Heading Northwest, Part I

Some photos from my trip so far.

Checking in at the airport (at 2 AM.) I wouldn't be too confident in KLM's ability to keep this Torah Scroll in tip top condition if it's really being checked in the luggage compartment.

Will you be checking any valuables?

The first stop was in Amsterdam for a couple of hours. Nice chance to stretch my legs and look around. Holland is known for its qaint windmills, and in modern times has switched to wind energy for a significant part of its overall energy supply. It was cool to see all the wind turbines stretching out over the horizon. Imagine what Israel could do with all that free wind in the Negev.

Wind turbines throught he clouds.

It's also a major switch to see so much green after leaving Israel, which is still in the dusty summer dry season.

Wind turbines from the air.

I finally landed in Seattle a mere 22 hours after I had left Israel. Fortunately, I had been so exhausted from the endless packing in my apartment that I was able to sleep for a lot of the flight, so I landed in relatively good conditioned. Dad came down to pick me up and we managed to go out to luch at the Bamboo Garden in Seattle.

Lunch with Dad.

Good chinese food was one thing I certainly missed. Ic Israel, you can get Chinese at the mall, but it's the sort of fast food heavy-on-the-grease Chinese that you find at crummy places like Panda Express. Not that I would go to a non-kosher eating establishment like Panda Express, but, ya know, I've heard. Anyway, this was kosher Chinese food made by real Chinese people, complete with unintelligible accent.

Next stop: my home away from home.