[img]96|left|||no_popup[/img]Dateline Jerusalem — It is 7 a.m., and I left my home 15 minutes ago.
My job does not start until 9.
I am on my way to work via a comfortable, air conditioned “tour” bus with brightly colored corduroy velvet padded seats.
The trip to Jerusalem in the morning has views of orange groves (Rehovot is the citrus capitol of Israel), grapevines, olive trees, acres of land planted with rows of corn and onions, tomatoes grown above ground in greenhouses, sunflowers, and beautiful flowers the names of which are unknown to me.
Israel is the No. 1 exporter of flowers to Europe.
Along the way I can also see ferns and palm trees.
As I have mentioned before, Israel is the only country in the world where there are more trees now than when it became a nation.
Colors of Nature
At this point in my journey, I am now viewing a forest of all types of trees on my right, white and pink bougainvillea flowers on my left.
The road signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English, the first two being the official languages of the country. The bus is at a standstill in traffic, similar to rush hour in Los Angeles, the driver having just turned off the engine as we begin our climb up the hills to Jerusalem.
The strangest part of all is that most people commute via bus or train. Few have their own vehicles. Why is there such a traffic jam?
The highway gradually winds through the hills of slate and what is known as Jerusalem stone with boulders so high that they almost block the morning sun. I am able to see well-worn paths of stone cut through the hillside that makes my imagination wander to ancient times with peasants and their flocks of goats and sheep roaming the hills.
Through the Mountains
As the bus climbs higher and higher, we begin to enter civilization once again. The homes and apartment buildings are constructed from concrete and Jerusalem stone, some built right into the mountain. Red tile roofs and off-white facades are against a backdrop of green trees. Although there is no grass or manicured lawns because water is scarce, Israel has blossomed from a barren desert.
Jerusalem has to be the most beautiful city in the world. Its views are spectacular, especially at night, and it seems to go on forever. Old and new blend together, ancient historic remains from biblical days mixed with modern high-rise buildings, each with an unparalleled architecture.
The city of Jerusalem has a myriad of densely populated neighborhoods, with sights and sounds unique to each area due to ethnic and religious compositions.
I have just arrived at the Central Bus Station and connected with a city bus that will take me to my work destination. Although there is air conditioning and the fabric on the seats is the same as my original “tour” bus, the similarities end. These seats are hard, and the bus is like two buses joined together in the middle by an accordion like structure that enables the bus to easily navigate the twists and turns of the narrow residential streets where cars are parked on the sidewalks.
I arrive at my final destination, a technology park. The guard at the gate checks my briefcase and purse while I walk through a metal detector. I continue walking across the bridge that takes me to a building of made of aqua-colored windows. The glass elevator inside takes me down to the glossy marbled first floor that gives me access to several buildings in the technology park.
As I cross the courtyard to my office building, I feel as though I am on the quad of a university.
This describes my morning commute to work. The two-hour trip doesn't seem bad after all.
L'hitraot, Shachar
Shachar is the Hebrew name of a California-based attorney and former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy who moved to Israel 22 months ago.
