I guess the CIA guy finally took our fears to heart, because we were awakened at 2am to get up to leave our hotel. A lot of bleary-eyed people got their luggage together and headed downstairs. We saw two cabs that were to take all 16 of us, along with a truck for luggage to take us to Tel Aviv and out of Israel. All in the dark.
We got to Tel Aviv and the airport to another security issue. The airport searched every nook and cranny. The wooden camel I was carrying for Sandra was x-rayed and then sawed in half. I protested, but they gave me both halves and said "Here". Sandra was livid, but what could we do? She threw it in the trash. There was an Arab man in front of me in the line who had dirty socks stuffed in a vase. They wouldn't let him take his vase or socks on the plane, and he didn't want to check the vase for fear it might be broken. He was flying to Paris on business, where he sold tractors. They told him he couldn't get on the plane, if he insisted on carrying his vase on the plane. A fight began, and he was taken out of line. I never saw him again.
Our plane took off for Frankfurt at 7am, which was a little sooner than we had planned, but the girls and I were relieved that we were leaving Israel and the death threats. We were also glad we were no longer spies. It was a very good feeling. Just for a side note: a few months later, I was listening to the BBC and heard a worldwide song request show called "The Victor Sylvester Dance Party". You could send Victor requests for anyone in the world, and he would play them. So, I sent a request for him to play "Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra for Sam, Omar and Sam in Jerusalem. About a month later, he did. I don't know what happened to the three Arab boys. Perhaps, they were arrested or killed. I don't know. But, if they are still alive, I would like to tell them we made it out okay, and I hope they did too.
We landed in Frankfurt a little earlier than was on our itinerary, so we had a bit of a wait. There was a statue of a large cow in the terminal that Talula liked a lot. It reminded her of home. We finally took off for Berlin, which would be our next stop on our tour. I have a lot of German heritage in my blood, and I really felt like I was coming home. I am also a student of World War II, so I was anxious to get to Berlin for that reason, as well. When we got to the airport in Berlin, I began humming the German national anthem. I got a lot of stares from the locals for that.
Our arrival at our hotel in Berlin was a bit of a culture shock. It was nice!! The deluxe accommodations were a far cry from what we had left in Jerusalem. The food was good, and the hotel staff was excellent. Our escape was complete. The girls and I walked around the downtown area that night and felt safe. We saw some stores we wanted to visit the next day. Our hotel was across from the zoo, and I knew where I wanted to go the next day. The only strange thing that happened to us at the hotel was that we had to surrender our passports with the hotel. I don't know why, but that was the rule. Okay.
We really had our first good sleep in several days. It was a blessing.
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