Return to Tel Aviv

     After Athens we returned to Tel Aviv.  Our trip to Italy and Greece was on Atalia Airlines but from Greece to Tel Aviv we flew Cyprus Air.  From Athens we flew to Larnaca, Cyprus, changed planes and continued to Tel Aviv.  I knew little about the Island of Cyprus and still don’t know much other than it is the third largest island in the Mediterranean.

     We arrived back in Tel Aviv early in the morning of Feb 24^th.  Dale’s flight to the US was early on the 26^th of February.  Back in Tel Aviv we had a studio apartment for a few days while Dale got ready to travel home.  This apartment was about 2 blocks from the beach and near an open air market where just about everything was sold, including food. 

     The afternoon of the 24^th, we took a taxi to Old Jaffa (Yafo).  Tel Aviv was built around Old Jaffa which predates it by about 7450 years. Yafo is mentioned in several books in the Bible.  It is an ancient port on the Mediterranean.  We went to visit the old city which is similar to the Old City of Jerusalem but with more modern and expensive shops.

Narrow streets of Old Jaffa

Tel Aviv beach area from Old Jaffa

     The 25^th was spent packing and strolling along the beach, wading in the Mediterranean and picking up small sea shells to take to the grandkids.

Tel Aviv hotel district along the beach

The Tel Aviv beach looking south toward Old Jaffa in the distance

     

     The temperature was about 80 degrees on the beach while it was snowing in Denver

with 8” of snow on the ground and temperatures in the 30’s.

   The day was sunny with a few clouds until we walked back to the beach to get a photo of the sunset.  By then the clouds had moved in to the west so our sunset photo has the sun hidden by clouds.  The sun set on this day and also on a trip of a lifetime for us.  As we reflected on all the amazing things we had seen and wonderful people we had met, we were most impacted by a conversation we had with a young Israeli man that we talked with while doing laundry.  When he learned that John was working on a project to hopefully find oil just off shore, he said, “Before we look for oil, my friend, we need to find peace.”  Please join us in prayer for peace for the people of this area and for people all over the world whose civilizations have been shaped by their history.

The sunset  is behind us and behind the clouds

     Dale has returned home and I have returned to the well offshore.  I will add more pictures to the blog from the well and rig, maybe try another sunset photo from out here with no clouds in the way. Then I hope to make a stop in Germany and France on my way home either after this rotation out of Israel or the next rotation.  I leave for home on April 4^th and will be returning to Israel on the 6^th of May.