So We Are Here

What a great trip. We were scheduled to leave New York at 11:50 p.m. on Monday night. After sitting on board for over an hour due to electrical problems and Orthodox Jewish rabbis problems, we left the ground about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. I will explain the rabbi problems: apparently you can tell an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, but you cannot tell him much. Like sit down. Get out of the aisles. Your carry on luggage is 10 times too large. It was amazing to watch. Even more amazing was the number of times they had to get back into their carry ons during the flight. Sure, most of the time they were getting their garb out so that they could do their prayers. Prayer shawls, phylacteries, bindings, robes. Let me say that I am certainly glad God didn't make me an Orthodox Jewish rabbi -- however, I am told that they had a lot more fun on the flight than I did. Can you say "duty free?"

Anyway, we took off after midnight. I had just dozed off when the flight attendants started serving dinner-- at 1:15 a.m. It was the worst sesame chicken I have ever tasted. The salad would have been good if my Italian dressing packet had not exploded all over Pat, my son-in-law's father and tour director. I had hoped to keep it from him and let him think he had spilled something on himself, but my conscience got the better of me, and I confessed. Oh, well.

So then it was time to get some sleep. However, the temperature hovered around 80 degrees while we traveled almost 5700 miles at speeds of almost 700 miles. At 37,000 feet, the outside air temperature was about -50 and lower, so I thought it would have been simple to have brought just a little bit of that air inside. Sleeping was not easy, but we did sleep some even with all the banging and moving around. Breakfast came about 6 a.m. Omelet with "salad." A mixture of peppers, olives, tomatoes and other things that they serve at every meal. The bread was fantastic.

We finally made it to Israel and through customs, and though everyone had told me to expect to see lots of soldiers with guns, there were none. At least none we saw. I am sure that most of the El Al agents were carrying some, but they were concealed. Well, let me close this post by saying all is well except I have to pay for Internet service. As technological as Israel has become, the hotels are not equipped with wireless or wired internet.

Thank you all for praying for us.