When you leave an airport on one side of the world, pass through numerous time zones, spend over 12 hours on an airplane, and finally get on the ground again, you are not sure what day it is, so this entry is for Days 1 and 2 of our trip. Someone with more sleep than I have had can decide just exactly when Day 1 ended and Day 2 began. That concept is beyond my mental capacity at this point.
However, from one who has done this trip with a layover in someplace like Rome or Munich, I much prefer the non-stop trip. Either way, you are in the air the same number of hours, and this way it takes less total time to make the trip. Others may disagree. “WikiAnswers” says the distance from Atlanta to Tel Aviv is 6,420 statute miles…whatever that means. Translation: It is a long way , and this is the longest flight I have ever taken.
The important point is that we are here safely, a fact we are very thankful for. I had to pinch myself and repeat…we are in ISRAEL…the land where Jesus walked and taught and did miracles! Just realizing where I am has produced enough excitement to give me a brief “second wind”. I did say “brief”.
For those of you keeping up with the details, Tel Aviv is eight hours ahead of CDT (which is Alabama time…and 7 hours ahead of EDT). So, when we arrived here at 5:30 Thursday afternoon it was 9:30 Thursday morning at home. I am told I will get those missing hours back in my life during the flight home.
When we left the Atlanta , we went through the usual security check (shoes off, computers out, jackets off), but this time we had to go through the same process a second time before boarding the plane to Tel Aviv. The plane got off only a couple of minutes late and this particular plane was set up so that there was an individual TV screen on the back of each seat. So we each had our own viewing screen and were given a dozen or more movies to choose from, a huge selection of TV programs, plus a flight screen where we could track our route and current location at any time. There was also a collection of electronic games on the screen. Having all of that entertainment available was a huge help in passing the time. Also they served us various meals and snacks, starting with “dinner” about 11:30 PM! Most of our group reported getting little or no sleep. I only managed to get in a 10-15-minute nap even after taking two Simply Sleep tablets.
It was dark in the plane, and I took off my shoes to relax a bit more. During the night I decided to put them back on to make a trip to the restroom. I struggled and struggled to get my shoes back on and remembered how feet often swell when seated for hours in an airplane. Finally I managed to squeeze my feet back into my shoes, but they were extremely cramped and most uncomfortable. I did not like the thought of starting a trip with hurting feet, but when I got up and looked more closely I was relieved to find my feet were not swollen at all. In the dark I have put my shoes on the wrong feet! No wonder they were hurting.
Our route took us over the western coast of Italy, the Greek island of Santorini, and Rhodes, where the apostle Paul landed. We flew south of the island of Cypress, but were too far away from it to get a photo even though Austin, one of my fifth graders, had told me to get a photo of Cypress! We flew over Tel Aviv proper before landing. As you can see from the photo, Tel Aviv is a modern city with modern highways like out interstates.
Upon arrival we met our guide for Israel. His name in Elimelech Ben Meir, and we are to call him Elie (pronounced EL-e). Elie is an Israeli, and speaks excellent English that even a southerner can understand. Our driver, Fawzy, is a Palestinian, and the two of them have worked together as tour guide and driver several times before.
When we arrived in Tel Aviv, we all managed to claim our suitcases except Joan and Larry. Their suitcases did not take the same route we did, but the luggage should arrive tomorrow. However, since it is the Sabbath (day of rest for Jewish people), they won’t be delivered until the following day! We were all exhausted, but managed to make one stop before going to the hotel. We stopped in Joppa (the town where Jonah set out on his ill-fated voyage). There is a Catholic church built over the “traditional” site of the house of Simon. As I was taking the photo of the Catholic church in Joppa surrounded by road signs written in Hebrew, we heard the haunting sound of the Muslem call to prayer. Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore!
The quote of the day I credit to Elie. He said that a tour of the Bible lands allows you to “read the Bible in color”. I love that idea. In other words, once you actually see the places you read about in the Bible the accounts become so much more vivid that it is like changing a photo from black and white to full color. Tomorrow morning we start adding that “color” to our Bible study. Tonight we need to get to bed fairly quickly. Wake-up call in the morning is at 6 AM, breakfast and bags out at 7:00...board the bus and be ready to see some of that “Bible Color” by 7:50. We will be ready!
But for now…It is past bedtime somewhere in the world.
However, from one who has done this trip with a layover in someplace like Rome or Munich, I much prefer the non-stop trip. Either way, you are in the air the same number of hours, and this way it takes less total time to make the trip. Others may disagree. “WikiAnswers” says the distance from Atlanta to Tel Aviv is 6,420 statute miles…whatever that means. Translation: It is a long way , and this is the longest flight I have ever taken.
The important point is that we are here safely, a fact we are very thankful for. I had to pinch myself and repeat…we are in ISRAEL…the land where Jesus walked and taught and did miracles! Just realizing where I am has produced enough excitement to give me a brief “second wind”. I did say “brief”.
For those of you keeping up with the details, Tel Aviv is eight hours ahead of CDT (which is Alabama time…and 7 hours ahead of EDT). So, when we arrived here at 5:30 Thursday afternoon it was 9:30 Thursday morning at home. I am told I will get those missing hours back in my life during the flight home.
When we left the Atlanta , we went through the usual security check (shoes off, computers out, jackets off), but this time we had to go through the same process a second time before boarding the plane to Tel Aviv. The plane got off only a couple of minutes late and this particular plane was set up so that there was an individual TV screen on the back of each seat. So we each had our own viewing screen and were given a dozen or more movies to choose from, a huge selection of TV programs, plus a flight screen where we could track our route and current location at any time. There was also a collection of electronic games on the screen. Having all of that entertainment available was a huge help in passing the time. Also they served us various meals and snacks, starting with “dinner” about 11:30 PM! Most of our group reported getting little or no sleep. I only managed to get in a 10-15-minute nap even after taking two Simply Sleep tablets.
It was dark in the plane, and I took off my shoes to relax a bit more. During the night I decided to put them back on to make a trip to the restroom. I struggled and struggled to get my shoes back on and remembered how feet often swell when seated for hours in an airplane. Finally I managed to squeeze my feet back into my shoes, but they were extremely cramped and most uncomfortable. I did not like the thought of starting a trip with hurting feet, but when I got up and looked more closely I was relieved to find my feet were not swollen at all. In the dark I have put my shoes on the wrong feet! No wonder they were hurting.
Our route took us over the western coast of Italy, the Greek island of Santorini, and Rhodes, where the apostle Paul landed. We flew south of the island of Cypress, but were too far away from it to get a photo even though Austin, one of my fifth graders, had told me to get a photo of Cypress! We flew over Tel Aviv proper before landing. As you can see from the photo, Tel Aviv is a modern city with modern highways like out interstates.
Upon arrival we met our guide for Israel. His name in Elimelech Ben Meir, and we are to call him Elie (pronounced EL-e). Elie is an Israeli, and speaks excellent English that even a southerner can understand. Our driver, Fawzy, is a Palestinian, and the two of them have worked together as tour guide and driver several times before.
When we arrived in Tel Aviv, we all managed to claim our suitcases except Joan and Larry. Their suitcases did not take the same route we did, but the luggage should arrive tomorrow. However, since it is the Sabbath (day of rest for Jewish people), they won’t be delivered until the following day! We were all exhausted, but managed to make one stop before going to the hotel. We stopped in Joppa (the town where Jonah set out on his ill-fated voyage). There is a Catholic church built over the “traditional” site of the house of Simon. As I was taking the photo of the Catholic church in Joppa surrounded by road signs written in Hebrew, we heard the haunting sound of the Muslem call to prayer. Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore!
The quote of the day I credit to Elie. He said that a tour of the Bible lands allows you to “read the Bible in color”. I love that idea. In other words, once you actually see the places you read about in the Bible the accounts become so much more vivid that it is like changing a photo from black and white to full color. Tomorrow morning we start adding that “color” to our Bible study. Tonight we need to get to bed fairly quickly. Wake-up call in the morning is at 6 AM, breakfast and bags out at 7:00...board the bus and be ready to see some of that “Bible Color” by 7:50. We will be ready!
But for now…It is past bedtime somewhere in the world.
Hi Jane! It's Stacy. So glad you've landed. How wonderful that once again Fawzy (doesn't his name mean "king"?) & Eli join you on this trip. They are marvelous! Looking forward to your tales of this trip.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane. Jim and I were on Ferrell's tour with you in 2006. Reading your blog made me cry as I remembered being there and what a wonderful experience is was. I look forward to following your blog through this trip. We will pray that you have a safe trip and that all goes well.
ReplyDeleteJimmy and Darlene Alexander