On down

• At the trafiic light, Binyamin Mitudela comes in from the right and continues as HaAhri (http://www.blogger.com/(http://israelvr.net/kever_ha-ari/) to the left, up to the Museum of Islamic Art (a gem). I cross Aza and continue down the hill.
• The hatshop on the southeast corner has a huge inventory. The following is not stereotyping (bad) but cultural sensitivity: The women who look best in hats, and tout ensemble, are the French. Perhaps it's posture. Why are French mothers better than American at instilling graceful carriage?
• On the southwest the barstools of an alcohol-selling snackbar offer sidewalk perches. Beyond is a health food store, then hardware, a laundry, and Café Atara, moved from its historic place on ben Yehuda, but still good.
• A little way after the Coffee Shop is a small park, its bomb shelter now the headquarters of the Neighborhood Watch. The number 31 bus to the mall stops here, but I am not tired, the sun is not hot, and it is not raining. I drink from my water bottle. A taxi beeps the offer of a ride ( http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2006/06/taxis.html ), but I like the feel of the sun on my calves, browning my feet around the sandal straps. Past the steps to Hatibonim St (across the street is one of the few byways not on the map: steps up to Harlap), across ben Saruk http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Saruk.html i walk down, muscles tightening against gravity. Here the view opens of the hill (across the valley) where the apartments of Nayot march up to Neve Granot with the Israel Museum above them all.
• Across the street are an art-supply shop, three hairdressers, (one where Rav Berlin splits off), another small cafe and one of the small groceries that make city living a joy. (The last two are on the very first bit of Rav Berlin).
• To my right, hugging the hillside, two schools cooperate: the elementary- school branch of Evelina (de Rothschild), is a (national/public) religious school for girls; Paula (ben Gurion) is a (national/public) secular coed elementary school. Volunteers from both schools and the neighborhood get together each week to clean up trash.
• Beyond two shaded benches, I turn onto a path down through the small park and into the pedestrian tunnel under Hazaz. We volunteers have cleaned this up more than once.
• A man and a woman on bicycles ride right into the "Valley of the Cross," but I continue parallel to busy day and night Herzog (I think http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yitzhak_HaLevi_Herzog is the one the street is named after) through the olive trees to Yevin St., quiet, shady, hidden, and almost mysterious. Three men and two women jog towards me, talking, but not on cellphones.
• On the right, the Scouts building and after that one for the religious youth group Bnai Akiva. In Israel, Bnai Akiva groups are usually segregated by gender. Scouts are coed – which practice international Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations found questionable. I understand they eventually made their peace with the integration.
• An expanse of lawn opens up. Here is an excercise stop for joggers: a slant board, chinning bars. At the far end, imaginative play equipment and a drinking fountain. At the unnamed sculpture I cross to the east side of Hertzog, where there is a short line of retail shops, including a bakery with a cafe. I’m about a third of the way to the mall.
• For the rest of the walk see http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/destination.html and http://jerusalemblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/walking.html

Copyright 2006 Jane S. Fox