Israel - Day 12

Day 12 was our final day in Israel. We packed our stuff and headed out for our final touring. We started with a tour of Tel Megiddo where Armageddon is supposed to happen. We moved from there to the town of Caesarea which lies on the Mediterranean Sea. It is a wealthy neighborhood where the smallest houses go for at least $1 million US dollars. We saw an ancient ampitheater and other city ruins and enjoyed breathtaking views of the Sea.

After Caesarea, we headed down to Jaffa, just south of Tel-Aviv. I went with my mom and Uncle John in search of access to a lighthouse where we would have some great views of Tel-Aviv. We only had about an hour to sightsee and we used it all trying to find the bottom of the lighthouse. We asked around but couldn't get a good answer. We finally gave up and headed back to the bus. Just beside the bus was an okay view of Tel-Aviv across the Sea.

From Jaffa, we headed to the Tal Hotel in Tel-Aviv where we spent our first night in Israel. We had a chance to freshen up and have a fairwell dinner with Joe and Marsha Shulam and Hannah, our tour guide. After dinner we headed to the airport for the long process of checking in. We flew out at 12:05 Israel time and began our journey back to the States. 11.5 hours later we touched down in Newark, went through customs, caught our tour bus, and drove 3 hours back to the church. Here's a picture of our group at the church just before going our separate ways.

Mom and I then hopped in my truck and drove 4 hours home to Richmond. From the time we left the hotel in Tel-Aviv until we arrived in Richmond was 25 hours! Although I absolutely loved Israel, it was good to be home. I'm now mostly caught up on sleep and feel ready to head back to the routine of work. I'll go into the office tomorrow to begin catching up while our office is closed for the holiday. I don't look forward to the craziness!