Beginnings

So, let's start at the very beginning (journey photos courtesy of myself and my fellow travellers for more see here):

Some months back I was invited on an Amos Trust led trip to the Holy Land, aimed at Greenbelt Staff and Trustees and then widened out a little to selected invitees (yep they were scraping the barrel by the time it got to yours truly). I had neither the financial or annual leave funds to make "yes" a sensible response, but something told me it was one of those chances you can't let go by, so having agreed additional unpaid leave with work (kind, but ouch!) and been kindly offered a short-term loan (very kind, but still ouch!), I assented.

Accordingly, several months, lots of background reading and a "non-Arab stamped" second passport later, I find myself on a cold October Friday evening, still recovering from a killer flu bout, on the London train with my adopted bruv Stuart.

After several transport related madnesses and one luke-warm baguette we made it to the Heathrow Terminal 5 Travelodge and crashed in our respective rooms, trying to ignore the lack of hours before we have to be up and out.

In a sign that Stuart really hasn't cottoned on to my morning modus operandi, he requests I phone him when I wake, to check he's up. Yeah, right, like I'm going to be displaying that level of cognitive function at 5am.