The day of rest (and boredom)

Today, being Shabbat, with nothing better to do, I took a walk to the Hebrew University (Givat Ram) campus. I wanted to see how long it would take to walk since this is where I'll work most days. Since I didn't really know where I was going (though I had a good map), it took about 1 hour to walk there. This jaunt included a big uphill trek. But it only took 35 minutes to get back home since I kinda knew where I was going this time and there was, of course, the helpful descent. The Givat Ram campus shares the neighbourhood with the Israel Museum, Bible Lands Museum, Science Museum (for kids), the Knesset, soccer stadium, and other big official buildings. When I ventured out at about 1 pm I expected few people, no moving cars and some tumbleweed. To my surprise, I found a smattering of cars - a similar number to those that you would find early on a Sunday morning in downtown Toronto, and handfuls of people walking around, including joggers and cyclists, and even the stereotypical yoot attached to a cell phone.