Red Car picked up the four Guelphites (Me, Jan, Roz and Lucy) before 11 am and hustled us off to Pearson Airport for our 4:30 pm flight to Tel Aviv. It did seem a tad ambitious but, as it turned out, Jan and I struggled to get luggage tags from the very defective AC kiosks. Eventually we connected with a lovely young Air Canada worker who was able to issue us proper tags and send us on our merry way.
A very dynamic Israeli woman sat down with us at the gate and proceeded to regale us with stories about her homeland, its wonderful food, it’s beautiful scenery and its disconcerting politics.
I didn’t get the bulkhead seat I thought I had reserved and ended up instead in the very last row. At least it was an aisle seat. An orthodox Jewish man in full black frock coat, top hat and side locks was slated to sit between me and another woman (also a senior on the same tour as me). He immediately grabbed a flight attendant who quickly persuaded a young American man to switch with him so that he ended up sitting with two men instead. Huh! What was that all about?
The flight was over ten hours long but it turned out to be much more comfortable than I expected. Because I was at the very back I was able to lean my seat back as far as I wanted. I spent a lot of time reading an Elizabeth George murder mystery, watching ‘A Man Called Otto’ with Tom Hanks, and trying unsuccessfully to get some sleep.
Next thing I knew, we were all gathering at the baggage claim in Tel Aviv. John Potter (who arranged this tour) was able to secure some quick passage through customs and all eighteen of us were loaded on a bus for the Dan Panorama hotel. The Navigator app loaded on my phone with the Israel and Jordan pack showed us that the airport was inland (east) of the main city and that our hotel is close to the Mediterranean.
Once we’d settled into our rooms and had a bit of a break, we headed off for lunch at a restaurant a few blocks from the hotel. I used Merlin’s Sound ID (I had loaded the Middle East pack before I left home) to identify the Common Myna and a Hooded Crow. Lunch was delicious but way too much food so Jan and I skipped dessert and headed back to the hotel.
Time to check out the boardwalk by the sea so Jan, Lucy and I headed for the water. It was gorgeous – lots of people strolling along, dogs chasing each other up and down the beach, and even a couple of them playing in the waves.
We spied a really cool bird we later identified as a Eurasian Hoopoe. Have you seen one of them Glenn?
Back at the hotel we met up with the gang for supper. Buffet style so we could take as little or as much as we wanted. Good conversations and good food but now I’m exhausted. I’ve been up for about 32 hours so I think I’ve earned the right to be exhausted.
