We have made it (mostly). (I say "mostly" because we had one piece of luggage that didn't make it and we have three tour members that are still in New York City. Hopefully, they will join us tomorrow.) As I write this, I am sitting in my hotel room in Netanya looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. It is beautifully calm, but warm today. When we landed, the temperature at the airport was 104 degrees. Luckily, it is supposed to cool down a good bit the next several days.
Our flight was relatively uneventful (we took off on time...we landed on time). We made our way through passport control, baggage claim and to Greeter's Hall, where Gus (our guide) was there to greet us. He was glad to see us. He then informed me that our driver would be Fawzi, a gentleman that I have known for several years. When Fawzi saw me, he gave me a big hug and then another hug because of the loss of our mutual friend Elie. It is refreshing to see the wonderful love and admiration that Elie (an Israeli) and Fawzi (a Palestinian) had for each other.
Since this is around Pentecost, the streets were not near as crowded as they usually are this time of day. We quickly made our way to our hotel in Netanya where we enjoyed a great dinner together.
After a hot shower and a good night's sleep tonight, we will head north up the coast to Caesarea Maritima and then to other sites before ending the day upon the Sea of Galilee.
Until tomorrow....