Day 1 - Tel Aviv

Well, the flights were smooth, Ellen and Irving and I met up without difficulty at the airport, I slept reasonably well my first night in Israel, and my first day in Tel Aviv was fun. Naomi came to hang out and we actually met up accidentally, 45 min earlier than we were planning, on the walkway between my hotel and the beach! We had massages (a "spa day" for her birthday), ate lunch with her cousin, and then while they went for pedicures, I went for a swim in the Mediterranean!!!!! Absolutely lovely. Then Naomi and I met up again (also by running into each other again on the walkway between the hotel and the beach, without having a plan to do so -- but that time she was actually looking for me so I guess it's not completely cosmic). Anyway, we had a good time catching up.

The tour officially began before dinner today, with a walking around Jaffa, and then dinner at a Yemenite restaurant. I'm eating more than I'm currently accustomed to and my stomach is slightly upset with all the time and food changes (I'm not completely ignoring the low-fat diet, but I'm relaxing it a WHOLE lot for the trip), but nothing too serious. 

We are supposed to be on the bus early tomorrow so I'll keep this short! The pictures are me with Naomi on the beach, and the view from my hotel window (Thanks, Naomi, for the pics. And happy birthday!)