We have logged more than 10,000 miles by car during this extended trip. We thought it was about time to mix things up a bit. So, Debbie and I traded our SUV and the American road for two seats on Delta Airlines. Not literally of course. We still own the vehicle, but it time for something different. There was an opportunity to visit a different destination.
Israel?
Yeah, Israel.
A direct flight from New York to Israel is 5,600 miles-plus, give or take a few. We spent 11 hours flying on Delta last Wednesday night, departing out of JFK and arrived in Tel Aviv Thursday evening. It was the second time I have returned to the Middle East since 2010.
I am a little less shocked at the progress in and around the country since our last trip here, but building never ceases. Literally. When you look up in the sky, it is always easy to see a collection of very tall cranes in every direction. In the first photo below six cranes are working to support three news buildings in Tel Aviv. The second photos had 12 cranes at work, if I counted correctly. These two photos are only part of one section of one city - Tel Aviv.
Tel Aviv is serving as our home base for the visit. We are sleeping in a hotel overlooking the beach. I must say, the views do not stink and the service has been for the most part, excellent.
First things first. The very first move we made once we reached our hotel and checked in was dinner. Mediterranean style. We quickly dropped our carry on bags in the room and went on a 25 minute walk, about 2 miles, to a place called Big Itzik Grill (Itzik Hagadol). We were not disappointed.
Israeli’s will tell you they love it, or its too much food or its overpriced. No one here lacks an opinion. I can tell you one thing. It was beyond delicious. We considered ordering a protein along with the unlimited eating of 20 different salads. We never made it past the salads. Eating here was the perfect start of the Israeli visit.
I love Mediterranean salads. I have loved them for many years and I am able to prepare eight or nine from scratch for a Friday night Shabbat dinner. I often do.
We have a few more days in the country but many stories to tell in the coming days. There are still more adventures to be recorded and enjoyed.
I have even more photos than stories to share. Please enjoy selected photographs here and more on my Instagram posts and stories.
The photograph below was taken exploring Israeli caves with our very good friends in the northern part of the country. I’ll be sure to devote some time about that experience in a future post.
Thanks for reading and interacting with my posts. More to come. Soon.