Today, Friday, Shabbot begins at sundown so we knew we were in for a short day. Since this is our last day in Jerusalem we decided to make our way to the Jerusalem Mall by city bus. The Information Desk nearby told us to take the #18 bus by the King David Hotel. The hotel is just a short walk from our lodgings. Once on the bus we made ourselves comfortable and arrived at the Mall in about 35 minutes.

The Jerusalem Mall.

What can I say about the Jerusalem Mall?? Simple - "a mall by any other name is still a mall!!" We could have been in the Westfield Mall in Palm Desert or any mall anywhere. It is an attractive environment though. We noticed that, in order for shoppers to gain entrance, they had to submit themselves to a security search. The same was true of cars entering the parking lot. Security guards were looking into the trunks of the cars and had mirrors for inspecting underneath the car.

Another view of the Jerusalem Mall.

We spent a good amount of time looking in the shops and tried to get a "bagel" for lunch. It's interesting that bagels are not very common in Jerusalem. About an hour later, we decided to make our way back into downtown Jerusalem and to the "Holy Bagel" cafe to satisfy our craving.

A couple days ago, we met a taxi driver who was very pleasant. He took us to our destination and was determined that we arrive safely. And he gave us a "flat rate". So, I called him today and arranged for a "flat rate" drive to Tel Aviv tomorrow. Given our history with him, I feel pretty good about the forth-coming transaction. He's due to pick us up at the Tower of David, just across the street, at 10 a.m. If he shows, I think we're OK??!!  

Such are the adventures of travel...