Trip Back from Efrat

My husband and I spent Shabbat in Efrat with family for a simcha, joyous occasion. Unlike previous visits, I didn't run into any old friends, besides those who are connected to our relatives there. I guess it's because we didn't doven in the main shul this time. The dovening and meals were in a nearby neighborhood with younger families.

We traveled by bus and at a later date will post photos from the trip, which are many since on Friday we took a bus that gave us a great scenic tour of Efrat. There was time to spare, so I didn't bother waiting for the other bus.

Going home was amazing. The bus from Efrat took us directly to a bus stop, the String Bridge across from Kiryat Moshe, just before Binyanei Ha'uma and the CBS where there are buses to the northern "city line," aka machsom  or Hizme.

It's a very busy stop where lots of other buses also pass and stop, as you can see here. After 10-15 minutes a bus to Beit El came, and we joined the masses piling on the bus. When we got off at the "city line," aka machsom  or Hizme, there was an immediate tremp ride to Shiloh. But then we found ourselves at the gate. OK, we could have walked it, under two kilometers, maybe just a mile straight up to our house.

Considering how long we ended up waiting, we should have walked. There were no rides. All of the cars passing were full for the longest time. And considering the hour, there was no strong sun beating on this side of the world. It was a good 6-7 hours until sunrise. Probably, if I had been on my own I would have started walking. But we waited. Eventually there was a ride with one spot in. Being that I was the only female waiting the gentleman let me be the lucky one. It was just to the "center" of Shiloh, so I started walking up the hill homewards. Soon someone stopped and took me to my door. And then my husband walked in a couple of minutes later.

All and all, no complaints from me. It was nice to be with family and share in smachot, joyous occasions.

Chodesh Tov everyone!!