Enjoyable Time at Botanical Gardens with Amit Women Ends Well

Yesterday I spent a magical afternoon at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens with Chug Ayelet of Amit Women. Some of the women there I'd known for decades, since my teens and others I met for the first time. I'm embarrassed to admit that it was my first first real visit to the botanical gardens. I had once, close to twenty years ago, eaten in the Caffit restaurant there, but that was it. 

This time we began with a light meal in the restaurant and then toured the gardens. 

We started the tour together in the train. I must admit that although three fully grown senior citizens did fit comfortably seated in the train, some of us had trouble getting in an out of the narrow doorways.

That's why when we were given the choice whether to do part three of of the tour, after walking around the humongous "hot house," some of us decided that we'd join the guide walking rather than getting back into (and then out of) the train with the other guide.

The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens are set up with plants from all over the world, and some of them need special conditions, extra water and even heaters.

There are plants that look familiar and others which you don't usually find in Israel. Tours can be arranged, and it's a lovely place to walk around. There's convenient bus transportation, too, though Google Maps didn't send me to the entrance, so I had to wander around the nearby neighborhood. You should know that one enters near but behind the local Super Sol, Superpharm shopping center.

My return home ended up very complicated because of the antidemocracy demonstrations which caused havoc in most of Jerusalem. Bus lines were suddenly cancelled and changed. When I got to a stop for a familiar bus, people told me not to wait, since the line wasn't running, and I began wandering around trying to get to the lightrail to get to my bus stop going home. A young man took pity and escorted me part of the way. Then after two short bus rides which were interspersed with a very long walk, I made it to Givat Hatachmoshet, Ammunition Hill, the first stop of my bus to Shiloh. But according to the official time table, I'd have a very long wait. Just as I made peace with the realization that that I'd have to go to the cityline and tremp hitchhike home...

Gd loves me. I'm sorry it inconvenienced others, but I was totally exhausted. I'm no youngster, and the distance I walked was far and hilly. To be honest, if I hadn't been able to walk it, I would have just sat down on the sidewalk and cried. 

Then I discovered that the 5pm bus to Shiloh Junction hadn't yet come. Gd must have delayed it for me. ב"ה. It showed up a few minutes later, and I sincerely thanked the driver and finally sat down. After waiting at the junction stop, finally someone took me to my neighborhood and I walked the rest of the way home. As the saying goes:

All's Well That Ends Well