17 July: Day 10: Tel Aviv to Frankfurt to LA to Phoenix

We are so close! After leaving the hotel at 12:20 we then had to wait for 45 minutes for the check in counter to open. We eventually got through security, passport control and got on our 4 hour flight to Frankfurt. We both slept most of the way even though I got a ton of sleep the afternoon before!

Our layover in Frankfurt was rushed, since we had to take a bus, a train and go through security again. Even though we had an hour by the time we made it to the gate they were already boarding! This next flight was 11 hours and MUCH more painful. Regardless, Papa slept some more and I read “A Storm of Swords.”

We’re now safely through customs in LA with about 3 hours until our flight leaves to Phoenix.

I am truly at a loss for how to describe what this trip meant to me – as a spiritual journey, as a personal growth experience, as bonding time with my father. I am a homebody with an incurable wanderlust, and the opportunity to see another part of the world is so precious to me. Thank you to everyone who prayed for our safety, who gave encouragement, and to the many people who contributed the funds that allowed my dad to take this trip. Reading through the comments people left as they donated often brought me to tears, and I can’t tell you how many times my dad got out the scrapbook of comments to show people on the trip. His excitement for this trip was only overshadowed by the pride he took in those words from so many of his peers and especially his students.

We have hundreds of photos from this trip and this format isn’t great for pictures, so I’ve put them in an album on Facebook just called “Israel.” You should be able to see it if you are friends with me or my dad, and if not I can email files.

I asked my dad if he would write the last few words of this blog, since this has really been his trip from the beginning. He took my request for a “few words” quite literally and gave me this: “totally amazing.”

Shalom,

Emily and Burt

16 July: Day 9: On the loose in Jerusalem

Our last day of sightseeing started with a visit to the pools of Bethesda, which now is the site of (take a guess…)  a Catholic church! However, there is more evidence that this is actually the historic site. The church is supposed to have really good acoustics so we sang a couple of songs. We actually sang until we were asked to leave…

This kitten wanted to get in on our Bible study (and later scratched me when I tried to hold him.)

Our next stop was the Israel Museum, which has two main exhibits. One is a really large model of Jerusalem during the second temple period, and the other is the dead sea scrolls. The model was neat to look at, but I more enjoyed the scroll exhibit, specifically learning about the members of The Community who penned them. It’s believed that The Community was a Jewish sect who moved to the area around the Dead Sea to remove themselves from the impurity of Jerusalem and prepare for the end days.

Our third stop was the Holocaust Memorial, and I wish I could have spent a whole day there. We had a little over an hour and I only made it through a fraction of the exhibits and memorials. This in itself is a reason for me to come back to Jerusalem. What I did see provided a thorough look at the roots of anti-Semitism,  the rise of the Nazi party, and the beginnings of the implementation of the Final Solution. I was already late at this point so I missed everything else but what I saw was incredibly informative.

That was the end of the official tour and we had the choice to be dropped off near the old city or back at the hotel. Papa and I walked around about half of the old wall then entered at the Damascus Gate. We walked through the Muslim neighborhood to try to see the mosque, but they wouldn’t let us up because they said it was closed. We found our way back to the Dung Gate (teehee) and got a cab back to the hotel. Papa is going to rest before dinner, but my plan is just to sleep since we leave for the airport at midnight! Please pray for safe and easy travels for us.

15 July: Day 8: Via Dolorosa and camels

Via Dolorosa means the way of the suffering, but Papa and I felt good as we walked along the stations of the cross today. Mickey made it very clear that these stations are traditional, not historical, and that despite what the Catholic church says there is really no way to know exactly where Jesus was interrogated, crucified or buried. Therefore, the only reason to walk through these stations is to help us remember the suffering and importance of Jesus’ death.

A well-timed passerby.



We finished at the church of the Holy Sepulcher, which houses 6 churches of different denominations! This is a Crusader church that claims to contain the stone on which Jesus’ body was laid, the exact place of crucifixion, and the tomb where His body was for three days. Mickey said there is no agreement on where exactly Golgotha is, but that it was likely very very close to the city walls. We touched the Anointing Stone and wondered at how ornate (some might say gaudy) the interior of the church was. Our group met in the courtyard outside of the church and then we started hearing loud noises that went on for a long time. Mickey thought it was probably either fireworks for Ramadan, or police “noise grenades” for crowd control but he still had us wait in the courtyard until the noises subsided, although they started up again pretty quickly.

After that we “marched up Zion” and saw the Zion Gate, where you can see the shrapnel and bullet holes from when the city was lost in war.

We drove out of Jerusalem and stopped at a Samaritan museum and learned a bit about the modern Samaritans. There are only 900 left, and they still gather at their ruined temple to celebrate Passover every year. This was only a brief stop though, on our way to the tourist cheese-fest called “Abraham’s Tent.” Abraham’s servant met us in a gift shop and then led us on camels to Abraham’s tent. Abraham (who was Australian) talked to us a lot and then we ate lunch while he made weird jokes about American Idol. Then we rode camels back. I thought the whole things was terribly corny, but Papa loved riding the camels. He even bought his first souvenir of the trip – a little wooden camel.

 

After this we took our air-conditioned camel to visit Golgotha. “But wait,” you say, “didn’t you already visit Golgotha today?” Why yes we did, but you see that was the Catholic Golgotha and this is the Protestant Golgotha. This was a site called the Garden Tomb and boasts a hill that looks like a skull and a tomb that could be the one where Jesus’ body was laid. We had a nice little tour and two of the pastors in our group led us in taking Communion. Then we walked back to the hotel.

This post is short on pictures because I’m typing on the computer in the hotel lobby and can’t get to the USB port, so I could only go with whatever I had already uploaded. I’m excited to share all of our pictures when we get home in just a few days!  As always we thank God for our safety and ask for continued prayers.

 

14 July: Day 7: a whirlwind trip through Bethlehem

Today we experienced what I imagine most people have in mind when they talk about Israel. We went  to the Western Wall, then into the tunnels that were the streets during the time of Jesus and now exist underneath the Muslim neighborhood around the Temple Mount. We learned a lot about the history of this famous place and saw the Eastern Gate, the area where Pentacost most likely took place, the addition built by the Knights Templar, and lots of bar mitzvahs. I am so overwhelmed with the amount of history and information, so my new strategy is to take in as much as I can and relax, knowing I can read about all the specifics later.

Papa in front of the Wailing Wall.

I feel like there should be so much more to say about our morning, but I’m not sure what. We spent our time walking around/under/through amazing historic structures, but any information I relay here would be much less accurate than Wikipedia. It was a special morning with beautiful weather where we got to see a lot.

  I don't know how to rotate this picture! Anyway, in front of the Eastern Gate.

In the afternoon we went to Bethlehem in the West Bank. Our Israeli tour guide and bus driver were not allowed to enter, so they had arranged for a Christian Palestinian to take us around. We had a very overpriced lunch, then went to a site that commemorates the shepards whom the angels told of Jesus’ birth. We went to a very small church there as well as a natural cave, probably similar to the one that made up the stable where Jesus was born.

Next we went to the Church of the Nativity. In all honestly, this was a bit of a disappointment for me. Our guide was not as congenial as Mickey and rushed us through in an annoyed manner. I think he said that at 1,500 years old this is the oldest Christian church still in existence, but I’m without internet again so I can’t check. It was a tad disappointing because we were so rushed, the church was undergoing huge renovations so it just looked like a construction site, our guide wasn’t very informative and because it just wasn’t as impressive as the cathedrals I saw in Rome (I know, I’m spoiled.) I wished we had a guidebook and more time to look around and really get a feel for the church – we spent less than 10 minutes there in total. Although it wasn’t a great visit, I am glad we got to visit this site.

After another checkpoint we headed back into Jerusalem. I went swimming before dinner while Papa napped. I could write a lot about the food here. In addition to being kosher, there are some differences with what we eat in the States. They start all meals (even breakfast) with salads made of finely chopped vegetables. Breakfast usually has eggs, fish and fruit, plus very strong coffee. The lunches we’ve had have been mostly pita with lots of vegetables and falafel or shwarma. Dinner has always been at the hotel so I don’t know how authentic it is, but in addition to the chopped salads there is usually stewed chicken, breaded chicken that is called schnitzel, potatoes, meatballs and a lot of different saucy type things. The hotel we’re staying at night has an impressive dessert variety, including a white substance kind of like Jell-o that tastes like lavender. I do not like it but Papa likes it okay. We haven’t made it through our airplane snacks yet, so that’s proof right there that we’re being well fed.

 Being in Jerusalem has been a little bit sad for me because of the all the ways that the conflicts between citizens of this city play out. While we haven’t seen any stone throwing, Mickey told us that it happened last night and we did see a group of women this morning, chanting in protest. I am far too ignorant of current events to understand any of the intricacies of the religious tension that exists in this city, but I found myself praying for peace many times today. Mickey said that Western tourists sometimes struggle to really understand the situation because we come from countries where peaceful coexistence is a goal, if not always a reality. In his opinion, many citizens here don’t want to coexist. I don’t know how to discuss this issue other than to say that I pray for my own safety, while also praying for the kind of peace that will bring safety to everyone.

13 July: Day 6: Jerusalem

The very hot and stunningly extravagant Masada Nation Park was our first stop today. This site, in the middle of a desert that gets 3 inches of rain a year, was where Herod the Great chose to build his sprawling and luxurious winter  palace. Despite the lack of any sort of natural resources, Herod managed to build a palace that could house 1,000 people and included storerooms, cisterns that could hold thousands of gallons of water, a bathhouse and huge quarters for the king, soldiers, servants and slaves. Although Herod poured countless amounts of money into this project, it’s unknown if he ever actually got to live there.

Because Masada is on the top of a plateau it was easily defensible and in 70 CE became the last stronghold of the Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem. Flavius Silva led a Roman siege against the Jews at Masada, and since apparently there is an old movie that illustrates this story I won’t give away the ending. Today you can take a cable car up and down the plateau to see the remains of Herod’s palace. After a very hot walk around Masada we had shwarma for lunch, which neither Papa nor I liked as well as falafel. Papa was also very surprised to learn that falafel have no meat in them, after 5 days of eating them.

Another bus ride brought us into Jerusalem, and our bus driver tried to set the scene by playing some music as we came to the crest of a hill and saw the city for the first time. We stopped near the Mount of Olives and saw a replica of a tomb from the time of Jesus, where homeless people apparently sleep at night. Papa and I avoided the mounds of trash to climb through the tomb’s back entrance. (But seriously, giving a tomb a second, unsealed entrance is just asking for zombies.)

Poor Lamar, being prepared for burial.

Papa climbing out of the tomb.

Our second stop in Jerusalem was a store that sells olive wood things that was a little out of our price range. It was actually a lot out of our price range, since one of the nativity sets I thought was nice cost 4,000 DOLLARS!!!!! They had things in there for well over $10,000 too. We didn’t buy anything.

Lastly , we went to the Garden of Gethsemane. Or rather, where the Catholic church decided the Garden of Gethsemane was and built a church there. Mickey the tour guide was again very dismissive of the Italian gardens.

Finally, we checked into the hotel that we will be in for our last 4 nights in Israel. It’s another fancy one with no free wifi but I got the guy at the desk to give me a code for a free hour, and he said that if I write a Trip Advisor review with his name in it he’ll give me a 24 hour code tomorrow. Actually, I didn’t “get” him to do anything, I just stood by another girl on the tour who is much better at bargaining than I am and rode on her coattails.

We saw one tank today and many heavily armed policemen. Wow they walk around casually with such big guns! We were assured that we will be safe, but that statement was tempered a bit when she also told us what to do if the rocket sirens go off. Since Papa and I are on the sixth floor and couldn’t get down to the bomb shelter in the 90 seconds that the sirens give you, we’re supposed to go to the stairwell. It’s not guaranteed that there will be rocket fire, but given this week it’s not unlikely. Please thank the Lord for our safety and enjoyment on the trip, and ask that it will continue.

12 July: Day 5: Wheel of Fortune style: Dead Sea of Galilee

Singing on the Sea of Galilee was how we started today. Our tour bus, which Mickey the leader calls our ‘air-conditioned camel’ dropped us off at a small dock. We then took a ‘worship cruise’ across the harbor, which consisted of singing and a little talk by the captain who was a Christian Jew. During the second half he showed us the type of net Jesus and his disciples would have used, but we didn’t catch anything even after we cast it over the right side of the boat (Bible joke!!!!) He also sang us some of the worship songs he had translated into Hebrew as well as an original composition. He got very into it. Papa said this was is his favorite things he has done so far on this trip.

Next Papa and I, along with some of the other tour group members, chose to be rebaptized in the Jordan River. We have two ministers on our tour so they baptized us with the Jamaican/Georgian church ladies singing in the background. It was quite a different experience than being baptized at Green Valley Baptist Church. Papa and I had a long discussion about the theological merits/demerits of being baptized again and passed some interesting ideas back and forth. Fun fact: afterward, two different people told me they took pictures of my grandpa for me! Afterward we stopped for lunch and I talked my grandpa out of McDonalds, so we shared a sandwich with some very friendly Canadians.

The bus got a little less pleasant once it was full of damp people and plastic bags full of wet clothes, but we pressed on to Beit-Shean. This was once a thriving city because of its location at the intersection of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys. It looked a lot like the ruins I saw in Greece, with the roads, buildings and sometimes even rooms discernible among the rubble. We saw two bathhouses, a temple, two public restrooms, a ton of stores and a 7,000 seat amphitheatre. It was SUPER hot with no breeze while we were walking around so we elected not to climb to the top of the mountain, but some people did.

We drove by Jericho on our way to another spot along the Jordan River, this one near where Jesus was most likely Baptized. This is also the spot where Elijah and Elisha crossed the river so there were a lot of chariot of fire jokes. The river is tiny at this point and we easily see across the 15 feet to wave at the tourists on the other side, in Jordan. Yes, once again we came within walking (in this case swimming) distance to another country, although this once has yet to launch a rocket at Israel this week. There were quite a few Israeli soldiers sitting around near the border, and their casual attitudes juxtaposed with their not casual guns.

The Dead Sea came into view and we visited the spot where the Dea Sea scrolls were found. This was an interesting but very brief stop as there wasn’t much to see except a little museum and a cosmetics shop. On the first night in Israel I realized I had brought two bottles of shampoo and no conditioner, so I asked Papa to help me look for some since my hair has been very hard to untangle. He found a $50 bottle that we did not buy, but then I found a $9 bottle, which is still expensive but now I have Dead Sea conditioner.   

To end our day we visited Ein Gedi, where King David hid from Saul. I never realized how big of an impact  bathroom issues had on that story. Ein Gedi means Spring of the Goat and there were both springs and goats!

Tonight we’re staying at a fancy shmancy resort type place on the Dead Sea. Dinner was very decadent with lots of choices and unlimited soda, beer and wine and about 10 different kinds of dessert. Mickey said this was because this is the site of ancient Soddom and advised us to remember moderation or bad things could befall us. Because this hotel is so fancy you have to pay for the wifi, so I will be posting this whenever a free connection is available. Because of this lack of internet I also am not up to date on whatever is happening with the conflict in Gaza. We didn’t see any tanks today and only the soldiers at the border with Jordan, but I don’t imagine things have resolved in 24 hours. We are grateful for our safety thus far and continued prayers. We are halfway through our journey!

11 July: Day 4: lots of old places

Wow, I am definitely not over the jet lag yet! After a sleepy breakfast we visited Capernaum where the ruins of several buildings from the time of Jesus still stand. The base of the synagogue is believed to be the remains of the one built by the Roman centurion and that Jesus frequented. The main part of the synagogue was rebuilt about 350 years later, but the foundation remains and is still visible.

The black part is from the time of Jesus.

It took a while to convince Papa to take this picture through a door.

Underneath a small Catholic church are the remains of a house that may have been where Peter’s in-laws lived. Capernaum was a beautiful little spot with lovely views of the Sea of Galilee.

As you might imagine, one of the highlights of this trip is connecting the Biblical stories we know so well (and some we don’t know so well) to their physical locations. This happened to some extent today with the Sermon on the Mount. The Bible tells us that this took place somewhere in the vicinity of the Sea of Galilee on a mountain (obvi) but doesn’t give us GPS coordinate, so there are a number of hills that it might have been. A hundred years ago the Italian Church picked one of these possibilities and built a church to commemorate the Mount of Beattitudes. Our guide Mickey did not seem to like this church so much, because they surrounded it with Italian style gardens and “we do not have gardens of this type in Israel! Very pretty in Italy, not in Israel!” Needless to say, we didn’t stay here long.

Full disclosure: Papa and I had a very difficult type separating the next few sites in our memories, so some of the information may be misplaced.

Bethsaida was the site where Jesus fed the 5,000. We learned about some cool parallels between the two stories where Jesus feeds a lot of people; In one he feeds Jews and has 12 baskets of food leftover for the 12 tribes of Israel. In the other he feeds Gentiles and has 7 baskets leftover for the 7 peoples that the Jews drove out to conquer the Land of Canaan. We also got to touch a  3,000 year old gate.

Caesarea Philippi is the second Caesarea that we saw. Today all you can see is the remains some pagan places of worship devoted to Pan. Some people on the tour refused to take pictures in front of anything pagan, but I made Papa do it because the people were a part of the cult of the dancing goats and that’s hilarious.

Dancing goats in matching outfits!

In between some other sites we went to both the borders of Lebanon and Syria. We were less than a mile away from Lebanon today and didn’t learn until later that a rocket was fired into Israel from Lebanon within just a few hours of our visit. CNN says it’s unlikely Lebanon wants to engage in another conflict but it’s still something to think about. We didn’t get as close to the border of Syria, but we could still see it.

That's Lebanon in the background.

Probably the most extensive site we saw today was Dan. It’s now a nature reserve and we got to walk along the Jordan River to the site were Jereboam erected the altar for the golden calf. I was unfamiliar with this golden calf - my mind immediately went to Moses - so I learned a ton here, and Papa has been teaching me even more tonight. We have a very lively church group on our tour from Georgia/Jamaica. They’re all a part of the same church but some say they’re from Georgia and some say Jamaica  so I’m not really sure what’s going on there. Anyway, they are a very talkative/participatory/vocal group and were singing the whole time we walked along the Jordan, so that was really neat and highlighted just how many psalms and songs were inspired by this river.

Politically, things are not getting any calmer here. Rockets continue to be fired and it’s estimated that Hamas has nearly 10,000 more at their disposal. Israel’s Iron Dome system (which is super interesting to read about) has been put to the test and is working well. I know that I struggle with letting go of worries and this trip has been no exception. We continue to see tanks and soldiers making their way towards Gaza and I am struggling to feel at ease, even though I know that worrying does nothing. We appreciate your prayers for safety and are so thankful for the safety we have experienced so far, as well as the safety we take for granted at home. I’m also super thankful for competent airlines, because I learned today that one man still doesn’t have his luggage! I like to think I would have his positive attitude if I were the one in that situation, but I have a sneaking suspicion I wouldn’t.

Tonight was the start of our first Sabbath in Israel and we learned all about Sabbath elevators. You can still use elevators on the Sabbath, but you just can’t push the buttons. That is one of my favorite tidbits I’ve picked up.

10 July: Day 3: Caesarea, Megiddo, and Nazareth

This morning began with a dairy/no meat breakfast and then we traveled to Caesarea while singing a song in Hebrew. Apparently there are three of Caesareas, and this one is the one by the sea. It was originally built by Herod the Great and was conquered and destroyed by earthquakes several times before reaching its peak during the Byzantine Era. The buildings had been rebuilt many times so it was difficult to tell what was ancient and what was modern, but we enjoyed learning about the history and connecting it to the Biblical stories we know. We also took these pictures on the actual track where they did chariot races. Papa did a much better pose than I did.

The history was honestly quite overwhelming and I’ve already forgotten so much of what we learned. I wish I had a guide book to help me remember.

After Caesarea we took a very quick stop at a well-preserved Roman aqueduct.

Our first real hiking took place at the ancient city of Megiddo. We walked up the hill, down 180 steps into a water storage area and then up 80 steps (there was nothing in the pamphlet about preparing for that and some of our tour-mates were struggling!)  Basically, the planes surrounding the hill where this city used to be was the site of a bazillion battles and is called the Jezreel Valley or the Armageddon Battlefield. We talked a lot about the etymology of the name Armageddon, but basically it refers to the city of Megiddo. This is also where, according to Revelation 16, “blood will run as deep as the bits on horses” during the last days (there was no blood today.) Papa had thought that the Bible specifically named the Jezreel Valley as the Armageddon Battlefield, but our guide made it sound like the Bible is more vague and people just inferred that this was the place because of all the battles that had been fought there before. Regardless, this is where our use of the word Armageddon comes from and I bet we will be looking it up soon. After our hike we had a family style lunch at a traditional restaurant. We had pita, hummus, falafel, French fries, avocado and a whole bunch of other saucy vegetables. We also had a tiny glass of coffee spiced with cardamom.

Our last stop of the day was in Nazareth. The city has been occupied by Arabs for a number of years and it was believed that nothing from the time of Jesus still existed. However, some years ago a small number of Christian Arabs wanted to create a site for Pilgrims to visit when they came to Nazareth so they decided to create an open air museum. As they were clearing the areas around the Scottish hospital for the museum (because everyone knows Jesus’ boyhood home now houses a Scottish hospital, right?) they actually discovered some relics. The museum recreates Nazareth in the first century including animals, farming and lots of friendly people in costumes. We got small oil lamps with our admission price and now I need to make sure not to break mine before we get home.

It’s difficult to judge citizens’ reactions to what is going on in Israel at the moment. Our guide Mickey is quick to point out that, unlike North Americans, Israelis are used to violent conflict taking place on their land and he even makes jokes about the rockets, which are usually followed by forced laughter because we are all scared. However, it’s also clear that things are more serious than usual and nearly everyone we meet makes some reference to “the current situation” and how brave/dumb we are to visit at this time. Mickey says that one could argue the danger makes it more of a pilgrimage, since traditionally pilgrimages are not supposed to be easy. To be clear, I understand that everything about this trip is as easy as we could ask for, but I haven’t been able to completely relax mentally yet, and it makes me grateful for how safe I get to feel every day at home.

We thank you and ask for continued prayers for safety as we travel towards Jerusalem, which is currently experiencing occasional riots in the streets as well as the threat of rockets like the rest of Israel. Please also pray for our health and well-being. The days are hot and tiring in a very different way from Arizona, which I guess is called humidity. 

9 July: Day 2: We're in Israel!

We traveled through the night, found our tour group and did not get questioned at all in passport control. The guy literally did not say one word to us. We found some other people with our tour company in the airport’s incredibly beautiful reception hall (picture below) and eventually found our bus (pictured below.) After a short drive from Tel Aviv to Netanya (pictured below) we checked into the King Solomon hotel and are waiting for dinner and our debriefing at 7.

We were warned against napping because it contributes to the jet lag, but I don’t think a short nap will do too much harm since we have to be up for dinner. Papa apparently agrees (pictured below.)

The two families we met in the airport were extremely friendly and Papa chatted with them for a long time. Once we got on the bus we realized that even though we were with the same tour company we’re not on the same tour, so I guess we’ll be making new friends tomorrow. I’m still nervous about the recent uptick in violence in the area, but I think being here and seeing so many people just going about their lives makes me feel a little bit better.

Tomorrow we actually start sightseeing , so I will try to figure out a better way to do pictures.

Thank you for continued prayers for safety.

 Airport reception hall.

 Papa's first picture in Israel!

 Ikea!

 The view from our hotel room. The city of Netanya.

 The other view from our hotel room (a bit nicer.)

I might get in trouble for this picture...

Final note for the day: After a nap we went to put our feet in the Mediterranean Sea, saw a lot of stray cats, and ate a tasty dinner. We are learning about separating milk and meat and tonight was a meat dinner with several good but unidentified meats.

We met with the rest of our group in the hotel’s bomb shelter (yikes) and had a good information and prayer time before bed.

 Reminds me of Lewis the kitten!

 In the Mediterranean!

8 July: Day 1: Phoenix to Chicago to Toronto to Tel Aviv

Due to several factors, among them the last minute nature of this trip and my lack of willingness to talk to strangers, Papa and I are part of a tour group rather than leading ourselves around Israel. I am very appreciative of the fact that somebody else has arranged most of our trip, despite my sneaking suspicion that this tour is aimed at an older demographic (in the information pamphlet it says you need to be able to walk a mile WITHOUT STOPPING and suggests you start practicing at least a month beforehand.)

Perhaps with this older demographic in mind, day 1 of our “10-Day Tour of Israel” consists solely of traveling. We left my house at 3:40 on Tuesday morning and were at the airport in plenty of time for our 6:00 AM flight despite a little bit of confusion at the check-in counter (we had two reservations, which I suppose is infinitely better than no reservations.) We flew from Phoenix to Chicago, waited on the tarmac in Chicago for an hour, flew from Chicago to Toronto, got Canadian stamps in our passports, went through some additional screening before being allowed to enter the gate, and are currently en route to Tel Aviv. If all goes according to plan we’ll be on this plane for 11 hours (which takes us into day 2) and then meet a tour representative at the airport.

I have unwisely been reading every current news article I can find about Israel and am therefore terrified and honestly almost didn’t get on the plane in Toronto. I am sure that I’m overreacting and overworrying like I always do, but I am still terrified. Papa, however, says he is only “anxious.” This flight is very turbulent which, despite being completely unrelated to anything happening in Israel, is adding to my nerves. At least this plane has a USB port so I can charge my Kindle! I’m 300 pages into A Clash of Kings and I can’t tell if all the violence is distracting me from or intensifying my anxiety. Papa is reading a Western (SHOCKER!!!)

Thanks to everyone for well wishes and prayers for safety on what Papa has described as “the trip I never thought I’d  take.”

6 July: Introduction Part 2: The Continuation - The Adventures of Emily and Papa, as told by Emily Tingle

3 years ago I started this blog to document my time in Europe. In 2 days, it will be continued as my newly retired father and I visit Asia for the first time on our 10 day trip to Israel.

Even though I cringe while reading through those posts by 21 year old me, I have realized how important documenting the "unexpected details" can be, and how creating a narrative out of travel can help to reveal the meaning in an overwhelming experience. My theory behind travel writing is described here, so here is the outline of my next travel story.

Setting: A 10 day tour of Israel as part of a Pilgrim Tour group.

Characters:
- Emily (me!): A 24 year old fourth-grade teacher. An introverted book-lover who eats too much.
- Burton/Papa (my father): a 70 year old recently retired teacher. An introvert who does not eat too much.

Plot: To be determined.