Welcome to Israel

            We are in Israel!  Last night we stayed in a quiet town near the southern part of the Dead Sea.  We indulged ourselves with breathtaking views of the rolling dessert, a fantastic Chris & Jo home-cooked meal (we have a kitchenette!) and…ping pong!

            Getting into Israel was anticlimactic for the most part.  We had been prepped by our guide book and the U.S. State Department Travel Page to expect thorough searches and potentially lengthy questioning as to our itinerary and intentions while in country.  Thus, we both carried neatly printed out itineraries with our planned destination for each day as well as relevant confirmation numbers.  Indeed, everything was going swimmingly until we got off the plane at Ben Gurion International Airport.  As we crested the escalator leaving the gate, a no-nonsense looking, dark-suited gentleman signaled for me to step out of the procession of travelers, and then proceeded to ask for my passport.  My heart started pounding as I thrust my hand into my pocket and produced the requested item in what I imagine was record time.  He scrutinized my passport for a moment, and then, with a drawl that sounded both sinister and understated (think James Bond villain), he said, “Why you come to Israel?”  Now, it probably does not need to be mentioned, but Johanna and I have the most innocent and harmless intentions imaginable for visiting Israel.  Indeed, we have absolutely nothing to hide.  Didn’t matter…. If you’ve seen “The Goonies”, you may remember the scene where Chunk, with fingers being pressed near the blender confesses to everything he’s ever done…to the point that his questioner’s give up.  I hope you can recall this scene because that was on par with my performance.  Before he even finished the question, I was singing like it was choir practice.  “We’re going to go here and then here and while we’re there we’re going to see this and stay there…and…when I was ten I got in trouble in art class because….”  And on, and on and on.  He fairly quickly dismissed us with a wave of his hand, probably more for the reason that he didn’t want to hear about the middle school years than because he felt we were not in any way a threat to Israel.

            And so here we are.  We’ve rented a car, and we are so appreciating the flexibility that gives us to move around and explore this beautiful landscape.  Stay tuned…