After a day of travel and folding into a pretzel on an airplane, it is always good to stretch out in a bed for a good night of sleep! Four of us arrived yesterday and experienced that blessing! Today began with incoming flights of 7 more guests. They were met at the airport by our guide, Yotam. After clearing customs and gathering luggage, they were met by our guide, Yotam, and led to our bus for the short ride to the hotel in Tel Aviv. I met the newcomers there.
Once the newbies settled into their rooms, those who wanted to get out for some sunshine and fresh air headed out to the boardwalk to stroll along the Mediterranean shoreline. It was Shabbat, so many locals were out enjoying the sun and surf. The Mediterranean coast in Israel has few natural harbors, but lots of manmade breakwaters that provide sheltered areas for swimmers, paddle boarders, and a few novice surfers. Sailboating is popular and the tiny vessels dotted the horizon beyond the breakwaters.
Yotam pointed out places of interest, including Jaffa which nestles on the coast just south of Tel Aviv. You may recall the Biblical narrative of Jonah and the great fish (some whould say a whale…though the Bible fails to do so!) Jonah left out of the port at Jaffa, headed the opposite direction God had directed him. It wasn’t long until the ship carrying Jonah began to take on water. Jonah admitted he was the problem and was thrown overboard, swallowed by a great fish, and spit up on land! Read the short 4-chapter book of Jonah to get the full context!
Our first partial group photo opportunity was along the boardwalk, where 6 travel-weary guests joined Yotam and me for a short walk. Of note is the British Embassy which we passed on our walk. As you may know, despite Jerusalem being the capital of Israel, all embassy’s were in Tel Aviv until the US made true on a long-standing promise and moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem in 2018. Since then, 9 other nations have moved their embassys to Jerusalem, but Great Britain is not one of them. This embassy is still operating in Tel Aviv.
We stopped for lunch at a quaint little restaurant just blocks from the beach. With an all-Hebrew menu, we relied upon Yotam to make a selection of various items we would share. We feasted on Mediterranean salad, falafel, a tasty meaty treat specially prepared in a baked pita, beef kabobs and lots of hummus and tihini. Yotam chose well!
Despite best attempts at making it to bedtime, some guests succumbed to jetlag and opted for a nap, so we gave them a couple hours in the afternoon while we awaited the arrival of our final 4 guests. Unfortunately, we had some late cancellations due to injuries and other reasons so our group shrunk considerably prior to the journey. Yet, we still have 15 hearty souls ready to get going with our first actual tour day tomorrow.
The Jewish day begins at sundown, according to the Biblical references to evening and morning (in that order) of the days of creation in Genesis 1. Thus, Shabbat ended at sunset and the Lord seemed to send the day out with a special gift of beauty. This was our first sunset together here in Israel:
We closed out the evening with dinner together in the dining room, then had our orientation…the first time all 15 guests were together in person with Yotam and me. We were acquainted via Zoom prior to the tour, but tonight we began the process of becoming one big tour family! This is a second timers’ tour, so there is obviously common love and interest in Israel. The group intermingled well and became very chatty! It is going to be a fun group! Here is the group together in our group circle:
If you know any of these fine folks, stay tuned! We’ll share a bit about activities each day and will include some pictures.
Tomorrow we will be in the area the world knows as the West Bank. If we are to believe only what we hear on the news, we might be convinced that it is a terrorist haven and very dangerous to be there. The reality, though, is that this area is Israel’s heartland, filled with Old Testament history and modern day intrigue. We’re going to talk about both. The Bible has a different name for this area and we’ll reveal it and its significance tomorrow. You might find that those who report the news don’t tell you the whole story!
Thanks for joining us on the journey! See you tomorrow.
