Hi,
You are probably remember the sun balcony we had in the apartment in Ramot. Yes, you were not wrong , I did wrote sun balcony.
In Ramat Gan, as well as other central Israeli older cities – a balcony can be a room closed with shutters. There can even be a wall behind those shutters, but it still consider a balcony (at least for municipal taxes issues).
Aba grow up in such of those in grandfather and grandmother house. It was big enough to host the family during Passover Seder, and was closed with shutters all around.
I just wish to have a balcony such as that during the coronavirus lockdowns. One we could go out to and look to the sky, and only to the 42 stories tower standing across the street.
We did reveled ours during the first lockdown when we could not even go out with the kids to the playgrounds. This was the only place they could get some sun as well as having a look over the outside world.
But it isn’t only in the old cities. Even new buildings have the balconies sits one on top of the other, what not allows much sun to enter. People sometimes close those balconies as well with plastic sheets.
That is except for the Haredi (Ultra religious) sector buildings. They need demand sun balconies for building a Suka, a temporary room with 4 walls and a roof covered with palm tree leaves but must allow you to see the sky. Their building are built with real sun balcony, and when not – they dangerously improvise….
Take Care
Gad
Typical view of the Ramat-Gan buildings with the closed balconies
Our closed balcony with open shutters
Mindal enjoying the sun we do get on our balcony. The towers south to us are hiding most of what left from the winter sun.
One of the tower in front of our house, with balconies as well (one is already closed)