Wine and Spirits Travel

I was up early at the Dan Hotel Tel Aviv for another busy day on my press trip with Israel Tourism . After breakfast, I met with the rest of the journalists and our guide, Carmela, in the Executive Lounge at the hotel with our luggage.  We were heading to two more hotels in Israel before we would be back at this one. Since most of the group had arrived later than me, they were all heading to the Bauhaus area I had toured on my first day. I decided to check out some of the boutique shopping area around Sheinken Street in Tel Aviv with another journalist, Jo Piazza. We stopped first at a café for some coffee. As interesting as the pastries looked, we had just finished a big Israeli breakfast, which focused on the sweets. As we walked through the blocks we noted that they all looked simple and understated from the outside, despite the fact that most of the clothes and shoes were high-end. I window-shopped while Jo picked up and dress and then we

I was in Israel for the first time since I was a teenager on a press trip with Israel Tourism . Since we just ended up with a private guide with us since no one from the visitor’s bureau or public relations had joined us, and there were some mix ups in the schedule, we decided to fill in a bit of what each of us wanted to do for our stories. I woke up fairly early at the Dan Hotel Tel Aviv . I knew it would be a long day and I was ready to get started. Despite the fact that I had a full dinner the night before, I couldn’t wait for another Israeli breakfast.  I anticipated it would be as good as the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem , and I wasn’t disappointed. My sweet tooth was more than satisfied. It took a lot of self-control not to totally fill my plate with luscious desserts! I managed to collect my favorites into a fairly well-rounded plate of fruit, cheese, tomato, halvah, a cheese blintz, a small raspberry tart, and a sliver of my favorite breakfast

It was tough leaving the family, but it was time to join the group and explore Israel. I drove to Tel Aviv to meet the other writers and our tour guide at the Dan Hotel. The drive wasn’t bad from Jerusalem  even though everyone warned me about traffic. Considering I spent most of my life driving in New York, I’m prepared. Upon arriving in Tel Aviv, I saw the sea for the first time since arriving in Israel . Despite the fact that it is such a small country, Israel has four seas– the Mediterranean, the Dead Sea, the Red Sea and the Sea of Galilee. (The first three are often referred to as “The Med, The Dead, and The Red.) Tel Aviv borders the Mediterranean, but it’s also the most metropolitan city in Israel. It’s also the only city with a major airport. I was happy to find out almost everyone in Israel  speaks English. While most of my travels are usually in Europe and I can get by in the Latin languages, I don’t know any Hebrew. I parked at the Dan Ho

It had been nearly 20 years since I had been to Israel and I was excited to have the opportunity to return with Israel Tourism . The trip was focused around the city of Tel Aviv , but it would also give me a chance to spend some time with family. Had to start the trip in New York, so left a day early to have dinner with my daughter. Mom met me in New York. Stayed overnight at Hampton Inn JFK to make sure we were both there long before our evening flight to Istanbul. Although American Airlines upgraded me on the way to New York, Mom and I were flying economy on Turkish Air. I had never flown them before and didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with great service, food, and even entertainment on the plane. We slept for a couple of hours and woke up to breakfast at about 12:00 noon Turkey time. We had been delayed so there was a mad rush to get to the plane. I was extremely impressed with the way they handled getting Mom, who was in a wheelch