Today started especially early because of Covid test requirements to re-enter America. I was very nervous because the last time I got a Covid test, it didn’t really go well. Right after breakfast, we headed over to get tested, and it went far better than I expected, and the fear was way worse than the actual test.
Today was our last day in Israel and I got up at 5:45am this morning to get ready and finish packing. We had to be done with breakfast early to take a COVID test at 7:30am for our return flight to the United States.
After the COVID test we boarded the bus for a long ride to the northern coast and Caesarea Maritima. This was a site we were supposed to see on our first day that was missed but Ami was able to rearrange our schedule so that we could fit it in today along with Tel Megiddo.
I snoozed a bit this morning until 6:40am, and the Sara and I quickly got ready to meet Olivia and Sara for breakfast.
In the dining room I ran into Murad who was our guide on my last trip to Israel. We ran into him again later at the Israel Museum. It was good to see him.
For Breakfast, we had hot food again now that sabbath is over. I combined some eggs with three more cheese danishes. I never eat like this at home!
We boarded the bus around 8:15am for a short drive to the modern city of Jerusalem. Today is Shavuot, which is Pentecost of the Feast of Weeks. The streets were pretty quiet because of the holiday, but we could see many Orthodox Jews heading to the Western Wall.
Today was a more chill day, but I am still exhausted. We’re approaching the end of our trip, but we still had a lot to fit in today. As always, we started with a wonderful hotel breakfast.
I really felt like I hit a wall yesterday and was so super tired when I went to bet last night. Even though I slept well, I still felt exhausted when I woke up at 6:30am with Sara. Thankfully I caught my second wind later in the morning. Breakfast was a bit different since today is Sabbath. Very little hot food, as it had been prepared earlier. I found a wonderful cheese danish and ended up eating three of them. I also had three cups of coffee to try and give me a boost of energy.
We boarded the bus around 8:15am and headed to the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. I had brought my travel tripod, and we quickly got the group together for a picture in front of the city. It was stressful trying to get it setup and use the remote trigger on my phone with so much activity going on around us. However, I’m really pleased with how it turned out. This is absolutely one of my favorite photos from the trip so far. This was when I got my second wind.
Today, I got to sleep in a tiny bit before we started the day, and let me tell you, I needed it. When we get home, I’m going to need to take so many naps (and I’m not even a nap person). Nonetheless, I still got up and had a lovely breakfast.
Sara and I are back to being roommates in Jerusalem because our two rooms are far apart again. We both got up at 6:30am and then met Olivia and Kate for Breakfast in the main dining room, which was pretty uninspiring…even the coffee. Thankfully the rest of the day was filled with inspiration. We boarded the bus around 8:15 and set off for the Old City of Jerusalem.
Today was quite a good day. We spent a lot of time in Jerusalem, and we saw a lot of cool things. The day started, as always, with a nice breakfast in the hotel dining room.
This morning Olivia and I both got up just before 6am. Our two rooms were right next to each other this time, so we let the girls be together last night. This was our only night in Ein Bokek, as we will be staying in Jerusalem for our final four nights.
We met up with Kate and Sara around 6:45am and walked down to the Dead Sea to take a few pictures before heading back to breakfast. This breakfast was not as good as in Tiberius, but had a couple of really good cafe lattes, so all was not a loss. Our group loaded our bags and boarded the bus at 8:15am, and we headed off to Masada.
Today, we spent a bit less time exploring and a bit more on the bus, but we saw a lot all the same. After packing our things and having breakfast, we moved out of our hotel by the Dead Sea.
Today has probably been my favorite day so far. I’ve had a great time, and the sites we visited were especially impressive and beautiful. We strolled along the promenade to get one last view of the Sea of Galilee and to look for cats again. After that, we had breakfast in the Caesar Hotel one more time.
I woke up again at 6am this morning, just before Sara. We had to pack up our luggage since we are transitioning down to the Dead Sea area today. We met Olivia and Kate at 6:40am for a quick walk on the promenade by the Sea of Galilee before breakfast.
I slept much better last night and didn’t wake up until my alarm went off at 6am. Sara followed soon after at 6:30am. We didn’t get to see the sunrise today, but at least we got a full night’s sleep.
Today was another long day, but a little less packed. I enjoyed it a lot, and every place we visited was amazing. We started the day as usual with breakfast in the hotel dining room, and they were actually serving pizza in the buffet. Naturally, I got some, but I did find it interesting. After breakfast, we got ready and headed for the bus. The day’s itinerary, as I said yesterday, was Nazareth, the Golan Heights, Caesarea Phillipi, and Tel Dan.
This day was packed, and it was awesome! I woke up just after 3:30am and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I eventually just decided to get up and watch the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee. I setup my tripod on the balcony to take some long exposure shots of the sunrise while drinking an excellent cup of coffee.
My day started very early this morning, and let me tell you, it’s been a packed day. I quickly got ready, and then my dad and I went for a short walk by the Sea of Galilee. We also saw a lot of cats. After we went back inside the hotel for a quick breakfast, we boarded our bus and began touring.
After the plane took off, we literally started zooming forward in time. Throughout ten hours, we would travel into a time zone eight hours forward from Nashville.
Today, we woke up at the Springhill Suites in Miami. I can’t say that’s where I expected to be this morning, but it is what it is. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and then we hung out in our room for a couple hours.
Most of today was spent in the air. Our 10-hour flight left JFK just after 11pm last night, and we arrived in Tel Aviv at 5pm today. The flight was relatively uneventful, and I was even able to get a little sleep (Don’t think my flight buddy, Sara, got much sleep at all).
Our group left the hotel in Miami around noon for the airport. We were able to work with American to split the group and get earlier flights so that our connection in JFK would not be as tight as originally rescheduled last night.
