Starting a journey

This blog called "Is there biking in Jerusalem" because among other things, I want to know: Can you commute by bike in Jerusalem? 

I have been told, by reliable sources, that biking in Jerusalem is not safe, although I did see a few bikes (with riders) when I was here in May. I didn't send my bike to Jerusalem, figuring that I would do some research on the ground and if things had changed, maybe I'd get a bike here. Otherwise, I might be in for a long commute by bus or tram.

Dome of the Rock from rooftop in the Old City (May 2012)

Getting Here

I arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport at about noon local time, having flown from Vancouver to Toronto with a short layover and then Toronto to Tel Aviv. That's about 20 hours after I left Vancouver. Not bad for covering some 10000 kms.

The day started early, just after 5 am when I got up to shower, eat, and briefly reflect on whether I had packed the right stuff before shrugging and deciding that I wouldn't be able to figure that out until I arrived in Israel.

Mom and Dad drove me to the airport. Check in was easy, until the baggage drop off when one of my suitcases weighed in at two kilos overweight!! Repacking was required. I was blaming my Blundstone boots -- a last minute addition on Sunday night -- when it became clear it was actually the books I'd packed that were putting me overweight. Big surprise!

Arriving in Israel is punctuated by rushing imposed by security requirements. First, it's the last minute rush to the loo. With about an hour to go before landing the crew announces that at 30 minutes out of Ben Gurion International (Tel Aviv) all passengers must be in their seats. Israeli air space permits no passenger movement. (This seems to apply somewhat to flight crew as they get rather scarce toward the end of the flight...or maybe they are simply exhausted from the 11 hour flight and are grateful to sit down knowing they need not respond to those little bright lights of demand.)  Second, it's the rush to get in line at passport control. Today I had an extra passport control as I was stopped randomly en route from deplaning to passport control. The kind, but serious, officer quizzed me about my purpose for being in Israel and where I would stay. At passport control I chose a slow line, but having a visa for my stay seemed to smooth the process. (Maybe all that waiting for the passport was worthwhile?)

At last, with fingers crossed, I proceeded to the baggage carousel. All that time in line meant that the baggage was already out so I would know immediately if my luggage were there. I have had a long standing theory that if an airline sees on your itinerary that you will be at the destination longer than a week or two, they will displace your luggage to another flight if they need to create extra space. Maybe now that you have to pay (on Air Canada, at least) for a second bag, they wouldn't dare delay delivery. Or, the fact that the flight was not full (it being Rosh Hashanah), maybe there was no need for luggage juggling. Whatever, happily, I have my baggage.

Finally, I had to find the Nesher shuttle to Jerusalem - the most affordable way to get to the city (about $15). The shuttle is a 10-passenger minivan that once filled up drives to Jerusalem and stops at the hotels requested by passengers. This means if you get there first and have heavy luggage (me!) you will likely be near to the last to be dropped off (okay, third from last today). I'm staying in Bakah, south west of the Old City, near the German Colony.

Settling In 

It turns out that a friend of a friend, who is a recent SFU PhD and also a postdoc at HUJI, is staying in the same neighbourhood so we met up for dinner. He's been here for a week so I am getting all the tips I can for errand running including getting a SIM card for my phone. Tomorrow I'll be viewing potential apartments and rooms, hopefully finding a home, and hopefully getting my phone working.

Bike Report

So, it seems there are some bike paths. From the Shuttle I saw pathways on Mt. Scopus (by the University) today. While out for dinner tonight, I saw bike pathways in the German Colony. And, I saw three people rollerblading (!!!) in the German Colony and several runners.  The Vancouverite in me smiled.