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| Roman mausoleum. |
Another long day, twenty-four miles, not really looking forward to it as I pop my last ibuprofen tab - really should have done that shop. I pass a Roman mausoleum - a haunt of John the Baptist apparently - then hike on into woodland. Seems the INT follows the Tel Aviv to Jerusalem cycle trail here, makes for easy walking and I make decent time.
My only food though is my supply of dry meals, so I need to go fourteen miles to reach a picnic area with water for cooking and cleaning. Can't say I'm sad to find a man there selling food... His English is limited, but his 'borekitos' (?) are most tasty. Some kind of flaky pastry and cheese, plus the obligatory olives.
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| Cyclists get actual signposts... |
Still a way to go though, and my medication is wearing off... I struggle on, telling myself that it is 'only' eighteen miles tomorrow. I do notice that my guide says there is a mall on the trail at around the twenty mile mark, with a pharmacy. This becomes a goal, I need some batteries for the GPS too. Maybe there will be a bar! So, it's a little disappointing when the 'mall' turns out to be a deserted industrial estate. Maybe there are shops off in the distance, maybe even open ones... damned if I'm wandering off to see.
So, me and my GPS exert the last vestiges of our energy and get to Latrun, which has a roadside service area, excellent. Batteries, lunch for tomorrow, check. No painkillers sadly, but there is a surprisingly good Italian restaurant where I consume pasta and a bottle of Israeli red.
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| Judean hills. |
Photos to go with this post can be found here.
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