It’s probably an anathema to post this on Shabbes, but I’m awake now, and need something to do. I fell asleep at 6:30 this evening, right after dinner, and now I’m awake.
Anyway, I’m psyched about this trip, so I went to the British Airways website, and ordered all my vegetarian meals, and now I just want to MPSIMS about it.
In December, there’s a conference for Jewish educators in Nahariya, and I applied to go, and got accepted! They want Americans there, because they are trying to promote serious Jewish education (probably to increase the quality of the knowledge of people who go to Israel later, by improving education for youth), so there’s outreach to people who teach religious school in the US, and I teach at my synagogue.
The conference runs from Dec. 23 (Sunday) in the afternoon, to Dec. 28 (Friday) right about noon, and then they have a local family who will host each of us for Shabbes. So I’m coming back on the 30th, Sunday. I have decided to leave the Wednesday before, and spend a couple of days in Jerusalem before I go to Nahariya (which is on the Northern coast).
DH and the boychik thought about coming too, but we decided we couldn’t really afford it. I’m using some of the money my mother left me for my plane ticket, and my hotel and meals are covered by the conference (except the first couple of days in Jerusalem, but I’m staying in a cheap hotel, that is probably not the best, right outside the Old City, oh well-- it’s half hostel, half private rooms for older people, so I have low expectations for it, but I’ve probably stayed in worse; it has free breakfasts, and free wifi; no AC, but it will be winter).
I decided to fly Premium Economy. It’s about $600 more than regular Economy, and about half of Business class. The seats recline pretty far back, albeit, not fully down, but about eight inches instead of like, 1.5" in regular Economy, and you get six more inches of legroom. You also get a free carry on in addition to a personal bag, and a free checked bag. With luck, I will do this all with carry-on, and not worry about losing luggage, because I have two stopovers, one at JFK, and one at Heathrow.
My stopover at JFK is long, but that means I might actually have time to leave the airport and do something in New York. I’ll be in London less than two hours, though, but Heathrow is a nice airport.
I’m going to take something to make SURE I sleep on the plane.
When I’m in Jerusalem, I’m going to hit the highlights of the old city-- the Western Wall, and such, see the Yad VaShem, and then see the Jewish museum. I’ll go the Shabbes services in an old synagogue.
Then Sunday morning, I take the train to Nahariya. The conference should be exciting.
So it turns out I’m going to be doing a lot of traveling the rest of this year.
I have Las Vegas, and the Pinball Hall of Fame in October; in November, I we are all going to my brother’s for Thanksgiving-- several of my cousins will be there as well-- we had to get an hotel, because my brother doesn’t have room for everyone in his house; then in December, Israel. I’ve never traveled so much in one year in my life. Especially when you consider than I had to go out to Maine recently for my mother’s unveiling. I drove, and did that in two legs, instead of flying. I just felt like it. Can’t really say why.
OK. I’ve gotta do something to get back to sleep. Got stuff tomorrow. Gotta walk a dog in the morning, and then go to services. Got stuff moitzei Shabbes too.
Wish me luck.
