Today on the bike ride into Jerusalem, I was thinking that contrasts is one of the things that is so fascinating in Israel, and one perfect example is dressing for a bike ride. I left the house at about 6:20am, it was just getting light and still pretty cold. My ride starts off with a long downhill so I have gloves, scarf, wind jacket, and earmuffs to keep me from freezing and then at the bottom, I start a 6km (4mile) climb and within 10 minutes, I am so warm that even with a Gore-Tex jacket, I need to pull off layers. Of course, the contrasts here in Israel are not just about the weather; another example is people using carts and donkeys to move merchandise in Tel Aviv right near some hi-tech centers where state of the art software is being developed for global consumption.

As I was biking into town today, I looked down and realized that I was wearing the same clothes at the end of December that I wore at the end of August in Denmark. Winter biking in Jerusalem is a dream–come-true; there’s the odd day of heavy rain where the poor drainage system makes biking kind of sketchy, but most days, it is pleasant and sunny and the biking is great. In fact, after a few minutes of uphill cycling, I was pulling off layers and able to cycle in a T-shirt.
My suggestion: book a flight, pack your bike, and come to Jerusalem!