DAYS 1 & 2 - To Walk Where Jesus Walked

 Flight From Orlando to Tel Aviv


Lloyd drove John and I to the Orlando Airport (over an hour away) so we could catch our 6:30 a.m. flight.  Boy was it early (3 a.m.), especially since I had been up way too late getting ready and working on this  blog.  I somehow got TSA pre-check on my ticket, so I went right in and didn't have to worry about liquids or taking off my shoes.  It was lickey-split fast.  But John took forever in line and went twice through the scanning machine.  We finally got to the gate after a slow subway ride.  We only had 5 minutes before we started boarding.  WHEW!

We got to Toronto about 10 a.m. We then got to stay in the terminal for the next 6+ hours.  The wi-fi was crazy slow and there were TONS of people. 

I spent some time just walking around to the different shops

Our welcome into Canada

The 10 1/2 hours flight to Tel Aviv was pretty grueling....Air Canada is nothing like Turkish Airlines, which we had flown in 2013 for our European Trip.
-  close quarters with no leg room and John and I both had middle seats
-  meals were pretty yucky and I am not picky (usually)
-  two Russians talked all night long and they were LOUD!
-  children made a big stinky poopy mess in one of the bathrooms - eeww!
 - the guy next to me must have drank 6 beers, two glasses of wine, and some hard liquor.  He was pretty tipsy and obnoxious.

Needless to stay, I was very glad when it was morning and we landed.  It took two hours to get luggage and go by taxi to our hotel.  But oh - was it nice!  Right along the Mediterranean Sea, by a beautiful boardwalk.

From our Dan Panorama 5 star hotel room on the 15th floor

Our pool looks so inviting!

I didn't get a chance to swim in the pool, which was sad because it was warm and clean.

A view to the northeast of my room

View of our hotel as I went on my walk along the Sea

Tel Aviv  is the financial center and the technology hub of Israel, with a population of a half million, making it Israel's second-largest city.  The city receives over a million international visitors annually.  It is known as "The City that Never Sleeps" and a "party capital".

I definitely did not feel like partying, so I took a nice 3-hr. nap.  When I awoke, I set out to find out more about the city.

Old building along the boardwalk by the sea.

The city was founded in 1909 by Jewish immigrants on the outskirts of the ancient port city of Jaffa.  Tel Aviv and Jaffa were merged into a single municipality in 1950, two years after the establishment of the State of Israel.

This building was built by a Jew in 1900 and now serves as a museum telling the story of the National Military Organization (Etzel) at the War of Independence. The Etzel was an underground organization which fought for the realization of the idea of establishing a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. It was established in 1931, following the secession of senior commanders from the “Haganah”, following differences concerning the appropriate reaction to Arab terror.  

Etzel Museum.

Ilana Goor did the sculpture of a young lady in the wind behind me.

Some young Muslim girls had come to the sea to wade and play.  They were fun to watch with their long skirts and leggings.

I found myself in Jaffa, the oldest city in the world.  Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical stories of Jonah, Solomon, and St. Peter as well as the mythological story of Andromeda and Perseus.

A cute shop close to the traditional place where Jonah was swallowed by a whale.

Jonah is the central character in the Book of Jonah. Commanded by God to go to the city of Ninevah to prophesy against it "for their great wickedness is come up before me," Jonah instead seeks to flee from "the presence of the Lord" by going to Jaffa, and sailing to Tarshish.

A huge storm arises and the sailors, realizing that it is no ordinary storm, cast lots and discover that Jonah is to blame. Jonah admits this and states that if he is thrown overboard, the storm will cease. The sailors try to dump as much cargo as possible before giving up, but feel forced to throw him overboard, at which point the sea calms. The sailors then offer sacrifices to God. Jonah is miraculously saved by being swallowed by a large fish in whose belly he spends three days and three nights. While in the great fish, Jonah prays to God in his affliction and commits to thanksgiving and to paying what he has vowed. God commands the fish to spew Jonah out.

The Jaffa Clock Tower is one of seven clock towers built in Palestine during the Ottoman period - 1900

I wandered through the streets and came to a Flea Market.  I enjoyed watching the people and seeing what Hebrew and Muslim handicrafts were all about.  I also smelled the great food, including the world-famous falafels (which I will have the opportunity to eat soon.)

Reminds me of the men we saw in Europe

When I arrived back to the hotel, John was awake from his nap.  We decided to walk to the old train station (Hatachana) for dinner. Neve Tzedek, the city’s first Jewish neighborhood to be formed outside ancient Jaffa which has become a lively and trendy neighborhood of renovated pastel houses, designer boutiques, and cafes.

We ate at "Regina's" and found it to be a delightful little restaurant with a typical flair of Hebrew food.

Grilled eggplant with a tahini sauce in pomegranate.

Roasted vegetables (peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, carrots, and more) over greens.

Grilled chicken salad

We shared the dishes and had a nice stroll back to the hotel.  Lloyd and Joanne got to the hotel shortly after that, around 8:00 p.m.  They had bookings at a later time than us, but had more layovers.

Good thing we have a free day tomorrow and the tour doesn't start until Tuesday, cause jet lag is a real thing!

Do You Know Where "The Villages" Are?

Florida, the Sunshine State and Home of the Biggest Retirement Center in the World!!

  Cousin Lloyd invited his brother and I to visit him here before our big trip to the Holy Land. We both came into the airport three days before we were to fly into Israel.  We went non-stop from dawn to dusk, enjoying what "The Villages" had to offer!

The Morse family founded The Villages over 30 years ago, with a vision to create a warm, secure and friendly hometown, where all  retirement dreams come true.

 Situated less than 15 miles northwest of Leesburg, it's only about an hour’s drive from Orlando,


Here is my bedroom.  Lloyd bought his condo home two years ago and loves living here.

His own pool in the backyard

Sweet Joanne will be going with us to the Holy Land

This is the church Joanne & Lloyd attend - known as "the beautiful church"

At the heart of the community lies three old-fashioned town squares where there was plenty of fun for three days. The founders felt strongly that every hometown needed a special place to gather and socialize with friends and neighbors.  The town squares feature FREE nightly entertainment, modern movie theaters, and a colorful assortment of shopping and dining opportunities.

Fun theatre with great decor

The Villages spans more than 20,000 acres. There’s tons of stuff to do there, including over 60 places to dine and drink, all sorts of cultural and entertainment offerings, countless social clubs, golf courses, fitness centers, and more.

We went to Cody's for lunch and had some wonderful food as well as a good time.

It was 2 for 1 fajita Wednesday .  I didn't get a photo, but believe me....they were great!

Let's go on a boat ride across Lake Sumpter, says Lloyd.  It's a beautiful afternoon so we did!

Now here is a foursome out for a good time on a sunny day!

The guide was a great storyteller.  I think some of them were fish tales, however!

Can't remember the name of this bird, but he was holding down the ship.

Looks like an old ship from the past

The inside at one of the theatres

You are really "in" if you have a golf cart to strut around in

This one was really unique

Time for some Haagen Daaz ice cream - yum!

The Villages Community is the only place in the world where you can play complimentary golf for the rest of your life

Arnold Palmer Center

The following photos are some of various rooms in the three town squares.  Brownwood Paddock Square, Lake Sumter Landing Market Square, and Spanish Springs Town Square.

The Eisenhower Room

We went to Eaton's Beach the second day.  What a pretty day it was!  Cute little beach with swimmers.  I would have gotten in, but there are alligators in there.   auughh!

They had shrimp and I had a mahi mahi fish dinner with green beans.  GREAT!

Here is a huge alligator that hangs over the front desk!

For Thursday night, Cousin Lloyd fixes a beautiful table with grilled steak, salad, and baked potatoes. 

Note all the matching dishes and placemats and everything.  It's so perfect!

After-dinner entertainment for "the boys"

Listen to the state bird - the mockingbird who sings all day and wakes us up each morning.  I just love their songs!

I love to exercise in the water.  Lloyd drove me to a pool each day for two hours of classes.  Now I have even more ideas so, when I go home and teach, we'll have new moves!!  Here I am standing by Lloyd's pool

We ate at "Katie Belle's" with singing waiters for our last . together in Florida

We went to the salad bar with all the trimmings and then I had lobster tail and grilled ahi tuna. ..WOW!

Gold Cart City!

Before we get up at 3 am to drive to Orlando to catch our 6:30 flight, I took a walk at dusk and took some photos of the oak trees dazzled with their special moss.  The colors were spectacular!

Good Night from Florida!

The next posts will be from our Holy Land- Israel trip for two weeks.  I hope I don't get too far behind.  ENJOY!  It will be a trip of a lifetime for all of us!