Saturday, March 31, 2012

Stones but not cobblestones

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Cobblestones--today's City Daily Photo theme.

I knew that I love the quaint roundish stones in old European lanes, but Theme Day made me realize I needed the dictionary to learn just what qualifies as a cobblestone.
So, it is "a naturally rounded stone, larger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder, formerly used in paving."
Maybe we don't have cobblestone streets in Israel because we have few streams or lakes that can naturally smooth and round stones into cobblestones?

Instead I give you the Roman Road or Caesar's Way, an ancient way that passes near my village in the Jerusalem Hills.

Whenever visitors plan to visit me in Israel or even just near my village, I warn them to bring serious hiking shoes so they will not feel every sharp stone underfoot.
Even with thick soles, a few hours on the Roman Road is trying.

People from abroad are always surprised how the land of Israel is covered with so many rocks and smaller stones.
I like to think it is because all the millions of Diaspora Jews who have come home to Israel over the centuries, they set foot on holy ground, give a big Jewish sigh, and exclaim the Hebrew proverb, "Ahh, even nagolah me'al libi," meaning "A stone has fallen from my heart!"
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25 comments:

  1. Love the view and the Jewish Sigh!
    Fantastic...
    Actually my Auckland Autumn photo is of a small side entry to an Art Deco building that is now the Auckland Central Fire station which is just a stone trow (no pun intended) away from the Auckland Hebrew Congregation Centre on Greys Avenue!

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  2. Lechezar, shalom. That's funny, what a small world after all.
    BTW, in Jerusalem we don't use "just a stone's throw from" because if thought of literally, it brings a picture of bloodshed.

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  3. Great story telling, Dina. Love it.

    Yes, cobblestones are not everywhere. And this is what we are finding already with the Theme Day. Contributors are saying WHY they dont have cobbles, but instead they have x. Which is a great workaround.

    I should think our Roman Road a great trial and tribulation to the soft-of-arch! One can see why the omnipresent 'paver' is such a saviour.

    Thank you for your contribution of wit and wisdom. The 'sigh' is to treasure.

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  4. ahhh .. you are mentioning europe stones and I just mentioned the ,,jewishstones ,,in Hamburg ,, so good .. dear Dina I gave you an answer .. ciao ..

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  5. Your writing made the picture a heart felt adventure. Please have a good new month and week ahead.

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  6. Wonderful, Dina. A Roman road is about the finest substitute I can think of. Deep, magical history surrounds you.

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  7. Wonderful post Dina, I love the "sigh"!

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  8. Interesting about the significance stones can have to a culture. Here on the west coast we have hardly any cobblestone lanes and no Roman roads. Maybe the closest things are gravel driveways :)

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  9. that last sentence really touched my heart. beautiful

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  10. Lovely photo. That's great Dina ! I must admit I was in doubt if to publish a Roman road in Torino for the theme day. I'll do next days :-)

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  11. Now that's what we call old. How beautiful.

    Interesting to read the definition of a cabblestone because in Menton we often have courtyards made of 'galets' which indeed are pebbles.

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  12. that is poetic!


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  13. Did they use an almost unknown old Roman road, partially under the sand, to move tanks quickly across the desert during the Six Day War? Or something like that...

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  14. Wonderful old Roman Road, Dina!

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  15. That sure does look like hard walking

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  16. Love this image, pure and simple.

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  17. What a magnificent photos for COBBLESTONE theme day, Dina! I'm imagining a careful walk along the pathway....

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  18. Love everything about this post Dina, the words, the image..so much ancient history. This is truly a cobblestone road in every sense of the word, despite how the dictionary defines it.

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  19. Works for me. The original cobbled road.

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  20. Well, I guess a Roman road is far more interesting than any other pavement! :-)

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  21. Love the stoney Roman Road and the Hebrew saying! Visiting Israel is on my bucket list...

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