Newark to Tel Aviv

I see a currency exchange place on the way to the gate for my flight to Tel Aviv. I slap down all my cash $143. The girl slides back to me this colorful money totally $450 in Israeli money. Not sure what they call their money. It’s looks pretty.

I get to my gate, all the way to the end of the terminal. It’s the only gate in the whole arm of this terminal that has an extra security gate surrounding it. Ok….this is new for me. I quickly see this as a good thing. Who wouldn’t want an extra little security check when you head to the middle east? I now have a sense of peace of mind.

Each seat is equipped with a mini TV screen. Hmmm…does it work, or is it like those planes that don’t use them anymore? It sure would be nice if it does work, especially for a 9 hour flight ahead of me. It does work! Not only that, it has 350 movies to choose from! Wow! Good thing I didn’t do what I normally do and pack a bunch of DVDs to bring with me. I’m sitting between 2 guys, the one to the left of me I think is Israeli or at least knows Hebrew. I gathered this from him reading the Hebrew printed newspaper. The guy on my right looks as American as me, just older and has a look of this is a business trip.

It’s so refreshing to have a different language for the announcements as the secondary language. In this case, the language is Hebrew. I found myself trying to find the connection of the announcements made in English (made first) and the same announcement in Hebrew. I figured I could pick up something. I figured wrong. I don’t even know where to start with Hebrew. Phew. All I know is it has a lot of words with the sound of ‘ha’ without the ‘aaa’.

I’m going to attempt to sync up with the time in Israel during my flight. It’s time to go to bed and we are about to take off. I wake up and notice we still have 7 hours to go. I didn’t make it through the ‘night’. I turn on a movie, ‘Bringing Up Baby’ with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn from 1938. As I’m watching the movie, I see a strikingly similarity to how Chaliese and I are in our relationship compared to Cary and Katherine in the movie. Cary is scrambling around trying to be heard, understood, and figuring out how to get through to Katherine. Katherine is so sure of herself, even when she gets into a bind. Her ease of going from one situation to another without ‘thinking’ about it totally reminds me of how Chaliese goes through life. During the movie, we get diner served. How refreshing to get a warm meal on the plane.

I think it’s time for another nap. That didn’t last long. I try watching something boring. It works. I wake up this time with 3-4 hours to go. I decide on “Paris Te’Tame”. This is directed by 9-16 different directors. It’s an interesting take on a movie all about Paris from different points of view. Some are great and others are ok.

Now it’s breakfast time. Wow…2 warm meals in 1 flight. What is a good breakfast movie? Marley and Me. We begin to land about a third through the movie. I’ll have to pick it up on the way back.