Day one

Our adventure started four days early. We were scheduled to depart Wednesday October 31st, 2012. Hurricane Sandy had different plans. Between her and Frankenstorm, we had to think fast. So a decision was made on Friday night, as I was being blessed by Rabbi Greene, that we were leaving Saturday!! Note to self, when traveling with a group, book flights with the group!

The scramble to get things tied up, we needed accommodations for four extra nights, which was not such an easy task, but it got done. We needed to pack, but for some inexplicable reason, I was already 95% packed and had been for some time.

Emily and Jodi were dropped off around noon on Saturday, our fearless leader Wendy, who was to follow with the group on Tuesday night via Amsterdam, dropped off her son's phone (he is studying in Tel Aviv and was in need of a replacement)  and my husband Andy graciously chauffeured us to Hartsfield for the first leg of our journey.

An uneventful (somewhat rocky) flight to JFK, sitting in our new and unimproved seats (we had carefully selected for the flights we were supposed to be taking and they were outstanding seats, new seats NOT SO MUCH!)

Landed with ease at JFK, with a few hours to kill before our next "highly anticipated" flight to Tel Aviv. After a free Bloody Mary (thanks Em!) at the Delta Sky Lounge, and a first class Italian dinner, we go through the additional security at Gate 6, and we are off to Tel Aviv!!!!

10 1/2 hours in Row 47 (the row in front of the bathrooms!!), Jodi in the aisle, me at the window, and some poor fellow who thought he had a chance to score an aisle seat with a trade with Jodi (no thanks!).  And away we go!!! TV/movie selection was outstanding! Watched Jeff at Home, took my Ambien (well not really MY Ambien) and although I was not 100 % comfortable, I must have managed to sleep, because when I awoke there was only two hours left of the flight, and they were serving up breakfast!

And so a little before 2pm on Sunday October 28th, we land in beautiful Eretz Yisrael! Luggage a breeze, Israelphones sorted out kind of (they have to deliver them to our "hotel" (an explanation of the quotation marks around that word to follow), we hop in a cab driven by Ophar (who wants us to call him on Tuesday so he can take us to Jerusalem) and through the busy highways and streets of Tel Aviv, we arrive at The Trieste Bed and Breakfast!!

Jodi: "Are you sure this is the right place?"

Ok enough said, you can imagine our surprise. But Ophar says yes, this is the right place, the building is a square structure, no reception area, no front desk, but there is a parking lot (tiny) to the right of the building with cars in it...so we take a leap of faith and let Ophar drop us and our luggage there.

Hmmmmmmmmm, two men with cameras and another who looks like he might belong to the "hotel". As it turns out we are in the right place, the owner of the hotel is not around, he will let us use his phone to call her. Who is this man, and why are there camera men lurking around the hotel???? A WEDDING! The bride is getting dressed in one of the three units in this establishment, the young man with the phone, the hairdresser!!! The owner of the establishment ON HER WAY, 5 minutes!!

Mother and sister of the bride come out to the staircase, I offer to take their picture! I am only worried our 4 pieces of luggage will be in the pictures of the bride making her debut in her beautiful dress, but the paparazzi assures us she is not coming out yet. Mazel Tov to the sister, Mazel Tov to the mother!! They both look beautiful. Mom runs into the room and comes out of the room with a bag of candy. We must take a handful and throw it at the bride. We comply. The bride is beautiful.

Finally our proprietor arrives in a taxi, she is a bit flustered, but she shleps our bags back downstairs, talking talking talking, and leads us to the side of the building to our "big room". Ok, it is big. And kind of nice in a funky and weird way. But its clean, and she is so adorable, I wish I could remember her name because I think we are going out for dinner with her tomorrow night! I think my son Adam described the room perfectly, he said it looked like we were staying in a bomb shelter or dungeon, but later as we Skyped, he said it kind of looked like we were staying at the Wailing Wall! Why? Because the walls and ceiling are made of brick, and I have decided that before I leave this room, I am going to write a little prayer, and stuff it into a crevice of this room in Tel Aviv!

We walk to Herzl from our hotel. Every thing is in walking distance, and everyone we talk to says we are in a safe neighborhood, so we go! Jodi got her Shwarma, and I had a Falafal, and we came back weary and sated.

So my roomie is sound asleep, as I should be, but me, I am starting to blog!