Israel: Day One
We flew out of DFW on Saturday afternoon and arrived in Frankfurt, Germany around 8 am local time on Sunday. After a short layover, we boarded another plane to continue our journey to the amazing country of Israel. A few hours later, we walked off the plane and into a country that I’ve heard about my entire life. It’s surreal. I still find it hard to believe that I’m really here!
By the time we got out of the airport and onto the tour bus, it was early evening, but that didn’t deter us from seeing a few sights. We drove through the city of Tel Aviv, a modern city where more than 3 million live.
Adjacent to Tel Aviv is Jaffa (or Joppa in the Bible times). Jaffa is one of the most ancient cities in the world. The Jaffa port is where Jonah sailed before being swallowed by the whale. It’s also the place where Paul had his vision about clean/unclean food.
Old city of Jaffa
Looking down the steps back towards the Mediterranean Sea
Narrow, old city streets
The port of Jaffa
Catholic Church in Jaffa
After visiting Jaffa, we traveled to Netanya where we would be spending the night. Our hotel is right on the Meditterranean Sea, and we have a great view of the Sea from our room. It was dark when we arrived tonight, but I’ll have some great pictures to share tomorrow.
For this trip, we are traveling with a group from our church. It’s an organized tour. The benefit is that it’s safer, and we’re here with our friends, but the downside is that we don’t have control over our schedule — or more importantly, our food. Dinner tonight was a buffet at the hotel. And like most hotel buffets, it was awful.
I thought I was going to bed hungry tonight, but instead Gary and I decided to venture out and explore the area around our hotel. We didn’t know where we were going, but we followed the pedestrian traffic and discovered a great pedestrian mall with shops and restaurants. It was perfect. We found a little pizza joint, ate outside, and enjoyed the pleasant evening. Then, we walked over to a gelato shop for dessert…yum! Finally, we strolled back to our hotel by walking along the Mediterranean Sea. It was a great ending to a lovely day, and a nice break from the scheduled madness of the big tour group.
Marketplace in Netanya
Restaurants and shops
Gelato!!!
Tomorrow, we head to Cesarea and Tiberius.
For more pictures from day one, visit the Israel Album.
