Made it to Jerusalem!

After a long day of flying I made it to Jerusalem last night! The ride in the Sherut (shuttle taxi) was a little harrowing as the driver assumed the roads of Jerusalem were more like NASCAR. However, he managed to deliver everyone safely.

The most interesting part of my travels so far this time around was my little "run-in" with the security at the Barcelona airport. Upon arrival, the Israeli airline I was taking took every precaution as I must have looked strange traveling to Israel by myself these days. Anyhow, I was taken by car to a secluded room in the bowels of the airport to be questioned and to have all of my belongings taken out of the suitcase and put through the scanner. And, when I say ALL I mean ALL of my stuff....including my shampoo and toothbrush! They had me turning on and demonstrating the use of every electronic and telling them over and over again that I study the Christian Bible and am still interested in Torah. The security scan took so long that I almost missed my flight and they said I could either be re-routed through Europe or go get on the plane and have my stuff shipped later. I liked neither option and they heard about that. :) So, it turned out they were able to finish quickly and drive me to the stairs of the plane, checking my laptop in a box under the plane. My driver called me Cinderella as I got to the plane, which was a nice touch after I had be frisked and questioned for quite some time.

Anyhow, I am counting my blessings that I arrived safely and with all of my stuff alongside. It's been interesting getting re-acquainted with the city again. I wandered around the Old City today for a few hours and was reminded of the memories of my time here last year. It is amazing to me that any place can have a sense of home or comfortability after you have spent time there. I'm surprised at how comfortable or "normal" it feels to be here even though it definitely isn't home. It is good to be back and to explore again, even thought the newness of Jerusalem is no longer there. I'm looking forward to Shabbat dinner with other students from my time here as we gather for dinner.