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NaTBaG 2000 Has Arrived!

Isn't that a strange title? Well, not if you know that Israel's international airport in Tel Aviv, known as Ben Gurion International Airport has recently opened (almost five years behind schedule) what they call "NaTBaG 2000". The letters N T B G are actually the initials of the Hebrew "Namal Teufah Ben Gurion" or in English, Ben Gurion Airport, and the 2000 was supposed to be the year that they opened up the brand new Terminal 3. Unfortunately, all sorts of bureaucracy got in the way, and NaTBaG 2000 only opened in November of 2004. So this old review is now being revised from top to bottom, for your convenience, and I warn you, in advance, its gonna be a long read! If you're still interested, sit back and I hope you enjoy the ride.

Let me start from the beginning. When you reach the airport by car, taxi or bus, the traffic is all directed towards the new Terminal 3. If you're dropping someone off, there is a large drop-off area with several lanes with stopping on both sides, to allow easy access. I must say that the first time I went to pick someone up, I was a bit shocked at the amount of driving I had to do to get from the entrance security to the short-term parking lot. We're talking pretty out of the way here a la Heathrow Terminal 4, if you get my meaning.

The new short-term lots are large (total 2045 spaces - and costs 13 shekels for the first hour - one more shekel than the old lot), several stories high, and connected to the terminal via glass enclosed walkways over a lovely terraced garden that is still a bit sparse, but promises to eventually be gorgeous (I haven't figured out if you can go out to those gardens, or not, yet). The walkways from the parking lead to elevators and escalators to help you get to the right floor. If you're planning to leave your car in the long-term lot (located near the old Terminal 1), there are regular and frequent shuttle busses that will get you to Terminal 3 (which we had before). All the signs are relatively clear, in English and Hebrew (but unfortunately, not all are in Arabic as well, just yet but I hear they're working on that). There's a car rental parking lot with 535 spaces and two more parking lots with more than another 2000 spaces for parking subscription holders, whatever that means.

Past experience has shown that this airport can be chock-a-block full - even when its not tourist season (or when tourists don't come - for obvious, and unfortunate reasons). This made waiting to check

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