Wednesday in Israel Speaking French

So I left Pittsburgh yesterday morning, which seems like this morning. However; this morning I was in the middle of the Atlantic somewhere. We landed right outside of Tel Aviv tonight, Wednesday, around 6:30 pm. It was a very long and uncomfortable flight, but somehow it managed to pass by with relative ease. When people were making airplanes they were not thinking about my knees or people over 4ft tall.

As we arrived in Israel I was able to see some of the country side from the airplane. It was dry but beautiful with rows of what I think were olive trees. At the airport there was surprisingly little security. I saw no one with guns, and after we checked our passports we went right through the airport. The airport and surrounding area is very nice and built up. We have a tour guide who is very knowledgeable about the area named Tom who is American born but not lives in Israel. He told us that most Israelis live in high rise apartments, which you can see scattered through the skyline.

The hotel I am staying at tonight is called The Seasons. We walked through the door of the hotel, were given pineapple juice and then proceeded to dinner. I think that may have been my fourth dinner today since the airline kept feeding me dinners at midnight, 2am, and 4 this afternoon. The food was a variety of vegetables, hummus dips, rice, and fish. I made sure to try some of the olives since I was guessing they were local. Each morning for breakfast and night for dinner we will be eating buffet style at the hotel we are staying at. Tonight as I was leaving dinner I met two women from Paris. I talked with them in broken French and them to me in broken English for a while. They have some family in Israel and are going to see a show tomorrow. They kept saying how magical Jerusalem is, and that is exactly why I am excited to be here. I can't wait to see places like the Mount of Olives, the Sea of Galilee, but most importantly Jerusalem; places where Jesus, the disciples, and important Jewish figures lived and preached. The two French sisters, Claudia and Monet (kinda like the painter huh?) were so impressed with Jerusalem and how people forget about political or religious affiliations while there and all appreciate the beauty and significance of the city.

Tomorrow begins my journey of site seeing and learning. I hope to take it all in and to be able to attempt to wrap my head around where I am because it is hard to believe that I am typing on my computer with wireless internet in the same area that Jesus stood on a boat to preach. I will leave all of the mind boggling thinking for tomorrow. As for now, I am going to continue to sit on my balcony overlooking the Mediterranean and enjoy the breeze and sharpen up on my french just incase I see Claude Monet tomorrow.