Thursday, July 15th
Up early and out of the hotel by 7:30 to go to CDG to get a 10:30 flight to Tel Aviv.
At dinner last night Laura suggested that we take the RER to the airport. It sounded like a great idea because the stop (which she located on her iphone) was close by (St. Michel, Notre Dame) and the trip only 19 minutes door to door. What we didn't calculate in were the multitude of stairs in the metro stations (lugging luggage), getting on the wrong RER (a very nice woman saw us and our luggage and said-"this train isn't the one that goes to the airport") She actually got off with us and showed us how to locate the correct train that would go all the way to CDG.Once on the correct train we stood so squished, standing up with luggage on our feet for about 25 minutes. But we made it to CDG. We got out and then had to find the terminal because the RER leaves you off at the train station, not exactly the terminal. Another set (or two) of steep stairs with luggage. Then we needed to go through the turnstiles again to get into the airport terminal...but we couldn't find 3 of the 4 of our tickets (which we needed to get through the gates)...we tried to jump them, but we had all that luggage. At one point, Marc got stuck in between two glass barriers and couldn't get out!! Finally someone came by to help a woman in a wheel chair get out of a door behind the turnstiles and we stuck through.
We found the terminal and walked about a mile. Long story made shorter....we arrived at our gate about 10 minutes before take off due to a malfunction of the luggage belts and extra security for Tel Aviv check in. But we did make it. And arrived at about 4:15 into Tel Aviv where we were met at the gate and taken through luggage and security and customs by a nice Israeli and to a waiting van.
The Hilton is great. Right on the water and we have balconies from our rooms that overlook the Mediterranian Sea.
We met everyone (the Canter was waiting for us at the bottom of the elevator) in the lobby and we took buses to Yafo (Southern Tel Aviv) down some dark small alleys to a Yeminite restaurant. We had the entire upstairs and the food came fast and yummy.
We were starved having had no breakfast (rush to the airport, no time for the lounge or snacks) and the food on the plane (you no like....). We all had the chocolates from last night's dinner and that was about it! Baskets of pita, salads of ALL kinds, olives, pickles, all so great. Falafel balls, cigars etc. We thought this was dinner until they brought out the kebabs (lamb and chicken) and french fries and stuffed vegetable (with lentils and rice)....and of course dessert of watermelon and baklava. Mint tea and we were done. We walked back to the buses through another dark alley and came home with instructions to be in the lobby at 8:30 tomorrow AM. This will certainly put a crimp into our 'rise at 11, out of the hotel by 12' schedule. But we will go with the flow!
More tomorrow. Got to get everyone to bed.
Up early and out of the hotel by 7:30 to go to CDG to get a 10:30 flight to Tel Aviv.
At dinner last night Laura suggested that we take the RER to the airport. It sounded like a great idea because the stop (which she located on her iphone) was close by (St. Michel, Notre Dame) and the trip only 19 minutes door to door. What we didn't calculate in were the multitude of stairs in the metro stations (lugging luggage), getting on the wrong RER (a very nice woman saw us and our luggage and said-"this train isn't the one that goes to the airport") She actually got off with us and showed us how to locate the correct train that would go all the way to CDG.Once on the correct train we stood so squished, standing up with luggage on our feet for about 25 minutes. But we made it to CDG. We got out and then had to find the terminal because the RER leaves you off at the train station, not exactly the terminal. Another set (or two) of steep stairs with luggage. Then we needed to go through the turnstiles again to get into the airport terminal...but we couldn't find 3 of the 4 of our tickets (which we needed to get through the gates)...we tried to jump them, but we had all that luggage. At one point, Marc got stuck in between two glass barriers and couldn't get out!! Finally someone came by to help a woman in a wheel chair get out of a door behind the turnstiles and we stuck through.
We found the terminal and walked about a mile. Long story made shorter....we arrived at our gate about 10 minutes before take off due to a malfunction of the luggage belts and extra security for Tel Aviv check in. But we did make it. And arrived at about 4:15 into Tel Aviv where we were met at the gate and taken through luggage and security and customs by a nice Israeli and to a waiting van.
The Hilton is great. Right on the water and we have balconies from our rooms that overlook the Mediterranian Sea.
We met everyone (the Canter was waiting for us at the bottom of the elevator) in the lobby and we took buses to Yafo (Southern Tel Aviv) down some dark small alleys to a Yeminite restaurant. We had the entire upstairs and the food came fast and yummy.
We were starved having had no breakfast (rush to the airport, no time for the lounge or snacks) and the food on the plane (you no like....). We all had the chocolates from last night's dinner and that was about it! Baskets of pita, salads of ALL kinds, olives, pickles, all so great. Falafel balls, cigars etc. We thought this was dinner until they brought out the kebabs (lamb and chicken) and french fries and stuffed vegetable (with lentils and rice)....and of course dessert of watermelon and baklava. Mint tea and we were done. We walked back to the buses through another dark alley and came home with instructions to be in the lobby at 8:30 tomorrow AM. This will certainly put a crimp into our 'rise at 11, out of the hotel by 12' schedule. But we will go with the flow!
More tomorrow. Got to get everyone to bed.
posted by csmcid at 12:57 PM
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