Breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria certainly measures up! The options were varied, colorful, and numerous. I went rogue with lasagne, ravioli, pomegranate seeds, pineapple, coffee, and carrot juice. Dan was not quite as brave. 

We started our day with a visit to the 2,037 year old Western Wall (Wailing Wall), the most religious site in the world where Jewish people can pray. This ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem is actually just a small section (160 feet by 60 feet) of one of four retaining walls that date back to the days of King Herod (Herod the Great). A portable divider in the Western Wall’s open-air plaza separates access to the wall into a side reserved for men and one for women. It would be a sign of disrespect for men, Jewish or otherwise, to approach the wall without a head covering. For those who come unprepared yarmulkes are available to use for free. Shawls are available for women who feel they did not dress modestly enough. Prayer books are available for those who did not bring one of their own. Placing slips of paper with written prayers into the cracks of the Western Wall is a common practice. Dan and I each placed a prayer into a crack of the wall.

The Western Wall is wildly popular for Jewish ceremonies and celebrations as well as prayer making it a happy yet reverent place all at the same time. While we were there hundred were in quiet contemplation while others waved balloons, blew rams’ horns, sang, clapped, and played musical instruments. The Wall is open 24/7.

Excavation has gone on under what is now an old Arab neighborhood to see how much more of the 1,601 foot Western Wall can be accessed. We were lucky to get tickets to explore the excavation tunnels known as the Western Wall tunnels. Fantastic, short, computer-generated films explained the history of the coveted area and how it changed dramatically as one group of people after the next made changes, additions, and deletions to this sacred mountain top. We continued on through the tunnels until we came to a section of wall (underground) that is fully excavated and open for prayer and another area large enough that a small, simple area for worship has been set aside. Dan and I each added another prayer to the wall down there. As we made our way to the exit we were treated to another quick animated film showing the mechanics of how the walls were built in the first place.

A short visit to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park was interesting. There were a few reproductions of large rudimentary tools that helped move and place the gigantic stones used in the construction of the Old City. There was a section of the ancient market place that had been excavated down to the street level in Jesus’ time. The truly astonishing thing is how much rubble and debris the workers had hauled off in order to expose this area many stories below the current street level.

Before being let loose to wander on our own we visited the Crusaders’ 12th century Church of the Flagellation, the second station of the cross, with its austere front and stunning crown of thorns ceiling. We then followed Via Dolorosa to find stations three, four, and five of the cross.

A great dinner was followed by a remarkable evening at the Tower of David where we watched the ancient Citadel walls come to life with a sound and light show that told the story of Jerusalem and the rise of David from shepherd to king.

     … Enquiring Minds Want to Know …

On average an Hasidic Jew marries between the ages of 18-19 and has 8 children. The men traditionally practice a pious existence geared only to study. Spending nearly the entire day learning Torah (Jewish law) leaves no time for paid employment or service in the military. As the population of this sector increases, the support of these families has become quite a challenge for the employed, tax paying Israelis.

Arabs have on average three children and for security reasons are also exempt from military service. This is an additional burden on the families
of those whose children are expected to serve.

The Ottomans controlled the Holy Land for hundreds of years.
When they decided to leave they essentially sold real estate
on a first come first served basis which explains why different denominations
now “have custody,” as they say, over certain sacred spots.

The walk of shame involves getting lost from the group and having to reenter with all eyes on you. Dan did the walk of shame yesterday and Alan followed suit today.

 

The questions for the day are a) why didn’t I pay more attention in Sunday School and b) how can I know so little about Middle Eastern history? My brain is bursting from information overload while my digestive track deals with deliciousness overload. 

Sunday is the first day of the work week here, so we definitely noticed more traffic. We were headed out of town during morning rush, so we were not effected much thankfully, because today was jam packed with spectacular stops!

Our first stop was in Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home. We were there to visit the spectacular Basilica of the Annunciation, a stunning Catholic Church built over what is believed to have been the remains of Mary’s home at the time she was told by the angle Gabriel that she had been selected to bear the son of God. Everything about the church, built in 1969, caught my eye: the huge outdoor courtyard; elaborate metal doors recalling biblical events; the flat marble floors that were designed to look like steps leading the eye down to the grotto below; the ceiling and walls made of concrete and wood; and large mosaics of Mary made and donated by Christian communities all over the world. Mass was being conducted in Arabic when we visited, which was not a huge surprise since is was Sunday morning after all and the church is located in a predominately Arab city.

Off we went to the Sea of Galilee, which by the way, is not a sea at all but a lake. Stop pretending you knew that. Besides a lovely lunch (our best hummus so far and our first taste of baklava) on the shores of the Sea, we visited the Yigal Alon Museum which has as its centerpiece a small 2,000-year-old fishing boat that was reclaimed from clay in the Sea during a period of drought. It was used during the time of Jesus.

The two brothers who discovered the small boat in 1986 lived in the Kibbutz Ginosar which we had the opportunity to visit. We walked around the community and saw new and old homes, the community center, common outside areas, and visited the daycare center. The kibbutz supports itself in part by growing mangos, lychee, and persimmons plus they raise dairy cows. 

The first kibbutz, a collective community based on agriculture, started in Israel in 1910. All members were expected to work and contribute to the running of the kibbutz. In return they shared a strong sense of community and their basic needs (food, daycare, housing) were provided free. If members chose to have jobs outside the kibbutz they surrendered all of their wages in exchange for life in the community. Homes were very small since the community ate together in a dining hall and children were cared for in the nursery where they also slept. There are 270 active communities today. Many have privatized allowing members to keep a portion of their wages. Children no longer sleep away from home; new houses have full kitchens where families prepare their own food and eat together; and many have money making enterprises like hotels and shops. They remain popular and are not easy to join. Gabi was raised in a kibbutz (key-boo-tz), married and raised her sons there, but chose to leave in her 40s to try another way of life. Her sister still lives in a traditional one. 

When all of our kibbutz questions were answered, we headed to the Church of the Beatitudes. A peaceful walk in the direction of the church took us through a garden with eight stones, each a reminder of one of the eight beatitudes. The garden also has a stone mosaic with two fish and five round loaves of bread and a small fountain reminding those who thirst to come to Jesus to drink. This beautiful church overlooking the Sea, built in the 1930s, is run by Catholic nuns. The alter is built over the place Jesus was believed to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount.

Our last stop, also on the Sea of Galilee, was in Capernaum, home of Peter and other disciples. The excavated ruins of a synagogue and village dating back to the 6th century are situated in a garden setting with impressive statues of Sleeping Jesus, Saint Francis, and Saint Peter. Everything is designed to highlight the simple, small, beautiful church built over the home of Peter, the patron saint of popes and of Rome. A plexiglass floor in the center of the church allows a clear view of the ruins below.

After a long, wonderful day, we rolled into Jerusalem after dark and went straight to dinner. The starters were wonderful, as usual, desserts great, and we had our choice of main course. I chose a pumpkin and ancient grains dish, and Dan went with schnitzel. We got to the hotel …the Waldorf Astoria no less!… after 9:00 o’clock tired but satisfied with every aspect of the day.

… Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera … 

Kibbutzim is the plural of kibbutz.

Dairy cows live their whole lives in cow sheds which are huge
open-air, covered structures. They do not graze.

Mussolini paid for the Church of the Beatitudes.

Today we drove passed the exit for Jericho, the oldest
continuously inhabited city in the world.

At one time the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean were connected!

Rise and shine in the form of a wake-up call was at 7:00. We were sound asleep and not ready to rouse. FOMO got us on our feet. Breakfast surprises: green beans, cupcakes, chocolate bread pudding. Still being the sabbath (Shabbat Shalom by the way) the special elevator was working.

Our day started with a drive to the northwest tip of Israel. We were at the Lebanese boarder to visit Rosh Hanikra. A cable car, reputed to be the steepest in the world, took us a very short distance down to a man made tunnel where we walked into the flint-studded chalk cliffs. The walking path lead us to small grottoes, or sea caves, where water comes and goes according to the wind, weather, and small tide fluctuations. The water was calm and clear today, but sometimes it is so violent that the grotto has to be closed. Volcanic and tectonic disturbances over the millennia created the small, beautiful area we enjoyed.

We made a brief stop at the Lebanese border to see the locked metal gates and no-man’s land between the two countries. The border wall at the top of the mountain was visible from the road also. Gabi took the opportunity to explain Israel’s turbulent history with its northern neighbor. In the not-so-distant past rockets were fired across the boarder into the Haifa area with such consistency that an underground hospital was built in the city. In the context of this and other tragic stories Gabi has shared, it is easy to see why Israel has compulsory military service and is ever vigilant about its boarders.

We enjoyed lunch by the sea. Pita bread and the usual bevy of starters appeared. New this meal were a terrific parsley and cashew salad as well as tabouli and cooked oysters. It was easily enough to call lunch, but we each ordered an entree as well and then the star of the show was placed on the table: kanafeh. We had seen it in the markets but had no idea what this sweet goat cheese dessert could possibly taste like. It was an unassuming, low profile treat that demanded seconds. 

The highlight of the day for me was visiting the old city of Acre, once the capital of the Crusaders who were sent here to save the Christian holy sites from the Muslims. Acre was their last stronghold in the Holy Land and is now the largest excavated crusader city in the world. We went inside the Ottoman-built walls of the Old City and were amazed with the size of Knights’ Hall, the soldiers’ dining area, the secret passage/getaway to the sea, and the citadel. The amount of work it took to excavate this city buried beneath the millions of tons of debris left by those who came and built after the crusaders is almost unimaginable.

We walked through a colorful, busy street market on our way back to the bus. Everything from food to hookahs to clothes were on display. On the way back to Haifa we passed acres and acres of banana plantations, eucalyptus trees from Australia, and small villages. The roads are in perfect shape.

We were on our own for the late afternoon and evening, so we, along with Sandy, Alan, Sheila, and Ramesh (fellow travelers), explored the upper terrace of the stunning Baha’i Garden and Shrine, the top attraction in Haifa proper, and then took a cab down to see the entire hillside garden from the bottom. It extends almost a kilometre up the side of Mount Carmel and covers 200,000 square meters, has 19 steep terraces, two parallel streams, and terrace bridges. The centerpiece of the garden is the gold-domed shrine which is the final resting place of the prophet-herald of the Baha’i faith. 

We had a light supper at the foot of the garden in the former German colony. Before bed we set our clocks back an hour because of daylight savings time.

  … Miscellaneous …

With no exception, all building we have seen so far
are cream colored, either stucco or stone. Flat roofs are the norm except in the old German neighborhoods where the roofs are red tile.

The flat roofs are ideal for the nationally mandated water tanks and
solar panels used to heat the water.

All water used in agriculture is recycled.

Tap water is desalinized.

FOMO = fear of missing out.

 

 

Shabbat Shalom (happy sabbath) to one and all! In recognition of the day Gabi showed us the Shabbat elevator in our hotel. It is put into service on the Sabbath and requires no human touch. It is programmed to open on the ground floor every nine minutes and automatically stop at every floor going up and down.

Our day started off with an easy picturesque ride north along the coast. We passed avocado and citrus orchards, vineyards, olive groves, and hundred of long, low, plastic covered quonset huts for growing produce of some sort. The two roadside surprises were a) banana fields covered in netting (to keep the birds out) and b) a flock of storks flying circles beside the bus. The Greek god of great weather blessed us once again: 78 and sunny. 

First stop:  Caesarea National Park. A fabulous 10-minute film whizzed us through the storied history of King Herod’s stunning port city on the sea. He created a thriving commercial center with a complicated breakwater, a 20,000-capacity hippodrome for races, theater for performances as well as mud wrestling, markets, temples, and an ancient version of a lighthouse to guide ships safely to port. King Herod designed himself a large palace complex in the city center with, of all things, a swimming pool built into the sea. We could see its outline from the shore. The film went on to show the changes, good and bad, of all the people who came to rule the area after the Romans lost their stronghold plus the ravages of a series of earthquakes. Rising water from climate change is the current threat to this seaside archaeological site. 

in 1882 lots of Eastern European Jews migrated to Israel. 65 families from Romania came to Zichron Ya’akov with plans to work as a group and eventually make a better life. The winery we visited today, Somek Estate Winery, is a fifth generation vineyard owned by descendants of one of the original 65 families. The first four generations of this particular family grew grapes and sold them all to wineries in the area. The young couple who now own the fields and hosted us today decided to branch out and produce wine themselves, the first of their lineage to do so. Most of their grapes are machine harvested and sold directly to other wineries, but the best are hand picked and kept for their exclusive wines. By the way, Somek means blush, as in wine can cause cheeks to turn red. 

Our lunch was a combination noon meal, served at a huge harvest table, and wine tasting in the charming yet sophisticated tasting room. We helped ourselves to locally grown cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes; two kinds of quiche; amazing (it bears repeating) bread; cheese; olives; walnuts; and two whites wines and three reds. I loved the most expensive red. Smooth as a baby’s bottom I tell you. 

We ended our day on Carmel Mountain overlooking the port of Haifa where our hotel, The Dan Carmel, is perched. Our large room on the seventh floor overlooks the port on the balcony side and the pool on the window side. Our bathroom has two unique features: a TV built into the mirror and a huge clear-glass window between the bathroom and the bedroom.

Before dinner we had an interesting Q&A with a local Christian Arab. Arabs comprise 20% of the population with Christian Arabs being a minority within a minority, so it was interesting to get his take on life in Israel.

Dinner fit for royalty ended our day.  There were multiple hors d’oeuvres served mezze style to include pate, salmon ceviche, salad, beef carpaccio, bread, soup, grilled peppers, and champagne to wash it all down. That was just a prelude to a plated meal. I chose barramundi. Then came dessert and mint tea. Thank goodness I swam 12 very cold lengths before dinner.

… Fun Facts …

Habokrim Steakhouse, located in a gas station in Haifa, is a replica of a 19th century American Gold Rush-era eatery. Owners Hana and Yossi Tochner opened Habokrim, which is Hebrew for “cowboys,” after a Jeep tour across Arizona.

In predominately Jewish cities there is no public transportation on the Sabbath (Friday evening to Saturday evening).

Lunch is the main meal in Israel except on Friday when dinner is the main attraction.
If employees are unable to go home for a hot meal at noon, companies
often provides one or provide lunch vouchers.

It is not mandatory for Arabs to serve in the Israeli military.
They can volunteer however.

There is no separation of church and state in Israel.

We woke to the news that our Nationals won the second game of the World Series while we slept! A nice way to start the day.

Another nice way to start the day is with the sumptuous breakfast buffet. Like the Nats, it did not disappoint! The hotel is kosher, so by offering dairy (yoghurt, cream for coffee, butter) we knew there would be no meat. Every baked good I’ve had since we arrived has been mouth watering and the pastries and bread at breakfast did not fall below what I can only assume is some kind of national standard. 

Our group met at the civilized hour of 8:30 to begin our tour of some of the highlights of the city. We have a 45 passenger bus, so we can each have a seat to ourselves if we want to spread out. Today’s high was 80 with a soft breeze and full sun.

We explored the side streets of the ancient city of Jaffa, linked to the biblical tales of Jonah and St. Peter, perched on top of a hill overlooking the Mediterranean. With its natural harbor and fertile soil, ancient Jaffa was a strategic prize. It was conquered and reconquered countless times by Canaanites, Phoenicians, the Pharaohs, King David, the Assyrians, Ottoman Turks, and more. It is now a suburb of Tel Aviv. The old parts of town have limestone streets and walks and sandstone buildings. Once in disrepair, it is now a thriving arts community oozing charm.

While in Jaffa we had a private tour of the Ilana Goor Museum. The building, situated on a rise overlooking the water, was built around 1740 and served as the first Jewish hostel in Jaffa for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. It has been beautifully restored and now displays the funky, unexpected, multidisciplinary creations of Ilana. Her work encompasses sculptures, furniture, lighting fixtures, jewelry, and fashion items. One industrial looking metal light fixture weighed hundreds of pounds. Another light fixture was fashioned out of an African dugout canoe. One installation covered a whole wall and had an old plow integrated into the bottom of it. Another huge creation had balls of metal twine, animal skulls, and a farm implement. Ilana is known worldwide with pictures on display proving her acquaintance with the likes of Elton John, President Clinton, the Dali Llama, and dozens of others. We enjoyed seeing the museum building (where she also lives), loved the views from the terraces and kitchen, appreciated her art collection as well as her work but couldn’t, quite frankly, understand the appeal of some of it.

All that art left us hungry, so off we went to the Sarona Market complex for lunch. Think upscale food court with a couple of cooking stores, flower shops, and beer on tap. Dan and Alan went for chicken schnitzel and Sandy and I braved a savory pastry with cheese and spinach that came with a hot hard boiled egg, olives, hummus, and fresh tomato sauce. Gelato topped it off. 

Our drive to the last stop for the day took us past some of the Bauhaus buildings that Tel Aviv is famous for. In fact they have more than any other city in the world. Jewish architects from central and eastern Europe fleeing the Nazi regime brought the Bauhaus design concept to a very young, open minded Tel Aviv in the 1930s. 

We ended our day with a tour of the Israeli Museum at the Yitzhak Rabin Center. It chronicles the life, career, accomplishments, and tragic assassination of the late prime minister and the complicated development of the State of Israel after World War II. Mr. Rabin is beloved for his introduction of the idea of peace talks in place of continued conflict. His successful efforts in this regard brought hope to the country. Gabi told us she was at the peace rally where Mr. Rabin was shot and killed. 

Tonight’s dinner blew us away. It was served mezze style where dishes were placed on the table for everyone to share. Tuna ceviche was followed by bread, hummus, green salad, pesto pasta, fish, beef, mushroom ravioli, and three kinds of dessert. We were only too happy to take a walk along the sea to encourage aggressive digestion. 

… Fun Facts …

The population of Israel is nine million.

Israel is the approximately the size of New Jersey.

The typical down payment for a house or apartment is 25% – 30%.

The unemployment rate is 5.5%.

The inflation rate is 1%.

We woke up offering prayers of gratitude to the nameless Greek goddess of sleep because we slept long and hard and woke refreshed. We then cobbled together a light breakfast from the remains of our 24/7 grocery run from two night ago.

Our main task for the day was to relocate to the InterContinental David, a modern high-rise hotel at the southern end of the beach. It was less than a half mile from our apartment, but we didn’t think we could manage the luggage, so Alan and I took the luggage in a cab while Dan and Sandy walked. The walkers arrived just as we were halfway through the check-in process. We gladly accepted the receptionist’s offer of complimentary coffee and cake in the lush lobby lounge as an informal apology for our rooms not being ready. Full disclosure: it never dawned on us the rooms would be ready, so we felt like we really made out. We chose a table by the window overlooking the Mediterranean and the infinity pool and decided this treat would suffice as lunch.

Dan and Sandy had walked through the HalCarmel Market (where we ate last night) on their way to the hotel and suggested we go back and give it a good look. So, from lunch we headed there and had a great time wandering from stall to stall. It was jam packed with people shopping, sampling, and exploring. There were lots of the juice stands that Tel Aviv is known for. Several combinations were on offer, but pomegranate seemed to be the flavor of the day. Candy was plentiful as well as Turkish delight, baklava, fresh produce, bread, olives, fish, and spices. Sandy, Alan, Dan and I succumbed to the temptation of the fresh-from-the-fryer donuts and the pomegranate juice. The market had non-food items as well: clothes, housewares, cleaning supplies, jewelry, charms, and so forth. An enjoyable thing about the market, aside from how colorful is was, was how clean and organized it was and the vendors left the shoppers completely alone. There was no pressure to buy.

As a fun contrast to the atmosphere of the market, Sandy guided us to an upscale shopping area, Neve Tzedek. There were a lot of unique stores selling fun art, handicrafts, books, clothing, and upscale home decor. The shop keepers, like all the Israelis we have interacted with so far, were friendly and stood ready to chat or answer questions. One guy caught Dan trying to back out the door and called him on it by saying, “Come back in, I am not finished with my story.” (Dan came back in as instructed.) I asked a friendly fellow about the Jewish tradition of hanging mezuzahs in doorways. He was only too happy to oblige me with a detailed explanation. Like the good tourists that we are, we chose souvenirs at the various shops.

Our enjoyable low-key day ended with a 6:45 welcome cocktail reception hosted by our Gate1 tour manager, Gabi (Gob-y). We met the other 20 travelers, enjoyed wine and delicious food served in tapa-sized portions, and got a quick briefing on specifics for tomorrow. From the fried, tired looks on the faces of some of our fellow travelers, we were thrilled we had arrived in country two days early.

… Guess What? …

Tel Aviv is home to the third most per capita sushi consumption in the world, trailing only New York City and Tokyo.

The New York Times has dubbed Tel Aviv the ‘Mediterranean Capital of Cool.’

Tel Aviv enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year.

Founded in April 1909, Tel Aviv was the first modern Hebrew city.

There are 13 official beaches in Tel Aviv, all with free changing rooms and toilets, lifeguards, and a rescue station.

What a great first day we have had! Sandy arranged for a private tour before we left home. See why we hang with them? Our guide, Avraham, picked us up outside the apartment at 9:00 and whisked us off to Jerusalem for a full day of seeing things that are not on the itinerary the days we are there with the tour group.

Highlights include the best pita bread I have ever had. Oh my goodness! My pita was filled to overflowing with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, and of all things, pickles. Yum. We had lunch at a kosher restaurant in the Jewish section of the old city, so when Alan asked for coffee with cream, the answer was, “Sorry, we do not have any dairy because we serve meat.”

Another highlight was visiting the Garden Tomb and seeing a typical four-chamber tomb, the likes of which Jesus’ body would presumably have been buried. Many believe the tomb we saw was the actual one while others dispute it. Disagreements aside, it was set in a beautiful garden that has been carefully maintained as a place of worship, witness, and reflection by a nondenominational Christian trust since 1894.

For a lark we decided to walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. We went down dozens of stairs and just stepped right into the cold spring water. Sandy had warned us it would be pitch dark and wet, so I wore a headlamp and we brought water shoes and short pants. Hezekiah’s tunnel, located under the City of David, was part of Jerusalem’s ancient water system that directed spring water to a large collecting pool. Only remnants of the pool remain.

Great pita, a four-chamber tomb, and walking in a subterranean tunnel as narrow as 18 inches in places and cut so low I had to walk bent over some of the time in no way overshadowed the somber Garden of Gethsemane. With its 900-year-old olive trees and beautiful chapel on the Mount of Olives, it will no doubt remain a lasting memory because of its magnificent views of Old Jerusalem on the next hill and the acres and acres of centuries-old cemeteries below.

We also visited the Tomb of David which involved women viewing from one side and men from the other. Dan and Alan had to borrow yarmulkes for their visit. Signs agreed with Avraham that David is probably not actually buried there. The same is true with the room where the last supper took place. It was beautiful and large and probably not the exact location, but it was suggested we think of it as being in the proximity and similar. People watching and street life were fun to take in and interesting too.

At the end of our day we asked Avraham for a dinner recommendation near the hotel. He suggested a restaurant in a huge market place. Dan and Alan had monster burgers and Sandy and I had skewered ground meat. We were all pleased with our dinner choices and dove in with gusto. We walked through the by-then-closed market on our way home. It was cleanup time which involved a team of men sweeping trash into the thoroughfare. Another man followed with a firehouse-strength blast of water and then an honest to goodness frontloader came down and scooped all the trash into a small hill at the end of the street. A system I have never seen. Anyway, we enjoyed the short walk home with a quick stop at our 24/7 grocery for cookies. We can’t read the descriptions but thought they were a quite good.

It was wonderful to spread out in our nice apartment at the end of a long, satisfying day. Thank you Sandy!

… For What it’s Worth …

Israel is about 290 miles north to south and 85 miles east to west at its widest point and has four geographic regions—the Mediterranean coastal plain, the hill regions of northern and central Israel, the Great Rift Valley, and the Negev.

Army service is mandatory for both males and females 18 years old, with
a minimum service tenure of two years for girls and three for boys.

The weekend in Israel is from Friday noon until Saturday evening.
Sunday is the first day of the workweek.

Jews constitute about three-fourths of the total population of Israel. Almost all the rest are Palestinian Arabs, of whom most (roughly three-fourths) are Muslim; the remaining Arabs are Christians and Druze.

Arabs are the overwhelming majority in the Gaza Strip and the
occupied territory of the West Bank.

Our buddies, consummate travelers Sandy and Alan, invited us to join them on a Gate1 Signature tour of Israel and Jordan. We hit the road with them as often as possible because a) their brilliant travel choices are always well researched and b) they are fun, easy traveling companions. This is the first time Alan and I have been to Israel and Jordan and the second time for Dan and Sandy.

To get ahead of the jet lag the four of us decided to leave a couple days ahead of the rest of the group. How timely that United Airlines started a non-stop flight to Tel Aviv just a couple months ago. Dan and I enjoyed the luxury of Polaris class with lie flat beds, pillow choices, slippers, blankets, comforters, and the upon-request supplements of jammies and a mattress pad. Dan ate every bite of the five-course meal, but I decided to limit myself to the cheese course and a glass of port before going to sleep.

Our Israel-bound flight required a secondary security check at the gate when we left the U.S., and much to our surprise all passengers were required to be seated for the last hour of our approach to Tel Aviv. Fourteen hours after leaving the house we touched down in Israel. When we arrived it was 9:30 a.m. Virginia time, 4:30 p.m. here. 83 degrees with clear skies. Immigration was a snap and our luggage was waiting for us by the time we got to the carrousel.

Sandy selected a lovely two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath Airbnb for our extra two nights. Luggage in hand, our first order of business was to find an ATM and then grab a cab and head to our home away from home. We used a code to get in both the front door and the apartment, figured out how to turn on the hot water and air conditioner, logged in to WiFi, and then we went in search of a light dinner. We settled on an ultra-casual corner cafe across the street from our apartment and enjoyed the easy, casual conversation with the waiter as much as our simple meal.

A small 24/7 grocery store was next door to our apartment, so we took advantage and popped in to buy breakfast items. Certain things were easy enough to figure out, but most of the food had only Arabic and Hebrew labeling, so we took a few wild guesses and headed to the register.

We’ve had a fantastic start to this exciting trip!

… Trivia …

Israel is in western Asia.

Israel has two official languages: Hebrew and Arabic.

Native sons and daughters of Israel include the following: Itzhak Perlman, Judas, Chaim Topol (Fiddler on the Roof), Saint George, Gene Simmons (Kiss),
Natalie Portman, Gal Gadot, and Saint Joseph.

$1.00 = 3.52 Israeli Shekels (ILS) / 1 ILS = $0.28

We had covered the last of the 365 nautical miles from Cobh to Amsterdam and were tied up at the dock before sunrise on Dan’s 70th birthday. Just for grins we did a post-cruise weigh in. We were both up two well-earned kilos!

We left the ship at 7:30 and headed to the airport where Celebrity had our luggage waiting. The airport is huge and finding where to check in for our United flight took both of us to figure out. Thank goodness we had plenty of time. The terminal was mobbed, no doubt in part because our ship just turned 2,500 passengers lose, all anxious to get home.

Once we were checked in, there was no other human contact. A machine checked our boarding passes and another machine scanned our passports and let us loose in the terminal. We headed for the lounge where there was Heineken on tap, hard liquor, soft drinks, and coffee to go with cheese, pastries, ham, croissants, rolls, cold cereal, chubby pancakes, and tomato soup. We relaxed until our flight was called.

An ontime departure, good weather, a meal, a snack, two movies, and a nap made the eight hour flight pass quickly. We were home sorting laundry 15 hours after we woke up on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!

…BY THE WAY…

1 kilo = 2.2 pounds

In honor of the trip, one of my inflight movies was At Eternity’s Gate, the new Vincent van Gogh movie. It is a quiet, moody film which I particularly enjoyed after going to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I also watched Judi Dench in Red Joan which is a story centered on an English lady who is dubbed the Grandma Spy by the British press.
True story.

A sea day equals a sleep-late morning for Dan and me. We rolled out about 10:00 with the unpleasant task of cramming our dirty clothes and numerous purchases into suitcases that were full when we arrived. The superstar of first-world problems!

Hettie, Cleone, and I have a cruise tradition of getting together for a ladies-only lunch, so that was the highlight of the daylight hours. Our guys ended up doing the same, but at our insistence lunched at a different restaurant. We all enjoyed an encore performance by Phillip Browne in the early afternoon and then the diehards among us met for tea one last time before cocktails where our seating master, Walter, surprised us with a little ditty he made up on the spot.

Here we sit a little brokenhearted.
Came to cruise and only feel we stared.

Tomorrow we go our own way,
Only to cruise another day.

Walter’s final seating arrangement had a hair theme. We were told to sit in the place most closely associated with the clue on the card. These were the clues: Comb Over (Ronnie), Curly Locks (Hettie), Blondie (Walter), Refuses to Go Gray (Cleone), Salt and Pepper (Dan), and Silver (me).

Dinner, as usual, did not disappoint! On the way out we thanked the fun wait staff for taking such good care of us.

Dan shared a poem he had composed for the occasion.

We are six friends sailing the high seas.
We are known as the cruise buddies if you please.

Schele, Cleone, and Hettie are get-along gals,
So it’s easy to see why they are pals.

Walter, Dan, and Ronnie are Army men, all three.
They served all over the world and retired honorably.

Celebrity ships are the way to go.
With all the amenities it’s hard to say no.

Our ports of call are loads of fun.
And the days are best when we find the sun.

We meet at 4:30 for cocktails before dinner.
And one thing’s for sure…the wine is a winner.

We hit the show almost every night.
And we have our favorite seats where the view is just right.

Alas … it’s a farewell dinner and early debarkation.
But no worries, soon we’ll all cruise to the Alaskan nation.

What are the odds we’d have two poets in our midsts?

Vox Fortura, four classically trained crossover opera singers, were a wonderful way to end the entertainment part of the cruise. We hustled back to our rooms the minute they were done performing in order to put our bags out by the 10 pm deadline.

How did 12 days pass so fast? We are not quite ready to head home.