Made it to Jerusalem

After an overnight flight, and all that goes with traveling, I am ready for bed. This will be quick initial thoughts followed by a polished post later. Please come back!

Julie and I are traveling to Israel for the next 34 days. Don and Ashley are fending for themselves at home and taking care of the pets (hopefully that does not become a story).

Our plane left yesterday at 4:55 pm, well really closer to 6 pm because of a medical problem not related to anyone on our flight. Other than that, the flight was uneventful, and non-stop. We made it through the Tel Aviv airport pretty quickly, even though we did check our luggage (our trowels needed for the dig would not have made it through security).

Julie and I took a "sherut" to the hostel. A sharet is a shared taxi. They wait for 10 people to show up, charge everyone 67 shekels (about $20), and drops us each off at our hotel. We felt we had a bit of a wait for that tenth person, but c'est la vie. Also a religious man insisted we had to change seats because he could not sit in the same seat as a woman (I know, when in Rome).

We did get money from the ATM. We did not get a SIM card or a phone. There is a lot of WiFi, and I really enjoy the forced disconnection. I can read a map.

We are staying in single rooms at the Abraham Hostel, recommended by a

slightly older friend I trust. When I heard "hostel" I was picturing rooms filled with bunk beds and no privacy. While the hostel does offer some of that, they also offer private rooms at a reasonable price. All come with an enormous Israeli breakfast, 24/7 use of the kitchen, WiFi, and a knowledgeable staff protecting the entrance from non-guests.

The guests ages skewed younger and young at heart. There were always people around (an annoyance as some were going out after midnight and talking in normal voices as they passed my room). Overall a safe feel. My room faced the street so I heard traffic all night. Julies' room was down the hall and on the other side of the building, so she had a better night's sleep. Overall I would recommend it as it was in the heart of the city and SAFE.
We were very close to the Mahane Yehuda Market, which looks more like a pedestrian street than a market. The shops are more permanent. Will explore tomorrow when I do some shopping.

Julie's initial observation is everything looks the same -- all limestone buildings. Some taller, some shorter, but basically the same. Reminded me of Paris in that way, the Jerusalem look instead of the Haussmann look.