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January 08, 2007

Some things are hard to get used to

I am walking downtown when, all of a sudden, the sidewalk ends and I face bulldozers tearing up the pavement immediately in front of me. In another place, I might expect a sign warning pedestrians. Not here; signs are for wimps. Although traffic is heavy and drivers are doing their lunatic best, I watch as the Jerusalem pedestrians walk in the street or right through the construction. I follow suit until I notice a well-dressed older woman struggling with these options. I ask if she needs some help.

“Oh thank you, she says in a lovely British accent. “I’m 85 year’s old, I’ve been living here for 25 years. I should be used to this. Oh dear. Oh dear.”

Together we make it back on to the sidewalk, just past the construction.

“Please go on ahead,” she urges. “I’m just on my way to the dentist. I can manage now. Oh dear, oh dear. I should be used to this after all this time.”

I walk on alone only to see a car drive up on the sidewalk and come right towards me. I dodge to the side.

“Oh my…oh dear…deardeardear…Oh! Oh!”

I look back to see my new friend struggling to evade the oncoming car. I walk back and take her arm.

“I really should be used to this,” she says.

I tell several Israeli friends about the car driving on the sidewalk. The response each time is the same: “I hope it wasn’t me driving that car.”

I was sorry I didn't have a camera for the incident described above. But, it clearly wasn't to be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. This car drove towards me not far from my house.

It parked right by the crosswalk.

On Palmach Street, the sidewalk is narrow and the traffic is heavy. It can be rather tricky.

Posted by Ilene Weismehl  at 2:10 PM | Permalink

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Posted by: marc adler at January 11, 2007 02:43 PM

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