Hello and welcome to the "Exploring Israel" series. I enjoy exploring my country by photowalking and photocycling¹
This is my entry post for the Wednesday Walk challenge and Make Me Smile challenge. That are hosted by @tattoodjay and @elizacheng every week on Wednesday².
If you want to know more about Wednesday Walk community and Wednesday Walk challenge read "Wednesday Walk shots from a few walks this week" by @tattoodjay. You will find the guidelines for posting and joining.
All the photographs were taken with my Xiaomi note 10 pro phone while I was #walking and exploring my hometown of Holon in #Israel. For more information about the town of Holon visit Wikipedia.
Today, while walking I came across one of the story gardens in the middle of the town.
Story gardens are #art exhibits scattered all over the town, each based on a children's story. Since I found out about them, I try to visit and photograph every one.
The one that I found today is about a girl and a cat from a children's book by dr. Pnina Frankel. Please note that the story is written in rhymes, my translation is not. This somewhat ruins the storytelling.
Now walk with me and enjoy the story of a girl and a cat.
We start by approaching the story garden from the street. Among the bushes we find a description plaque, it reads:
"What to do with a cat like that?"
Story Garden
Based on the book by Dr. Pnina Frankel
Sculptured by Sharlot Shalom
Landscape Architecture by Carmella Gabriel
We take a look around and find out it is a five parts story.
The story begins like this:
Shira received from her grandmother a cat with a white fur and a round belly. Shira asked the cat: "Do you want to be friends with a teddy bear?. "Me and the bear?" the cat answered in an offended tone. "He sleeps, is full of stuffing and has a shabby fur"
Near the plaque we find Shira sitting on a bench holding her bear.
We continue to the second part of the story:
Although being offended by the cat's answer Shira decided to try again. They went to a garden, Shira puts down a towel and invites the cat to sit down. The cat, horrified: "Shira, let's get out of here before my fur will get all dirty".
We see Shira lying on the ground.
Third plaque reads:
Shira put on a pink dancing outfit and offers the cat to go dancing with her. The cat doesn't budge, doesn't move any paw, turns away and is waiting for it to be over. Then all the way back home the cat complains: "I am never going back there! "
We see Shira dancing in her pink outfit and the cat that turned away from her.
We continue to the fourth part of the story:
The following day the cat wakes up, stretches and looks around. She sees Shira totally ignoring her. Frustrated, she searches the room and looks in every corner. "Something is not right here!" she thinks to herself. She cries to Shira: "Shira! Have you forgotten me already? What about me? What do we do today? ".
We find Shira with her back turned and the frustrated cat looking at her.
We walk to the fifth and final part of the story:
Shira smiled: "Then get up quickly, we will paint the house today! The walls will be white and the doors will be olive". The cat with a brush paints door after door and Shira decorates the doorframes in azure. It was quite late after they finished the work, the cat said: "Meow, meow, what a wonderful day!"
We see a happy Shira and a happy cat all covered by paint smudges after they have painted the house together.
Find this story garden by the red flag marker on the map.
My hometown features 49 story gardens scattered all over.
My previously posted visits to the story gardens:
And that’s all for today's #WednesdayWalk post. Hope you enjoyed walking with me. I appreciate you for joining me. Until the next time.
Thank you for looking and reading. Any questions or comments, let me know. Always happy to help.
Have a great week!
¹ All the photos are of public places, taken and owned by @alex2alex with Xiaomi Note 10 Pro and retouched by Snapseed. If you wish to use any of my photographs, please contact me first.
² All of the photographs posted here are unpublished on Hive, exclusive to the #wednesdaywalk community.