European Travels

Over the past few weeks, I have had the chance to go visit some interesting towns in Holland and Scott and I went to Paris. In May, I had the chance to visit Haarlem and Delft. Both are towns very close to The Hague, with a great deal of history and interesting places to see. I went to Haarlem with a friend and we visited the Corrie Ten Boom House, which is the home of a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. In the home you were able to see the wall where Jews/Dutch Resistance workers where hidden for short periods of time when they were in between going from hiding place to hiding place. It was very fascinating as Corrie Ten Boom was a Christian missionary, so was interesting to see a part of the war from that perspective. Then we went to visit the Teylers Museum, which is the oldest museum in Holland. This museum houses a great collection of old musical instruments, fossils, paintings and geological stones. Another town I visited with a friend was Delft. Delft is famous for its blue pottery. We went specifically to see different pottery exhibits, some more fascinating than others as well as some interesting museums. It is great to live in a country with such history and wonderful museums and sites. Scott and I hope to visit some other of these little towns around this country this summer. Then last weekend Scott had two days off from work for a company holiday and we went off to Paris. It is amazing that it is only a 5 hr. drive from our home. We had a great drive there, but were not happy as when we arrived in the city our car was surrounded by people trying to wash the windows and get money. It was reminiscent of what used to happen all the time in NY, but these people were much more aggressive, which was very scary. Finally we got away from them and drove around the city trying to find our hotel. Driving thru the city when you don’t know where you are going can be very annoying as many of the streets are one way and it is hard to actually see the street names. Finally we arrived, dropped our luggage and went out to explore Paris. First we had some lunch yum, yum and then checked out the shuls for Shabbos and arranged a meal for Shabbos lunch. There is a restaurant that is open on Shabbos that all you have to do is book in advance and then you can eat there. After this we went on a tour of the famous Paris Opera House, which was spectacular. The ceiling was painted by Chagall and it was a place to see. Then we went off to see the Eiffel Tower. Even though it was my third time seeing it in person, it never ceases to amaze. Yet there was no way to get to the top as the lines were so long, so we figured we will save that for the next trip. After this we took a lovely cruise down the Seine River and then went off to dinner and what a dinner it was. We went to this fancy meat place that you would never have even guessed was kosher from looking at it. The food was amazing. It was so nice to be in a place with such great kosher restaurants. Then as was dark outside, we were able to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up in its glory and on the hour it sparkles which is a sight to see. Friday we went to the Dorsey Museum, and enjoyed the Van Gogh paintings, then we went off to the La Marais district for lunch. We went to this famous falafel place and had amazing food. Afterwards we walked over to Notre Dame and sat in a café by the church and just took in the scenery. Then we went over to the Arch De Triumph to take some pictures. On Shabbos day we went to the Spanish Portuguese shul for davening which was quite an experience and then went over to Bistro 26 for lunch. It was so great. We met a lovely young couple from Israel and shared a table with them. The food kept coming and we ate so well. I highly recommend this place to any travelers to Paris for Shabbos. After lunch we walked over to The Louvre and were able to see the museum in its glory. Then on Sunday we went to the Jewish Museum and saw a great Chagall exhibit and really enjoyed the exhibits and layout of the museum. Then we got our car and headed to another section of the city for lunch and to do some food shopping. We had hoped to bring back lots of meat, but the butchers were closed. Oh well. All in all was a great weekend away. It is amazing that we can just jump in our car and a few hours later can be in Paris.

Back to Reality

Hi, there blog readers. I know it has been a while. We were all set to spend Pesach in The Hague and then at the last minute decided to go back to the states, where I was for most of April. It was so nice to be home with my family for the holiday. Both my brother and his wife and my sister, her husband and kids all came to my parents for the second days of the holiday. It was such a treat to have everyone together for a few days. It was nice to spend time with my second nephew who now could interact with you a bit more and was just learning to turn over. It was a great time home and arrived back May 2 and am now settling back in.

We made sure the first Sunday back to head over to the famous Keukenhof to see tulips. As many of you may know Holland is famous for its tulips, yet they only bloom a few months a year. Scott actually planted tulips outside our house and just as we left they were budding and when we came back they were dead already. Thankfully we are told they should come back next year. Keukenhof has all different types of tulip gardens. It is a very beautiful place and thankfully we were able to see some great flowers. I am attaching picture heres, so you can get the idea. The weather has been great here, so it was a lovely Sunday in the gardens.

We just booked our summer vacation, a cruise to the Eastern Mediterranean. We are so excited and the best part for me is that I have been dying to go to Pompeii, Italy and we were able to plan it that we could spend a day there. Look forward to a full report over the summer. We also have plans to go to Paris and Vienna. The European exploration continues . . .

Achmad the Camel from Purim

March

Two weeks back, I had the opportunity to go with the American Women’s club to the Bags and Purses Museum in Amsterdam. You may ask what is this? It is actually exactly what it sounds that. A local couple had been collecting purses and bags and they amassed so many they decided to make a museum. It was actually very neat. They had bags from a few hundred years ago and then some designer bags of today. They had bags made out of all different animals’ skins and even one bag that was a working telephone. (Before there were cellphones) It was a great afternoon and then we had high tea in the dining room. Of course I couldn’t eat anything, but was great to be spending a lovely afternoon with a bunch of great ladies.

Last weekend was exciting for us here in The Hague as it was Purim, a Jewish holiday celebrating one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. Scott baked his famous hamantashen, a common pastry we eat on the holiday. We went to the synagogue on Sunday for the Purim festivities. The theme was a Bedouin Purim and it was in an Israeli style. All the food was Israeli, the kids made pitas and there was even a real live camel which the kids could take camel rides. We didn’t take a ride, but instead took a picture besides him. See above. Was a really fun day and there was a great turnout. Probably over 100 people. This is the first time we have seen many of the Jews who live in The Hague. It was nice to see that yes they do live close by and will turn up maybe just once a year.

Pictures

Friends from Home

Very exciting for us in February was that we had friends from home come to visit. Our friends had a wedding in Paris and decided to extend their trip and spend a few days in Amsterdam and in The Hague. They came with their 6 month old daughter, who is absolutely adorable. It was interesting to have to track down a car seat and pack and play, but we found the essentials so were all set for them. We met them one night in Amsterdam and took them to one of our favorite kosher restaurants in the city, Hacarmel. They said they also quite enjoyed it. Then on Thursday night we picked them up in Amsterdam. That was the first time we ever drove through the side streets in the Amsterdam city center. It was actually quite scary because the roads are so narrow and often on your left and right are canals. We were able to navigate our way thru and then took them to the kosher pizza place. Then Friday we explored The Hague. Scott would have taken off, but he was taking a 3 day First Aid course which he couldn’t miss. He volunteered to be a first aid responder at work and despite his extensive EMT training in the USA, he was required to take the course. We went to the Escher Museum and Mauritius museum, which houses the famous, painting Girl with the Pearl Earring. Then walked around the City Center and afterwards went over to the Peace Palace, which house the International Court of Justice. It is under construction, but you can still see the magnificent exterior which was financed by American Andrew Carnegie. Shabbos was so nice with them here. We had over about 9 people for lunch including us and our friends. They were able to meet some of our friends here and learn about life in The Hague. I know our friends were really impressed by the shul and Jewish community. Sunday we took them to Madurodam, which a replication of Holland in miniature. It is a site to see when you come to Holland. It was such a nice weekend for us to again show friends from home our life here. Before they came they asked us if they could bring anything from home. I said just them coming is a gift onto itself. It warms our hearts to every so often get to spend time with friends from home. It keeps us connected. Thanks Rivka, Marc and Neta!!!

Also in the past few weeks, we experienced dentistry in Holland. We had our checkups and I had a cavity filled. It was a bit of an overwhelming feeling as during the procedure they were speaking in Dutch and hard not to understand a word they were saying. But filling looks good and I survived, so can’t complain.

Last weekend we finally spent Sunday exploring in Amsterdam. We went to the Rijksmuseum to see the Rembrandt paintings and the famous Night Watch and then headed off to The Van Gogh Museum. At night we had the opportunity to go hear a speaker at the Amsterdam Jewish Community Center. It was a great opportunity to meet some new people and we had our first taste of kosher sushi in Holland. We were so excited and asked the rebbetzin where it came from and she said they hired someone to make it. Oh well. I guess another thing we can learn to make.

Some thoughts in February

Things have been very status quo here. We are basically settled in to the way of life and with the days getting longer and the sun starting to shine more, we feel ready for the spring and some more exploring of Europe. The weather has really been so great that I can’t complain. In the high 40’s, yes I still go by Fahrenheit, even though I can do the conversion from Celsius.

Today I happened to shop in a department store in the town center which I have never been to before. As I explored the kitchen goods, I found all the items you would find in Macy’s or Bed Bath and Beyond. They even had some of the brands. Again been so interesting to see that yes you can really buy most things you can buy in the states, you just have to know where to look.

I wanted to share the following story from last Sabbath. Scott and I went to the Rabbi’s house for lunch along with two of the elderly women in the community. We had heard that one of the women has lost all her family in the war, but that was the extent. I started talking to the other lady and she told me that she was hidden during the war and even though she went thru hard times, she can’t at all fathom the experience the other women had of making it thru Auschwitz and losing her entire family. Was so interesting because here was a woman who had experienced the war firsthand saying that her experience was nothing compared to others and how strong the other lady was in life. I hope to be able to hear more of their stories in our time here. Most people here don’t mind talking about it, but often it is the language barrier that is difficult.