We're here, in Tel Aviv, Israel, after a long but enjoyable journey.
We left Houston at 9am on Wednesday morning. Luckily for us, brother Harold was able to give us a ride to the airport. We checked in at Terminal E with absolutely no problem. Continental upgraded all three of us!!! We had a wonderful short flight to New York La Guardia. We were served a delicious lunch on the plane.
We rented a car in New York from National. They are a pleasure to deal with. On arriving at their office, we simply walked to the Emerald row of cars, selected a vehicle of our choice and drove out. The lady at the drive through counter looked at my driving licence, gave me a toll tag and some directions. Quick and easy.
We drove to the Mahway Sheraton, about an hours drive. The Garmin GPS worked well, except for a small hiccup through the tunnels and under the overhead expressway.
The Sheraton in Mahway was ok, but a bit noisy because of the elevators, even though they were three rooms away. The room as clean and confortable.
We spent the evening with our famous cousin, Rabbi Henoch Moshe. He and his family are an absolute delight. It was a thoroughly enjoyable dinner with superb and fun company. Can't wait to do it again. We may have persuaded him to visit us in Houston for a Shabbaton.
The next morning; Thursday, we slept late in our comfortable hotel rooms. We made coffee in the rooms, after which we drove the few miles to Monsey, where we met Rabbi Henoch Moshe for brunch at the Avenue R Cafe. The food was good but very rich. Again we had a very enjoyable morning. We enjoyed ourselves so much we hardly noticed the time, having to rush thereafter to Newark airport to catch our flight to Tel Aviv.
Checking in at Newark was easy. We spent some time in the Presidents' Club lounge which was packed.
Security at the gate was very tight, as could have been expected, but bot a problem at all.
The flight to tel Aviv was terrific. Again we were upgraded to the superb Continental business/first class, equivalent to any carrier in the world. The food was good, the service was quietly efficient and friendly.
The flat beds allowed us an excellent night's sleep. The movie we watched was very good, especially on the large screen.
Getting through customs and immigration in Israel was no problem. We were met at the airport by David, a school friend whom I have not seen since at least 1977. He hasn't changed (much). It was wonderful catching up with him as we drove to our hotel a block away from the Tel Aviv beach. We hope to meet up with him and his family again while we are here.
After doing a bit of unpacking, we went for a long walk to the nearby market. It was bustling, noisy and full of different wares from handicrafts, food, clothing and a variety of other stores. We eventually walked along the beachfront towards Jaffa. We found a seaside "restaurant" where we enjoyed a light lunch. I had a local beer. Pretty good.
We walked back to our hotel for a rest before starting more energetic touring tomorrow.
Until next time....
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