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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A blurry train and parallel lines

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Luckily for me,  City Daily Photo bloggers have a Theme Day today on "Out of focus."
Our bus seemed to be having a race with the train and I had to click fast before the train disappeared behind the hill. 
If you enlarge this photo, you see the train is blurry. 
But still, I liked the picture.  So many parallel lines! 
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See more of that train in the previous post. 
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The train on the plain

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Usually if I have to travel to Tel Aviv I take the train; but this time I was on a bus, taking pictures of the speeding trains. 

A train on the bridge. 

A train on the plain, catching the rays just after sunrise. 
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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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Delilah of the Valley of Soreq

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And here endeth my multi-post saga of the great train journey up to Jerusalem through the Valley of Soreq.

But not without recalling a Bible story --
 "And it came to pass afterward, that he [Samson] loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah."

Yes, the famous story of Samson and Delilah -- how she tricked him into revealing the secret of his super strength, how she revealed it to the Philistines, and how they cut off his hair and weakened him.
Read it in Judges 16.
Then see more about Samson  and a bit about Delilah.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)
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Vineyards in the Brook of Soreq

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Just before the train to Jerusalem enters the canyon between the mountains, you see some vineyards.

At least I think those are grapevines.
Hard to get a clear picture from a speeding train with dirty windows.
You can enlarge the photos and take a closer look.
The train travels through the Valley of Soreq, and the Hebrew word soreq  is the grapevine itself in Genesis 49:11, Isaiah 5:2, and Jeremiah 2:21.  (See more about that in the Comments.)
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(Linking G for grapes to ABC Wednesday.)
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Two trains share one track

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When the train leaving Jerusalem, going west, gets to this signal #60, it is time to pull over on a side rail and stop for a few minutes. 

Suddenly you see it -- the "locomotive" of the other train coming in from the opposite direction, heading east up to Jerusalem.

The other train whooshes by!
Then we get back on the main track and resume our journey westward toward the Mediterranean.
This is called a passing loop (UK usage) or a passing siding (US).

 I like the sharp curves like this that let you see the front part of your own train.
The train does a lot of meandering and you hear and feel the clack clack as it rounds the bends. 
In this wild and secluded section of Nahal Soreq (the Brook of Soreq), the mountains on both sides of the narrow valley and the stream below did not leave room for the railway builders in the 1880s to build more than a single track.
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See more about this beautiful journey in yesterday's post.
And another post about A bridge over the river Soreq.
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Train up to Jerusalem -- almond trees blooming

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February 16 was National Almond Day, or so the American calendars tell me.
And indeed when I rode the train up to Jerusalem yesterday the almond trees were blooming like crazy!
Must be the rare winter heat wave Israel is having this week, with temperatures in the mid 80s (30 C).
On both sides of the train, in this small section, is the famous terraced agriculture of the Arab village Battir inscribed in 2014 as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Wikipedia tells the curious history like this:

In the 20th century, Battir's development was linked to its location alongside the railroad to Jerusalem, which provided access to the marketplace as well as income from passengers who disembarked to refresh themselves en route. During the 1948 war, most of the villagers had fled, but Mustafa Hassan and a few others stayed. At night they would light candles in the houses, and in the morning they would take out the cattle. When nearing the village, the Israelis thought Battir was still inhabited and gave up attacking. The armistice line was drawn near the railroad, with Battir ending up just meters to the east of Jordan's border with Israel. At least 30% of Battir's land lies on the Israeli side of the Green Line, but the villagers were allowed to keep it in return for preventing damage to the railway, thus being the only Palestinians officially allowed to cross into Israel and work their lands before the Six-Day War.

One almond tree among many olive trees.
This was the sunny view at 8:55 in the morning.
(You can enlarge the photos for a closer view, don't forget.)

The same spot but at 4:30 pm, on my way back, when most of the valley of Nahal Soreq was in the shadow of the mountains.

It is a fabulous train journey, meandering partly through a steep canyon with Soreq River running at the bottom, parallel to the railroad tracks!
I'll show you more of that part soon, inshallah.
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(For ABC Wednesday F is for fabulous.)
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Bus, train, factory, rebar

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It's not a great or thrilling photo, but catching the train made me happy.
Every time I take the bus to Beer Sheva in the morning this train passes under our bridge, and every time I say that next time I will have the camera ready to capture it.
Ta da!
In back is a big metal factory.
In the yard are stacks and stacks of rebar.
You can enlarge the picture to see it better. 
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Linking to ABC Wednesday.  D is for "De train, de train!"  ; )
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The big city, too big

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Took the train from Beer Sheva north to Tel Aviv today.
Just an hour and fifteen minutes, but you get off the train and you know you're not in the desert anymore.
Oof, humidity was 75% and temps in the low 30s, around 90 F.

Linking to Our World Tuesday.
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New bridge in Beer Sheva

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Just my luck that when I wanted to take the train from Beer Sheva to Tel Aviv last Friday, that line was closed for the weekend.
The reason: two huge cranes were maneuvering a new bridge into place above the railroad tracks at the Beer Sheva North/University station. 

In this shot from the bus taken today you can see the whole length of the pedestrian bridge, which will allow access to the new high-tech business park being constructed north of the station.

It will look nice once they take down the construction hording and fix up the base.
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And I made it to Tel Aviv on the bus in only an hour and twenty minutes on Friday afternoon, before Shabbat, when buses and trains stop running until the end of the Sabbath on Saturday night.
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(Linking to OurWorld Tuesday.)
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From one extreme to another in 70 minutes

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So my train pulled out of the sleepy Beer Sheva station and traveled northward through the flat, brown, dusty Negev.
It stopped at Kiryat Gat, Ramle, Lod, and a few other stations.

 

In just one hour and ten minutes we were transported into a totally different world--the metropolis of modern Tel Aviv.

 

More traffic lanes than I could count on the busy Ayalon freeway!

The railroad tracks are in the middle, and next to them runs the channel built to contain the Ayalon river when it starts flowing during winter rains.
Some parts of the highway still flood after very heavy downpours.

From the train station I could see (for the first time) the 2009 Azrieli Towers fountain.
A local joke is that the sculpted musicians atop the fountain are the quietest band of all on this very noisy, busy  street.

Tomorrow I'll show you the nearby brand new environmental sculpture which some hate and some love.
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(Linking to Our World Tuesday.)

The train north

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Last Tuesday morning  was my first time to take a train  from Beer Sheva.
The city has two stations.
This smaller, plainer one is Beer Sheva North - University station.

External shade elements help lessen the heat of the desert sun.

The English version of this sign made me chuckle.

Senior citizens pay half price on public transportation in Israel.
My Beer Sheva to Tel Aviv train ticket cost only 15.50 shekels ($4.25).

Here comes the train, a double decker!
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(In an older post you can see the interior of an intercity train.)
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Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.
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Train through the desert

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I have been away.
Tuesday I rode the Beer Sheva-to-Tel Aviv train for the first time.
Today,  Friday afternoon, I glimpsed the train from my Jerusalem-to-Beer Sheva bus.

It is good now to return to little Meitar, but it was wonderful to be back in the Jerusalem Hills and Jerusalem for four days.
And there are plenty of new and interesting photos to show you.

We are finally getting some clouds to hide the sun and there is a tiny hint of coming autumn in the air.
I am so ready for a change of season!

Linking to SkyWatch Friday.
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Shabbat shalom
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Wanted: female train drivers

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In just over one year Israel might have her first female "train driver."
Way back when I was a kid in Chicago  we used to say engineer or locomotive engineer (we're talking coal-burning steam engines!).

Israel Railways launched a TV advertising campaign to attract female and male candidates for a new and streamlined one-year training course for passenger train drivers.
See their one-minute video!

Hundreds of men and about 20 women applied for the 36 places.
It sounds like fun.  Would you like to try?

I have lots of posts about our trains.
And this post shows the interior of the Tel Aviv-to-Jerusalem train.

All aboard!
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(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors  and  Our World Tuesday.)
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The potash train, overhead!

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Luckily for the blog, the train was going over just as our bus was going under.
I'm pretty sure it is the potash train.
It transports potash from the Dead Sea Works at Sodom (see some great pictures of the place at BibleWalks.com) through the Negev to Ashdod port on the Mediterranean.
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(Linking to Signs, signs and  ABC Wednesday.)
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Fourteen camels killed by a train

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I  blogged once  about the danger of camels wandering onto the road down in the Negev desert.

But today 14 camels must have been grazing on the railroad.
A Dimona-to-Beer Sheva train hit them and all the camels were killed.

See the news item at Ynet.
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Park HaMesila, the Railway Park

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In my wanderings yesterday near the German Colony neighborhood, I was delighted to see the progress that has gone forward in the creation of the Jerusalem Railway Park.

I remember not so long ago when the Emek Refa'im section of abandoned tracks  was overgrown with brush; it had sat desolate since 1998. 
In June 2011 I saw first signs of the railway's rehabilitation, although at the time I didn't realize  just how big a project was planned. 

Now people can stroll on it and bikers can ride on the new bike path.
The Tichnun-Nof Landscape Architects'  guiding principle was "to create a harmonious sequence of pedestrian promenades, bicycle lanes, and a linear park creating an interlock between the neighborhoods on both sides."

The space between the 19th century iron tracks has been covered in colored architectural concrete with wooden overlays on the moldings.

More about this unique urban park:
the philosophy behind it  (and photos!)
and
practical information
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Trains and planes

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The 06:43 train leaving Jerusalem, heading into the narrow valley between the mountains.
One hour and 45 minutes later it will be in Tel Aviv.
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A clear blue morning sky for SkyWatch Friday.
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I took the train to Tel Aviv many times in the last few weeks to meet my daughter and her family.
An hour ago Naomi and Guy, Dean, Eyal, and Libby took off into the night sky, heading back home to Australia.
Fly well, dear kids, and shalom until next time.
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The bee's knees

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On the long (almost two hour) train ride from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, I used the time to take pictures.
Even some stealth shots under the table.

I was glad the young man sitting facing me had his rifle pointing NOT in my direction.
It didn't seem to bother the couple across the aisle.

But when I got home that night and examined the photos, I was puzzled by those two things on the front of the gun.
I kept saying, you're not in Arkansas anymore, Dina, stop thinking "double-barreled shotgun."

My son, who knows almost everything, had the answer.
It is a bipod that you can fold down to support the weapon when firing.

Look here for photos of American Harris BiPods for sale.
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I know, readers are going to ask. So here are some possible answers I gleaned from the Wikipedia article titled "Gun politics" :

Soldiers are allowed to carry their personal weapons and ammunition while on furlough during active service, uniformed or in civilian clothing. ...
Residents of Israeli settlements in the West Bank are issued assault rifles and ammunition by the army, and are given civil defense training. However, the rifles and munitions are property of the army, and may be confiscated at any time. ...
Self-defense firearms may be carried in public, concealed or openly. Israel is notable for being a country with few places where firearms are off limits to licensed individuals (private premises, some government offices and institutions, courts). ...
Gun ownership in Israel is considered a privilege and not a right.

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