The books are calling

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International Book Week has started!
Tomorrow or the next day I'll be taking this train from Beer Sheva up to Jerusalem.
It's a long way there and back "just" to see a few thousand books and their exhibitors, but who can resist! 
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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Sand volleyball in Beer Sheva

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Sand volleyball, swimming pools, green lawns.
The good life, summer in Israel.

It was the view from the bridge this afternoon.
I think all those fun things are part of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev sport complex.
I've never really seen them before; lucky I climbed up to the Double Helix bridge and looked down.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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Double Helix bridge by night

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Beer Sheva's new Double Helix bridge is especially beautiful at night!

Once you get yourself or your bicycle up the tall escalator . . .

you can go over to the growing Advanced Technologies Park.

The bridge spans the railroad tracks.
The big building is Beer Sheva North/Ben Gurion University train station.
(Central Station is the other train terminal in Beer Sheva.)

More about the Double Helix in my earlier posts.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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Double Helix bridges the gap

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Beer Sheva's new Double Helix bridge was officially opened last week!
Half a year ago train traffic was shut down for one weekend so giant cranes could lift the bridge parts into place.

The small pedestrian bridge on the left lets students walk from the train and bus stations over to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The new big bridge lets people walk over to the growing Advanced Technologies Park.

Trains go under (it's less than an hour to Tel Aviv).

And people go over.

The view from the bridge: Ramot, a new neighborhood of Beer Sheva.

The train station and bus stops.
And a parking lot for the Park and Ride folks. 

Some escalator repair was still needed last Thursday.

There are two flights of escalators up to the top and also an elevator.

All the photos can be much enlarged with a click or two.
Here is a bit more information:
Double Helix Bridge Connecting ATP to Train Station Dedicated
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday.)
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UPDATE: A nice article about how Beer Sheva is growing, with a photo of the bridge when it was still lying on the earth in two big sections.
UPDATE Oct. 2, 2017:  The bridge won an international award!  Here is the announcement with a beautiful little video:  http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/bridge_award.aspx
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Double Helix bridge officially opened!

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Last June I showed you the new pedestrian bridge that had just been lifted and placed over the railroad tracks in Beer Sheva.
This week it was officially opened so I stopped by to go up and check it out.
The escalator repair man was also up on the bridge, checking out why one of the escalators was not moving.
His yellow sign said "ELEVATOR [sic] UNDER SERVICE.  PLEASE KEEP DISTANCE" but I could not resist going near to take this sweet picture!

It's quite a climb if the stairs are not rolling.
I will post more bridge pictures in the next few days.
It is in the form of a double helix and is quite beautiful!

Here is an article about the ribbon-cutting ceremony: http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Pages/news/helix_bridge.aspx

P.S.  Yesterday's blog photo was taken from the bridge.
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