraction - “Mona Lisa of the Galilee” is housed in “Dionysius Party” dining room. It is portrait of young lady, possibly meant to be Venus.
Mosaic stones are more finely than on a “Nile House” and so even from close distance the effect of single whole, life-like picture.

Happy Easter !

Happy Easter !

I hope Easter would bring Peace and Love to every Home !

Tzippori (Zippori), Nile House Mosaics

We continue travel through Tzippori. Go upwards along the Cardo Street (Cardo means the main street). Collonaded Street was built in the Roman period and was one of the main streets of the city. And now, revert to my previous message and peer at Cardo Street restored in Bysantine times and we clearly se the tracks of heavy carts which must have pulled innumerable times along the bustling colonnaded shops of the Roman market on both sides.
The first point on my road was the “Nile House” or “House of the Nile Festival”.
The largest mosaic displays scenes related to the Nile. When I was describinga plot of this mosaic, suddenly understood very precisely, why ancient artist used this stage. All Israel territory is dry and for people living in this district, rains, rivers and water are God-given gifts bringing a life for plants, animals and people. And it isn’t no wonder, why the image of Nile was used in this mosaic … what else a big river of this region do you know?
Smaller mosaics depict Amazons, another one is of a Centaur, and there are other plots depicted to hunt in “Nile House”.
And now I’ll tell a little about a main mosaic of “Nile House”. In the upper corner the river us born from the mouth of a fable monster. A goddess Egypt rests by the river. Animals, plants and people come to life. A man and women stand at the ‘nilometer’ to measure the water level, which this year exceptionally high, giving cause for rejoicing. Further down there are depictions to Alexandria, galloping horsemen and on the bottom are fighting animals.
No doubt, that all plots of mosaics have the mythological explanation, but I don’t know something about.
And next time we are to make visit a main mosaic of Tzippori national park – “Mona Lisa of the Galilee”.

Ornament all Galilee, ancient Tzippori (Zippori)

We were going to visit this ancient city for a long time and at last the trip to one of the most magnificent National Parks of Israel has happened.
Even the route, we drove about an hour is so impressive that deserves the separate story. We turned from the Mediterranean Sea and drove to direction of Nazareth and we saw three completely various climatic zones differing one of other with completely different flora and transition was simply momentary. Just before crossroads, we see vegetation typical for coast climate and beyond it the vegetation of droughty climate and through some kilometers the pines appear and other plants that grow in Israel north.
Excavation in a place, where the prospering city once was, are conducted and I think, there is a very high probability that many else secrets will open in due course.
Zippori is located in the lower Galilee, halfway between Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. It is situated on the hill about an hour walk fro Nazareth and was the administrative capital of the Galilee in the 1st century. By 63 BCE Zippori and all Galilee were under the severe rule of Rome. Zippori suffered from the destruction caused by the civil war between Herod the Great and his archrival Mattathias Antigonus (the last king of Hasmonean dynasty) and after Galilee came under the rule of Herod Antipas Zippori was rebuilt and fortified.
Today we speak: “Zippori is located near to Nazareth” but at that old times there was all quite the contrary. Nazareth was a small and insignificant settlement to compare with Zippori.
Interest on the part of Biblical archeologists is related to the belief in Christian tradition that the parents of the Virgin Mary, Anna and Joachim, were natives of Zippory
So, today here are my first impressions and some photos of “Ornament all Galilee”.