My Trip to Israel - 2013

Shelby and me in Israel - a dream come true.

I promised back in December to post photos from my recent trip to Israel.  Well, here you go.  

This was my second trip to Israel, and Shelby's first.  Shelby is a member of our congregation, and she and her husband blessed me with the gift of this trip.  Ever since my first trip in 1996, I've prayed to return to the Holy Land, and am so thankful that His answer was "yes". 

After twelve hours of travel, our plane landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, then we traveled by bus to a hotel on the Mediterranean Sea, where we spent our first night.  

I was very excited to be in Israel during the week of Hanukkah, and what a delight to see this menorrah set up in the lobby!  In Israel, G-d's Feasts and Festivals are honored, and I really like that!

The menorah has oil in small cups, which are lit for eight nights during the holiday, and the card has the prayers for lighting the menorah.  Since it is traditional to eat donuts during Hanukkah, these treats were available for free to guests.  

We arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon, so there wasn't time for seeing much of the surrounding area.  Our tour guide introduced herself, went over our agenda for the week ahead, then hosted our group (fifteen of us) to a sea-side restaurant nearby. 

We visited a wonderful restaurant with the most beautiful buffet of food I've ever seen.  Israel is famous for her olives.  These are some of the many types grown there in the area. 

 Aren't these breads beautiful?  I love the way they are displayed.

There were so many vegetable dishes and salads.  All were prepared in unique spices which I really enjoyed.

 Israel is also known for the beautiful fruit grown there.  In addition to these, were dried and fresh figs, pomegranates, persimmons, grapes, and more:  the candy provided by Adonai, right? 

 I fell in love with the painting on the ceiling of the restaurant, and would love something like it for my bedroom.  I could lie in bed and imagine myself at the beach. 

Israel is famous for citrus, and these artificial tress and oranges set a delightful atmosphere for dining, as we looked out over the Mediterranean Sea.  On the wall in the back is a greatly enlarged black and white photograph of an orange grove, with the oranges in bright color.  

My next post will be about our first full day in The Wonderful Land; but before we take off for Cesarea Maritime, I'll have to show you some other wonderful things I saw in the hotel the next morning.



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