Phew - arrived in Israel safely! That flight was long - and there were sections with lots of turbulence. Because I get really freaked out when the plane bounces around, I couldn't really sleep. I think I got 30 minutes total.
We got off the plane and went to customs, where they stamped my brand new passport book! Then we went with the rest of the group to pick up the luggage. Unfortunately, Ilona (Paul's sister) didn't find her bag - either someone else took it by mistake or it didn't get transferred. She was pretty upset, but is handling it relatively well.
So after picking up the luggage we meet up with the rabbi and find out how everyone managed to get to Tel Aviv. Turns out the rabbi and the Cohens got a flight from National to NY and then took a flight direct from NY to Tel Aviv and arrived before us! The Liebermans and the Pauls got to LGA with Paul and me, but because they needed to retrieve their luggage, they had to finagle plans. They were driven from LGA to Newark and caught a flight to Tel Aviv that put them in around 5p. What a nightmare!
After we find out what happened, we got on the bus that would be our home for the next week and a half. We drove to the open air market. I slept on the drive (20 minutes) and then we got out, got some food, and walked around. There are amazing pottery, woodwork, glasswork, and metal sculptures. I saw some paintings, but I'm holding out til I find something that really grabs me - I'll know it when I see it.
After the market, we went to the hotel, checked in, and then took a long-awaited nap! Woke up around 5p and headed off to the beach for a quick dip before heading back to the hotel and showering for dinner. That shower felt fantastic.
Dinner was great - the food was excellent. There were lots of stewed meats and marinated veggies. A local rabbit of a reformed synagogue spoke about the new reform movement and its gaining popularity. He was really interesting and I learned a lot about the separation and segregation of the Jews within Israel.
After that, I checked email and wrote the family to say I was OK. Now I'm in our room, which has a great view of the Mediterranean, and am going to do a little bit of reading before turning in for the night.
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