We made it!

We left home on time; it was a great flight with much laughter. The gate agent for UA Air was the mother of a member of SOTV. She had us all board prior to any other passengers. A fun way to start the flight. My seat mate Lois was quite surprised about the crew configuration for some reason. Shortly after takeoff from MPLS she commented to me “we have a pilot on this flight”! I, being a somewhat seasoned traveler look at her and calmly said, “Yes I know, that

it is one of the things we paid for on this trip”. She meant that one of our pilgrims is a pilot, but the humor of her statement lasted the entire flight. We had a 3 hour layover here in Pilli with a departure at sometime around 11 pm. The short time in the MPLS airport, the flight to Philly and the waiting time for the Tel Aviv flight have occasioned us to become better acquainted with each other. This group today, has an energy level that is strong and positive.
4:30 pm, and we are in the Holy Land well, tired happy and ready to explore. Our hotel is directly across the street from the Mediterranean Sea in the ancient port of Jopha modern day Jappa. The view from the balcony of my room is very nice. There are a few of the group going to walk on the beach before dinner. The leaders met with Giovanni, our guide for half an hour discussing the plans for the nest three days. He is a very nice guy and has many fantastic ideas as well as a vast knowledge of the history of this land which is Israel. Dinner at the hotel was buffet style. The food was delicious and all manner of dishes were served. Fresh fruit and vegetable, meats, breads, fish, humus and much more. Everyone came away from the meal pleased with its quality and satiated with the quantity. Of course, yours truly did not eat too much due to the pending celebration tomorrow. That’s right; it is St. Patrick’s Day! We had a short 30 minute meeting of the whole group where we introduced ourselves to Giovanni, sang a couple of songs, listen to a good message from Pastor Duane and closed with a prayer. It is now 9:30 pm Irsreali time, and :37 pm at home. At this point I am not sure what the current date is. After some sleep, it will be easier to figure that on out. Good night Minnesota!