Yesterday, we got up very early (5:30 am) to do our last bike ride in Jerusalem. After a quick breakfast of peanut butter and jam on pita, we set out by van to a small village 15 minutes away called Ein Kerem. It is located in a beautiful valley below the Holocaust Museum (Yad Vashem). The plan was to ride the rolling, hilly roads surrounded by the Jerusalem Forest for about 3 hours before returning to home base and pack the van for our return to Tel Aviv. Initially it seemed as if we were going to be rained out, but soon the skies cleared and the temperatures rose quickly from about 18C when we started. As much as we wanted to continue riding for at least 65 km, the steep hills proved to be quite exerting for Naomi, although Ann was in good form. Us guys were too proud to cry "uncle". We rode to a popular rest stop called BarBahar, having climbed a good 340 metres from our start. A number of road cyclists showed up at this spot soon after us. After a few pictures and a pit stop, we turned back. The descent was fun, what with nice switchbacks and long downhills, yet a few more climbs particularly into Ein Kerem. We returned to our starting point and John and I decided to ride the steep climb up to Yad Vashem. Without the girls who like to coast downhill cautiously, we just let the bikes go, flying down the hill. It had only been a 2.5 km climb, but not being the least competitve John and I pushed each other hard to make it a decent workout.Back at our apartment, we took turns showering, changing and loading the van, which we parked ON the sidewalk beside the apartment building. Naomi really enjoyed this apartment and when we return next year, I may have to rent it again rather than the basic no-frills apartment provided by the clinic.
John and I were so good at packing the van now, that we got ALL the luggage and bikes into the back!
The scenery on the drive to Tel Aviv is always spectacular but this time we hit major rain all the way through, so it was difficult to enjoy the views. A missed turn in Tel Aviv had us going the wrong way and in circles for a short while before we got onto the right roads to our hotel. The next challenge was getting the van squeezed into an impossibly tight spot in the underground parking but with John's guidance (should I really trust him?), I did it. As we were unpacking things, John discovered a sticky mess that had leaked from a jar of honey, that Ann insisted on bringing back. Some stuff and the carpet in the van needed a little cleanup. Oh well..that was sweet!
After a good dinner on the boardwalk, we reclaimed our bike boxes stored at the hotel and disassembled the bikes, packed up the bike boxes and stowed them away in the van.
That was yesterday!
