Like Finding Hidden Gems in Your Attic

Hi all,
As I may have mentioned in previous posts, I've always dabbled in all sorts of artistic endeavors as hobbies (and currently I'm trying to make those hobbies into somethign that pays the bills). I also tend to keep everything I've ever created and was deemed a least "not to shabby", which means that my office is a somewhat cluttered, semi-nostalgic place from times that have long passed (I keep things from my early teens and on, and being in the 2nd half of my 30s means I've had a lot of time to accumulate stuff). This is true not only for my office, but also for my computer. I keep everything I've ever written, published, taken a photo of - absolutely everything.

This morning I was looking for something, end ended up deep in my photo archives. And you know what? There are things there that amazed me. Photos taken by a teenager and a young adult, long before the age of cellphone cams. So I decided to share, maybe you'll like it as much as I do :-)

Before every photo, I'll try to provide a short explanation or background on when and where it was taken. I hope you enjoy this!

Deep in the south

This photo was taken in 2007, in Timna park (near Eilat, Israel), during a vacation I went to with a good friend. It was February, so the weather was quite pleasant, not too hot as it tends to get in the Israeli Negev (the desert part of the country). The clouds in the sky floated, feather-like, in contrast to the concrete rock formations on the ground. This was an amazing trip.
As I recall, this photo was slightly photoshopped (the signature in the bottom and the frame tend to imply that), but not very much so.

Peace and Sea Combine

When I was a much younger, and much more reckless person, I found myself in an adventurous mode. I decided that on the last day of the semester at uni., I'd get out of the last class, head to my car (because anyone who can afford it owns a car in Israel, for lack of better choice), and instead of going home, I'll go away to tour the north of Israel for a few days. Where would I go? What would I do? I had no plan whatsoever. And as I was also a student at that time (one who had to pay for a car, too), I didn't have much money, either.
And so I went on my way.

My first station was Acre, a lovely city, both ancient and modern, one of the most active ports in the area since biblical times. I had a magical evening there, hanging out with a local young man, who introduced me to the markets and the best places to go. He also found me a nice room to stay in, and then he bid me farewell. Very polite, this young man was.

I was very lucky on this trip. Thinking back about it, so many bad things can happen to a young woman on her own in foreign cities, doing whatever she likes without a care in the world. And all I wanted was to drive, wind blowing through my hair, and experience the world. And so I did. And the world smiled at me.
And I smiled back.

Hometown

I get very nostalgic sometimes, about the places I used to live and hang out in. And when I found these few following photos (not photoshopped, no filters, no nothing - everything au naturel), I got a little tear in my eye.
This is where I grew up - or, more accurately, this is where my grandparents used to live until the year 2001, but as I spent most of my time there anyway (it's also 20 minutes' walk from where my parents still live), I consider this my hometown - Savyon, Israel.
This place has changed since I was a child. The paved road you see in some of the photos was only a ditch going behind the houses, where I used to go on long, mysterious walks as a child, looking for insects and flowers and mushrooms and semi-wild fruits growing on trees and bushes. Always that tear in my eye. I really miss that place that is still there, yet it is there no more.
These photos were taken in 2010, with a really old cellphone camera, yet they turned out quite well. Today I have newer photos of my daughter in this place, from one of our homeland vacations. So funny to think how much time has passed.

Quality time

At one point in 2005, I dragged my mom to a vacation in Anatalya, Turkey. What do I mean by "dragged"? I found an ad on the paper (yes, it was long before Priceline and Booking.com were a thing, at least in Israel), showed it to her, and said, "okay, we're leaving in two days". Who cares that I was still in uni., that she had obligations, and that it was friggin' December, and who on earth goes to Turkey in December. So it took some convincing, but we went. Success!
And yes, it was cold. And yes, we got some rain. But we also got an extremely pleasant weather for the season, most of the time, and we got to see many things we wouldn't have otherwise. And here are a few examples (maybe I'll make an entire post of it yet). Photos completely unphotoshopped.

Final thoughts

Well, this has been a fun post to write. I'm glad I dived into this nostalgic rabbit hole, and I was glad to take you with me. If you like this post, maybe I'll conjure up a few more of those, as my hard drive is absolutely stuffed with pretty pics from the past no one has seen in a loooooong time.

For additional photos (mainly Paris related), visit my Instagram account.
For planning your dream vacation in Paris or France, come visit my website.
Or, if you just want to see more pretty things, go to my Etsy shop and see what I have there for you :-)

And in the meantime – don't forget to have a wonderful day.