Monday/Tuesday, 9/10 February 2015 - West Palm to Bethlehem

Monday/Tuesday, 9/10 February 2015 - West Palm to Bethlehem

Pastor David & Flock (less the Newark bound)
With a major winter storm in the North East, it was a bit dicey, but we all got away from either Philadelphia or Newark. From the time our group arrived at the Philadelphia airport, we began encountering people wearing the EO nametags in a whole array of colours. No one else in the Maroon group is doing the Jordan extension at the end, but Larry and I encountered a few in the other groups who are going on it. All of us were glad that we wouldn't be doing it alone.

It was a long lay-over but some of us found ways to pass the time.






Overnight flights are never a lot of fun, and de-icing kept us sitting on the tarmac for an hour before take-off, but it went relatively smoothly and we were still nearly on time arriving in Tel Aviv.
EO had reps placed all around the baggage claim area as well as near the transportation lot, so our transition through the airport and onto the buses was smooth. Pastor David and Nanci managed to keep us all more or less well-herded. The buses are very nice and comfortable. Our guide for the week, Wisam, and our driver, Mamoud were there at Ben Gurion Airport to welcome us, and drive us to Bethlehem. Part of the route lay through Jerusalem, but in the dark we couldn't see much. We'll be back later in the week. Wisam gave us a good intro and instructions for the week. I'm confident we'll really see the Holy Land in detail.
The Jacir Palace Hotel in Bethlehem is very nice.

Check-in was smooth as silk, then we dropped our bags and made our way along long marble corridors to the large dining room. It was very pleasant to walk around, chat with fellow pilgrims and the hospitality staff, and enjoy a great meal. Then it was time to settle into our comfortable rooms for the night.