Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! #1

Well, here we are at last! For those of you who haven't heard, I really miss Mary's old meme, Window Views... and Doors, Too! and I'm hoping to start it back up. I've renamed it Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors! and you're all invited to participate! All you need to do is take a photo of a window, a door, or anything architectural, and link to it here below. Like Mary's meme, this will be on Wednesdays - I'll put it up each Wednesday morning, Jerusalem time. Here we go! I suppose if this works, we'll need a button and such, but first I'd like to see if anyone shows up :)


Anyway, to get us started, here are a few shots that I've taken over the past few months, with this meme in mind!


Here's a huge clock sort of thing that I found in downtown Jerusalem: doesn't it look like a gigantic smiley face?


Here's an interesting group of windows that I found a different time, not far from there:


And lastly for now, here's an inviting gateway that I saw right here in Efrat while walking to work, just a few days ago:


Okay, that's it for now! Please link below to your whimsical window or delirious door, and tell your friends to come by too! I just love seeing interesting architecture from all over. After you submit your link, you can refresh the page to make sure that it worked :)
Oh, and if something doesn't work smoothly, please let me know so that I can try to fix it! 321toby at gmail dot com


Have a great day all!
-Toby

13 comments:

Ralph said...

The look of the past (and that can be anywhere) is intriguing, when architects were artists in detail. The ironwork and arch on the gate is very nice, the smiley window trim neat. I like the middle view: so much life even at night. We see building details all the time. It's time to pay attention and catty a camera at all times...

sparrow said...

I want to visit the house behind that wrought iron gate! What wonders reside there?

Robin said...

Great windows and doors Toby. That second one is so quintessentially Jerusalem, and the Efrat gate is really pretty too.

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Daniela@Isreview said...

Cool photos

yeah the sundial does look like a smiley face cool:)
Like almost everything in this lovely country of ours there is a story and history behind the clock too:)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoharei_Chama_Synagogue

Dina said...

Shalom Toby, mazal tov on your new meme.
With all the fabulous doors and windows in and around Jerusalem, one could make a whole blog on the subject.
If it's OK, today I submit an older post; but it is my favorite window shot because of the cute old Menschelach.

Yours sundial on Jaffa Street is so strange looking and has such an interesting history.

toby said...

Thanks so much for coming and participating, everyone! It's really heartwarming :)

Daniela and Dina - I know that there is a story behind that clock/sundial, but I don't know what it is. Can either of you tell us? Thanks!

Beth F said...

I'm so happy you revived windows & doors. I'll be sure to play along when I can.

Donna said...

Great shots! And I love this meme. Thanks for doing it.

Dina said...

Here is what it says in the article "Jerusalem: Architecture in the Late Ottoman Period" at

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/jerott.html

"The Sundial Building

Rabbi Shmuel Levi, a Russian Jew living in the United States and active on behalf of immigrants in Jerusalem, built this unusual building, standing on Jaffa Road near the Machane Yehuda Market. In 1908, with money collected in the United States, he built the three-story house; the first two floors served as a hostel for 50 people, while the Tiferet Zion Synagogue occupied the top floor. A wooden porch faced east; from here one could see the sunrise in order to determine the time for morning prayers.

An unusual feature of the building is a sundial on its facade, built by Moshe Shapira, a self-taught astronomer who had made a study of the science according to the writings of Maimonides and the Vilna Gaon. The semicircular sundial is five meters in diameter; above it, for cloudy days, were two mechanical clocks. Shapira also built three sundials on the third floor balcony of the building. The time on the clocks was set by Jerusalem time and not, as was customary in those days, by Cairo time.

Ravaged by fire in 1941, the Sundial Building was partially restored by the municipality in 1980."

toby said...

Wow! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Being mostly asleep during the last hours, I did miss this chance, but promise to be around the next week, I hope so.
Second picture is amazing indeed in its detail.
Please have a good Thursday.

daily athens photo

toby said...

That's okay, Robert - thanks for thinking of me, anyway! We'll be happy to have you next week!

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

That last photo of the gate is marvellous!