Hour 17

17 hours into trip:
Just arrived at the Amsterdam airport on my way to Tel Aviv. I have a 9 hour lay over and am trying to keep busy reading, walking around, and watching the rain. There is a lightening show here, and I hope that my connecting flight isn't delayed.

I have been exactly on schedule so far. From the cab I took from home, to Bart, then Bart to SFO international.

The flight here was very quick. I slept most of the way, and feel pretty adjusted to the new time here which is 9 hours ahead of PST, and 1 hour behind Israeli time.

I'm looking forward to arriving in Jerusalem on Saturday afternoon. The city conjures up images that seem more like myth than reality. But it is real, and I'm going to be there soon. From what I have read, there will be lots of Israelis there who will be protesting and praying that the Gaza pull out will not happen.

I will keep you posted.
Mike