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Barbara Kingstone is an award-winning travel/lifestyle writer.
This year, 2019, is the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus architecture movement and it’s still youthful appearance fits our modern lifestyle. Although the birth of the Bauhaus school was Weimar, Germany, it’s in Tel Aviv, Israel that has the largest collection outside the birth city. Bauhaus was introduced to a growing city and the signatures of colour, geometric shape, minimalism, and simplicity, came to the city that was growing out of the sand dunes. A SERIOUS OASIS IN THE DESERT Tel Aviv, Israel, is a city with a palette of monochromic colours . . . now. I have my favourite architects - Walter Gropius who introduced his vision of Bauhaus along with Le Corbusier, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Many new immigrant architects who had come to Israel, were involved at the start of this movement with new ideas, shapes and new concepts to an accepting, new country. WHO STARTED THIS? In 1919, Walter Gropius, a German architectural visionary, elaborated his thoughts and Bauhaus also known as Modernism/International Style considered the treasure of architecture, was born. Of the details which distinguish them in Tel Aviv, due to different weather needs, were recessed windows which originally, were rectangular walls of glass but here allowed too much sun into the non air conditioned interiors. Innovated flat roofs doubled as places for public gatherings, and another nod to this hot country, were long narrow balconies which covered the apartments below, allowing for some extra breeze. These edifices were raised on pillars with double functions - a playground for the children and extra wind to cool the apartments. “FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTIONS” On my last visit to Tel Aviv, I visited a mid city residential area, a wide, luxe, tree lined street. Rothschild Boulevard, is one of the many streets with what seems like a white stucco forest. The unadorned splendour is most welcome in this extremely now very costly area. In recent years when I am in this “bubble city” I go for meals at the cafes and kiosks and share the magniof these buildings and wonder the cost of maintenance of the 4000 existing buildings. I had heard about the mother lode of what is known in Israel as International Style, but never found time to really study the shapes, lack of embellishment, without the style looking like Russian slabs of concrete. The 4000 buildings, were designed when many German Jewish architects of the school of Bauhaus, fled Germany with the uprising of a new political party, Nazism. Unstable conditions were beginning to rear its ugly, murderous future. In 2003, Bauhaus was cited as an UNESCO Heritage Site. THE COLOUR OF HAPPINESS. Although T.A. was a city often seen as grey and drab, as it was originally, it grew out of the sand dunes, Colour came from the constant blue skies meeting the glorious span of white sandy beaches and azure blue water. Meanwhile, now, T.A, it is considered one ‘of the ‘coolist” cities in the world and an also know for the area of white and ecru buildings known as ‘The White City”. AN INSPIRATION When Israel was declared a country in 1948, there hadn’t been much focus on building design. Initially, the immigrants who became the backbone of this country, didn’t have the financial means. There were too many other issues to deal with, like creating a political system, making do with what was available where there was only desert. Tents were the common living quarters followed by kibbutzes. Wow, look at Israel now. Tel Aviv, is a world class city with extremely well designed skyscrapers, huge diamond cutting, pharmaceutical, technology industries, high amount of Noble Prize winners and not to be forgotten, creating and developing desalination which other countries have copied. And all these accomplishments with only 7 million population! The continuing miracles of Israel are the constantly new entrepreneurs, famed authors, musician, medical innovations and, of course, maintaining the world’s major collection of Bauhaus Architecture. Tel Aviv, “the bubble city”, is a happy -go -lucky city that grew from weeds and little else into this luxurious, cultural, and now expensive city. It is the showcase of a country with no oil but happily with natural gas, that has grown into a major world centre and Tel Aviv is the miracle - an oasis in the desert. Having been a travel writer for more years that I want to remember, people began to come to me for advice on destinations, particularly, India. I have traveled the sub continent extensively and know about the pleasures and the pitfalls of India travel. With this in mind, I began to advise people on travel to India and established India-Concierge.Guru. All of India is ever-changing. Since I know the sub continent quite well, I recently made an itinerary for a couple to travel to destinations and areas that would suit their liking and their ability for walking. That’s my contribution. I listen to likes, ability and plan the itinerary. They were absolutely delighted with the hotels, the restaurants, sites, drivers, English speaking guides and since both have trouble walking, the wheelchair which was always in the car’s trunk, in each city, when and if needed . . . including assistance in air flights. This couple returned so very happy and now are thinking of another area of India to visit next. India-Concierge.Guru gets to know what each person wants and needs. My associate in Delhi makes my plans happen per the demands of the clients. Let’s talk. India is a ‘must see’.
You can reach me at bk@barbara3.com, Looking forward to hearing from you.
Let’s talk. BK@BARBARA3.COM WWW.INDULGEDTRAVELER.COM
Reach me at BK@BARBARA3.COM Visit the newest India Travel website: www.indulgedtraveler.com under Asia/India.
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