Seattle to Israel - A long day

Woke up in Seattle this morning, now I'm in Tel-Aviv. The flight to Atlanta was smooth, the 12 hour flight across the Atlantic was a bit less so. People were excited to land... So excited that everyone started clapping once the plane stopped.

Oh yes... I was once again "randomly" selected for additional secuirty screenings. It happens every time to me, so from my point of view it's not that random :)

Flying to Israel is a bit different than flying to Cancun. There are subtle differences and not-so-subtle ones. For instance, the only gate in Atlanta that required a second security check was the one going to Tel-Aviv. Also, the minute I got off the plane I was taken out of line and my passport was checked. Getting into the hotel lobby required an ID check etc... I can now consistently pull out my ID in less than 3 seconds flat. I imagine by the end of this trip I'll have that number down substantially.

I'm now sitting on the 14th floor of the Carlton hotel overlooking the Mediterranian sea. The beach is spectacular and extends to Jaffa, so I might take a walk down the strip the next chance I get. I walked a bit on the beach tonight, but it was getting dark, the scenery will be better in the daylight.

I will be booking a trip to Jerusalem either tonight, or tomorrow. That should be amazing.

I'm on another computer, otherwise I'd attach a photo. I'll do so tomorrow.

Anyhow, there's a world cup soccer match on tonight, other than a few things I need to take care of for work that's my plan.

Have fun!