January 9-10, 2017- Leaving USA for Tel Aviv
& Jerusalem
Thanks to early morning transportation provided by Janet Klein, we arrived at the airport in Cleveland three hours before flight time. I know. That's a lot of scooch room. David doesn't like rushing.
But that's not really the beginning of the story. Aside from our last minute frenzy of packing & check-lists, the month leading up to our departure date was "eventful." David was collecting leaves in our driveway using the large city garbage can. Did you know there's a warning on it in tiny print to "close like before moving?" He didn't. The lid caught on the ground, the can flipped, hit him in the forehead, & knocked him to the ground. He checked out at the ER & eye doctor with no injuries save two raccoon like multi-hued eyes. Yes, we know about Arnica.
The Friday before New Year's Eve I was delivering Mobile Meals. I wore boots since it had snowed. I miscalculated the thickness of the boot sole, caught it on the curb, & fell. My hands were full of meals so I landed on my knees & right arm. Then my forehead & cheek bounced off the pavement. I was focused on finishing the deliveries on time since I had a dental appointment at noon to have a tooth pulled. I made the appointment, they gave me an ice pack, & I asked for a discount since I thought I'd loosened the tooth. No dice. The good thing was that the novocaine numbed the injured side of my face & I had to take lots of Advil for the extraction. The bad news was that I woke up looking like a one-eyed raccoon. I didn't go to the ER, but did have my eyes checked. A-OK.
I'm telling you all this in case you notice anything in pictures we may send. David is 99% normal looking & I'm more yellow and green with touches of purple.
Back to the airport. Despite missing the exit from the circular automatic door into the terminal and feeling as if I was in an endless roundabout, we breezed through security with our new TSA pre-check status. Our connection to United in Newark went smoothly including the extra sequestration and security for Israel bound flights. As we waited to board I noticed four scruffy looking men with carry on bags being greeted by the gate attendants then entering the crew door. Bet they're Air Marshals.
There was a delay in take-off due to luggage that was checked in without the person boarding. While the ground crew was looking for it there was time for maintenance to fix one of our seats. It didn't recline. Too long a flight to sit up straight. For some reason I thought it was 13 hours from Newark to Tel Aviv, but it's 9 1/2 hours. Nice surprise.
We've rented an apartment in Jerusalem for a month. David has wanted to spend time there without being on tour. He wants to wander the streets and "feel" the city. I wasn't that keen to go there or to stay that long, but in a weak moment, after he was diagnosed with lung cancer, I capitulated.
We slept on and off on the plane & watched the orthodox Jewish men pray in the aisles. The flight crew were quite accommodating and gently moved them as needed. They didn't even try hard to ask them to be seated during mild turbulence. Experience taught them it was futile.
Yossi, our driver, picked us up at the airport. He's a friend of the woman we've been in contact with, Terri. Ironically, Terri was a child in our congregation in Hammond, Indiana. She moved to Israel as a young woman, married, & found David on Facebook. She's been our contact and key in helping us find housing. We look forward to seeing her.
We were met at the apartment by Reva, our agent, who showed us how to use the remotes for heat, window shades, & TV. We promptly forgot, but have a detailed guide book for help. The TV isn't responding & there's no heat in the master bathroom. We're waiting for a repairman. David just went out to get lunch since we were told the handyman will arrive "sometime today."
Thanks to early morning transportation provided by Janet Klein, we arrived at the airport in Cleveland three hours before flight time. I know. That's a lot of scooch room. David doesn't like rushing.
But that's not really the beginning of the story. Aside from our last minute frenzy of packing & check-lists, the month leading up to our departure date was "eventful." David was collecting leaves in our driveway using the large city garbage can. Did you know there's a warning on it in tiny print to "close like before moving?" He didn't. The lid caught on the ground, the can flipped, hit him in the forehead, & knocked him to the ground. He checked out at the ER & eye doctor with no injuries save two raccoon like multi-hued eyes. Yes, we know about Arnica.
The Friday before New Year's Eve I was delivering Mobile Meals. I wore boots since it had snowed. I miscalculated the thickness of the boot sole, caught it on the curb, & fell. My hands were full of meals so I landed on my knees & right arm. Then my forehead & cheek bounced off the pavement. I was focused on finishing the deliveries on time since I had a dental appointment at noon to have a tooth pulled. I made the appointment, they gave me an ice pack, & I asked for a discount since I thought I'd loosened the tooth. No dice. The good thing was that the novocaine numbed the injured side of my face & I had to take lots of Advil for the extraction. The bad news was that I woke up looking like a one-eyed raccoon. I didn't go to the ER, but did have my eyes checked. A-OK.
I'm telling you all this in case you notice anything in pictures we may send. David is 99% normal looking & I'm more yellow and green with touches of purple.
Back to the airport. Despite missing the exit from the circular automatic door into the terminal and feeling as if I was in an endless roundabout, we breezed through security with our new TSA pre-check status. Our connection to United in Newark went smoothly including the extra sequestration and security for Israel bound flights. As we waited to board I noticed four scruffy looking men with carry on bags being greeted by the gate attendants then entering the crew door. Bet they're Air Marshals.
There was a delay in take-off due to luggage that was checked in without the person boarding. While the ground crew was looking for it there was time for maintenance to fix one of our seats. It didn't recline. Too long a flight to sit up straight. For some reason I thought it was 13 hours from Newark to Tel Aviv, but it's 9 1/2 hours. Nice surprise.
We've rented an apartment in Jerusalem for a month. David has wanted to spend time there without being on tour. He wants to wander the streets and "feel" the city. I wasn't that keen to go there or to stay that long, but in a weak moment, after he was diagnosed with lung cancer, I capitulated.
We slept on and off on the plane & watched the orthodox Jewish men pray in the aisles. The flight crew were quite accommodating and gently moved them as needed. They didn't even try hard to ask them to be seated during mild turbulence. Experience taught them it was futile.
Yossi, our driver, picked us up at the airport. He's a friend of the woman we've been in contact with, Terri. Ironically, Terri was a child in our congregation in Hammond, Indiana. She moved to Israel as a young woman, married, & found David on Facebook. She's been our contact and key in helping us find housing. We look forward to seeing her.
We were met at the apartment by Reva, our agent, who showed us how to use the remotes for heat, window shades, & TV. We promptly forgot, but have a detailed guide book for help. The TV isn't responding & there's no heat in the master bathroom. We're waiting for a repairman. David just went out to get lunch since we were told the handyman will arrive "sometime today."
Toby
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