Day 1 -  or is it Day 2?

We safely arrived at 9:45 this morning  at the Ben Gurion  airport in Tel Aviv.  As we went through our passport check, the man asked me where we were going to visit and I went blank!  The only thing I could  remember  was Jerusalem!  Funny how my mind works when I'm  not  in charge!!!

I was one of the first of our group through passport check and the LAST  to get my suitcase - go figure!  They were  having  trouble  with  the  conveyor.  Customs was  cinch and we met up with Kaliel (sp) our tour guide.

We did some walking around Jaffa including  an active archaeological  site where they have excavated a gate that dates back to Ramses  II, of Moses fame!  Jaffa has been built on over the centuries, of course so the gate was butied under lots of "dirt."  It is an impressive  town now I can only imagine what it would have been ,Ike to enter through that gate!

Lunch was one of my favorite foods, falafel  pita  and a mint tea to drink.  Yum!

After lunch we spent time in the local market that had everything  imaginable to buy - especially  fruits and vegetables  including  an eggplant  grown especially  for baba ganoush - that resembles a purple pumpkin  in size!

I had my first taste of  Turkish  Delight  today at the market and must say that  I  enjoyed it - though it was nothing like what I expected  it to be.

We meet in a few minutes  for dinner and a short meeting after and hopefully  then off to bed!  I'm  so  excited, grateful, and  blown away that I am here!