We forget how torturous these long flights can be, discounting the short, one-hour hop from Columbus to Toronto. Even the 4+ hour layover there didn't seem bad as we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and each other's company before departing Toronto about 4:30 p.m. EST.
Rather it was the 10+ hour flight from there to Tel Aviv that woke up the echoes of other long flights (e.g., 16 hours to Hong Kong). And, it wouldn't have been too bad except it seemed like one flight attendant was determined to bump my arm in my aisle seat every time she passed by . . ."no sleep for you!" I think I heard her murmur. Cheryl and the rest of the female contingent - Mary Lee, Cathy, and Mary - seemed to do pretty well catching some Z's but I'm guessing mine totaled about 1 hour in a fractured sort of way.
Things were looking up, though, when the plane started descending over the Mediterranean (always so blue and made me think of father-in-law Ray Creamer and his navy days sailing on it in the USS Salem). And, landing at Ben Gurion International Airport (honoring Israel's first prime minister) was smooth, as was the Customs process. I must say, though, that you can certainly feel the presence of a lot of extra security as compared to other places we've traveled to, and that is a good thing in this land constantly under pressure and threats.
We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant and several of us opted for the lamb schwarma. Not to sound like the Grumpy Gourmet, but frankly I've tasted a lot better in good old Columbus, Ohio, but the ambiance was second to none. After lunch, most of the group elected to check into our hotel for a well deserved siesta (see paragraph 2 above), including my lovely wife who is, at this moment, clearly showing me she is alive but particularly sonorous (and well deserved that is, too!).
Tomorrow begins early as we're leaving the hotel at 7:30 for a multi-site jaunt, beginning with Saint Peter's Church in Jaffa. From there, we travel along a famous highway known biblically known as the 'way of the sea' to arrive at Caesarea to explore the ruins of the Roman and the Crusader City. Here at its prison, St. Paul was held in captivity before being sent to Rome, and it is also the place where the first gentile was converted to Christianity. Leaving there, we pass by the remains of the Roman horse racing theater the Hippodrome and visit a beautifully preserved Roman Aqueduct.
After a Falafel lunch at a Druze village, we continue to Mount Carmel and visit Stela Maris Church and the Carmelite Monastery of Elijah, the Prophet. From here you can see a panoramic view of the Israel Valley, known as Valley of Armageddon. On to Nazareth where we visit the Church of the Annunciation and the Synagogue where Jesus learned to read the Bible. We will visit the Carpentry Church and the Gabriel Greek Orthodox Church. On the way we visit Cana of Galilee, the village where Jesus performed his first miracle - the miracle at the wedding. Finally, we drive east through the upper Galilee to the Sea of Galilee. Arrival at our hotel on the shores of the beautiful Lake of Galilee for dinner and overnight. In the evening we will stroll the streets of Tiberias.
And, that is, believe it or not, just one day. More tomorrow. Love to all friends and family.
Rather it was the 10+ hour flight from there to Tel Aviv that woke up the echoes of other long flights (e.g., 16 hours to Hong Kong). And, it wouldn't have been too bad except it seemed like one flight attendant was determined to bump my arm in my aisle seat every time she passed by . . ."no sleep for you!" I think I heard her murmur. Cheryl and the rest of the female contingent - Mary Lee, Cathy, and Mary - seemed to do pretty well catching some Z's but I'm guessing mine totaled about 1 hour in a fractured sort of way.
Things were looking up, though, when the plane started descending over the Mediterranean (always so blue and made me think of father-in-law Ray Creamer and his navy days sailing on it in the USS Salem). And, landing at Ben Gurion International Airport (honoring Israel's first prime minister) was smooth, as was the Customs process. I must say, though, that you can certainly feel the presence of a lot of extra security as compared to other places we've traveled to, and that is a good thing in this land constantly under pressure and threats.
We had a momentary "oops" when one of our party left through the wrong door in the bus boarding process, and was momentarily no longer part of our group. That got rectified and off we went from Tel Aviv toward Jaffa, the sea-side city of its origin.
Tomorrow begins early as we're leaving the hotel at 7:30 for a multi-site jaunt, beginning with Saint Peter's Church in Jaffa. From there, we travel along a famous highway known biblically known as the 'way of the sea' to arrive at Caesarea to explore the ruins of the Roman and the Crusader City. Here at its prison, St. Paul was held in captivity before being sent to Rome, and it is also the place where the first gentile was converted to Christianity. Leaving there, we pass by the remains of the Roman horse racing theater the Hippodrome and visit a beautifully preserved Roman Aqueduct.
After a Falafel lunch at a Druze village, we continue to Mount Carmel and visit Stela Maris Church and the Carmelite Monastery of Elijah, the Prophet. From here you can see a panoramic view of the Israel Valley, known as Valley of Armageddon. On to Nazareth where we visit the Church of the Annunciation and the Synagogue where Jesus learned to read the Bible. We will visit the Carpentry Church and the Gabriel Greek Orthodox Church. On the way we visit Cana of Galilee, the village where Jesus performed his first miracle - the miracle at the wedding. Finally, we drive east through the upper Galilee to the Sea of Galilee. Arrival at our hotel on the shores of the beautiful Lake of Galilee for dinner and overnight. In the evening we will stroll the streets of Tiberias.
And, that is, believe it or not, just one day. More tomorrow. Love to all friends and family.
I'm looking forward to more beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteI can’t wait to hear more, and found myself thinking, “If it was Mom that didn’t make it to the bus, Uncle JD would have ripped on her!” �� We are all well here! Love - Whateverhernameis
ReplyDeleteLove you all and look forward to reading more of your adventures.
ReplyDelete