Trip to Israel

The flight over made me feel a little more than selfish. I flew first class from DFW to Chicago. They give you your own little ‘area’ with a chair that reclines to a complete bed position, a little seat area where a friend can come and sit and visit, a tv screen and a large selection of movies, games, flight info at your fingertips. They offer you warm cashews and almonds, any drink you could want, and a nice meal if you want it. The transfer in the airport was pretty easy as I only had to move down 4 gates. During the flight from Chicago to London, I had a business class seat. I had a lady beside me. She was very nice, her two children were in coach. They were taking her son to Cambridge to do a summer program there for high school students. She said her son did not want her to ride with him as all the other students would be on the same flight so she sat where she normally sat (business class), but then at the last moment she decided to take her 7 year old with her. So she had to get him a ticket in coach. They were from Santa Barbara, CA. The flight was nice, though her getting out many times (she was near the window) to check on the boys, take the 7 year old back, go to the bathroom from 5 cups of wine, not only reminded me that my children were at home and not with me but also made it a little hard to rest. But, it was not uncomfortable and the food was excellent especially the chocolate ice cream with chocolate graham cracker crust at the bottom and fudge sauce and raspberry cheese cake chunks on top. As you can tell, I suffered through it. Our plane was a little late taking off and getting to London and the London airport is not real user friendly. No one tells you where to go, you just follow people and hope you are going to the right place. I went from terminal 2 to terminal 4 via stairs, long halls, long tunnels and a bus. Then when I got to terminal 4 I had quiet a time finding and being sure I had found the right place. As I had 2 minutes until posted departure time and no one was there to man the gate or answer my questions. I called Darrel and he assured me all was well. When they opened my doors to go down the tunnel to get on the plane it was actually a tunnel to go get on a bus. We took the bus to the airplane out on the tarmac and climbed up the stairs to the plane. When they saw my ticket was first class, they took my bags, took me to my seat, offered me a drink and slippers and asked if I wanted a sleep suit? I must have looked puzzled because she then explained they were pajamas. I noticed her asking others if they wanted sleep suits and they said yes, but no one changed into them. So I asked her, she said you can take them with you. So I said sure I will take them (so now Sarah has a new sleep suit) They come over to your private little cubby hole and unwrap your pillow and blanket and show you how to use the recliner/bed chair. This airlines was not American Airlines, it was British Airways and though their plane was not as nice as the American plane the staff were so much nicer. They catered to your every whim. I was able to sleep for maybe two hours on this flight. They had a very fancy meal, but it was a little too… fufu for me, I asked for just a plate of fruit, they kept asking if I wanted more.
Flying over the Mediterranean Sea just before landing in Tel Aviv was beautiful, you could see yachts and sailboats floating through the incredibly blue water. Landing at Tel Aviv I tried to follow Darrel’s instructions, but called him for clarification when I ran into a snag. I was blessed at each point, when I got to the passport check a line opened up so I didn’t have to wait, for luggage I took a potty break and then waited only about 5 minutes (usually at least an hour) and I simply walked through customs no one stopped me or checked anything. It was wonderful to see Darrel’s smiling face.
We came to the hotel put up my luggage, Darrel worked for 30-60 minutes and then we went upstairs to the lounge for free dinner and then went for a walk in Tel Aviv. Came back and had some watermelon and went to bed. We are open the 10th floor and can see the sea and hear the waves. It is beautiful. After not having but maybe 3 hours sleep on the planes, I slept pretty good. Though I miss my babies, Darrel is so glad to have me here.