Israel Trip

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Airport Fun and Games

We disembarked from our flight at roughly 11am Tel Aviv time - the new airport in Tel Aviv is absolutely beautiful by the way. Groggy from our long voyage, we began the adventure of navigating our way through customs and locating our luggage, compounded by the fact that three of us had expired Israeli passports. We had attempted to renew them at the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles many months prior to the trip, with many forms and some money exchanging hands, only to be told that we would have to renew them at the passport office of the Ministry of the Interior in Israel because we had not traveled to Israel within the last five years. Oh and by the way, anyone with Israeli citizenship (we all have dual citizenship with the United States and Israel) has to enter Israel on an Israeli passport. Hmmmm - welcome to Israeli logic. In the end, it turned out just fine - John entered on his American passport without issue. We three approached the window with six passports between us and let the official select what she wanted - she chose the Israeli passports and explained that the expiration was no problem, just go to the passport office and get it renewed while we were on our trip. Easy!

Unfortunately, luggage was more difficult. Three of the suitcases came off the conveyer belt without delay. Then we waited, watching the carousel spin slowly into infinity, until it ground to a halt and all hope was lost. So it was off to fill out claim forms. Until, wonder of wonders - there it was standing in all it's glory surrounded by the luggage of a tour group that had been set aside for bus loading! We hadn't recognized it because it had been opened by the transit authority and its' colorful security belt was missing. Huzzah!!

Shula and Itzik

Shula and Itzik Dekel - our amazing hosts and tour guide / chauffeur were waiting for us with two cars to haul the luggage. The Dekels and my parents have known each other for years, the sort of very close friends who become family. They drove us to their beautiful home in Rechovot - a suburb of Tel Aviv, and showed us to our rooms. After an amazing home cooked meal and a short nap to fight the onset of jet lag, we were enervated enough to travel again.

Visit with Omer and Ravid

Omer Dekel is the oldest son of Shula and Itzik. We went to visit him and his wife Ravid, and their two children in their new home just 20 minutes away. They have a beautiful house on a hillside with an amazing view, and we were treated to a lovely sunset and another expansive meal. (An interesting fact we learned during our tour of the house - Omer pointed out that building regulations in Israel require every house to have a 'panic room' which is made of thick concrete with sealable door and one sealable window with a metal shutter to withstand the shock of a bomb blast and can be sealed in case of a gas attack. Not something we had planned for our remodel - it's definitely a different country).

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Copyright © 2005 by Oreet Herbst and John Knott