I have wanted to visit London for about 22 years now, so when I finally arrived, 2 hours early, at four thirty in the morning on tuesday, it was a dream come true. I took a bus from Paris that drives into a train, which takes it through the chunnel, and then drives to London from Dover. I took the overnight bus so that I did not waste a day; theoretically, I would have slept on the bus and woke up, refreshed and ready to see London at 6:30 the next morning. However, between having to spend an hour going through customs at 3am and meeting all sorts of fun people (an israeli, and australian, a french expat among them) I got maybe half an hour of sleep. Arriving 2 hours early did not help much, and besides for depriving me of sleep, I had to walk around with all my stuff for two hours before I could go to Golders green, where I would be staying. The upside, however, was that I saw some of the most touristy areas of London empty, at sunrise, ehich was ana amazing experience, and one that would never have happened otherwise (no matter how early you wake up, the Tube only wakes up at 5:30).
At 6:30 I took the tube to golders Green, where I was met by Avi Friedmann (thanks Ephraim) who is having me at his house for my time here (he, along with everyone else I've met here, is amazingly hospitable). After dropping my stuff off I went into the city and walked around in a kind of exhausted daze, seeing a lot but not really processing that much, though I have to say I did kind of like the Tate Britain (all the museums here are free!!!) and I love the policemen's hats.
The first night of Yomtov I spent at the Van Messels,cousins of Sarah Weill (this seems to be turning into the Weill family tour; thanks Sarah!) who were amazing. hey daven at a very Yekish shul, which reminded me of the shul I went to in Belgranom but they say all the piyutim (torture).We started eating at around 11 or so, and I hadn't slept for almost two days, but still the food was amazing (and milchig!).
The next day I went to a shul that was pretty much a larger version of Rabbi Friedman's shul in Queens, complete with the Oomayn prunciation, same nigunim, streimels and white hose, and there was even someone who said "I'll kille m" at v'al kulam. Ah the memories. And, the Matjes herring was the best I ever had!
I ate lunch by the Barron's (thanks Safta), their two daughters, son-in-law, granddaughter, and his mother, a very nice family (the baby is amazingly cute and terrified of grass) and stupendous cooks. Stupendous. I ate by them that night as well. The next day I had lunch back at the Van Messel's, but I was not going to sit through that davening again, so I went to the JLE, the Ohr Samayach shul here. The rabbi came up to me and got me a place for shabbos lunch, and everyone was really very friendly. Lunch today was great, again with great food and great company, including mister Van Messel's brother and parents, and I hung out all day by their house, talking and playing games with the kids, which was rather fun. Now I am here, a bit tired, writing, in a very abridged version, about the last 48 hours, one of the best shavuots I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. England is turning out to be a great experience!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
The biggest head, great weapons, and a concert
Yesterday I went to the Invalides, to see Napoleon's tomb and the Musee de Armee.
I must say that I was blown away by Napolaon's tomb; I know that he is France's greatest general, possibly the greatest Frecnh military leader since Charlemagne who has not been preceded, or followed, by any great military leaders, but a tomb like that for one guy... It seemed a bit ridiculous, as if all of France's national pride has been invested in this one monument. His grave is...huge. It's just obscenely huge and ornate and, I have to imagine, wildly expensive. It was a beautiful building and very impressive, but the thought that this is a bit much for just one guy just hung out in the back of my mind the whole time.
The connected Musee de Armee, however, was amazing. Remember when I said that Buenos Aires had the greatest arms museum ever? Well, I take it back. This museum was amazing, with the armor and weapons of actual nobles, great and exhaustive exhibits of warfare in every time period, especially Medieval Europe, Renaissance Europe, Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and the most amazing WW1 and WW2 exhibits ever. Some of the weaponry on display was amazingly cool, like a combination boar spear/ wheelock pistol. They also had a great exhibit on the Hundred Years War, especially on John Froissart's chronicles of the war (part of which I read for a Covington paper) which was so extensive I spent hours reading, not leaving enough time for the rest of the museum. Maybe I'll go back.
On the way back I saw a poster for a string ensemble concert that would be playing Mozart, Pachelbel, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons. The concert was awesome, of course, but what was maybe more awesome was that when I went to buy the ticket at the Eglise St Germain du Pres, located in Sartre and Beauvoir Square, there was a marching band on the corner playing the Looney Tunes theme!
Speaking of street corners, they have something amazing here in Paris.
No, not that! On many of the street corners in the city there are hundreds of these small buildings, really just a free standing room. These little edifices are free public toilets! Everywhere! But it gets better. After each person finishes, the door closes and the toilet is cleaned, and not just the seat; the door closes and the entire room is sprayed and cleaned between each use! A sensor in the floor detects the weight of a person so it knows when not to run the clean cycle. How cool! It totally beats the self-cleaning toilet seat in Zurich, though the first place for nicest public bathroom ever goes to Bryant Park. Seriously, if you have not been to the bathroom in Bryant Park you are missing out.
All is good for Shavuos, I am sufficiently set up, though it took most of the day by the computer to get that done. Thanks to all who helped! I'll be in Paris for another few days and then it's off to London!
Have a great shabbos!
I must say that I was blown away by Napolaon's tomb; I know that he is France's greatest general, possibly the greatest Frecnh military leader since Charlemagne who has not been preceded, or followed, by any great military leaders, but a tomb like that for one guy... It seemed a bit ridiculous, as if all of France's national pride has been invested in this one monument. His grave is...huge. It's just obscenely huge and ornate and, I have to imagine, wildly expensive. It was a beautiful building and very impressive, but the thought that this is a bit much for just one guy just hung out in the back of my mind the whole time.
The connected Musee de Armee, however, was amazing. Remember when I said that Buenos Aires had the greatest arms museum ever? Well, I take it back. This museum was amazing, with the armor and weapons of actual nobles, great and exhaustive exhibits of warfare in every time period, especially Medieval Europe, Renaissance Europe, Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and the most amazing WW1 and WW2 exhibits ever. Some of the weaponry on display was amazingly cool, like a combination boar spear/ wheelock pistol. They also had a great exhibit on the Hundred Years War, especially on John Froissart's chronicles of the war (part of which I read for a Covington paper) which was so extensive I spent hours reading, not leaving enough time for the rest of the museum. Maybe I'll go back.
On the way back I saw a poster for a string ensemble concert that would be playing Mozart, Pachelbel, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons. The concert was awesome, of course, but what was maybe more awesome was that when I went to buy the ticket at the Eglise St Germain du Pres, located in Sartre and Beauvoir Square, there was a marching band on the corner playing the Looney Tunes theme!
Speaking of street corners, they have something amazing here in Paris.
No, not that! On many of the street corners in the city there are hundreds of these small buildings, really just a free standing room. These little edifices are free public toilets! Everywhere! But it gets better. After each person finishes, the door closes and the toilet is cleaned, and not just the seat; the door closes and the entire room is sprayed and cleaned between each use! A sensor in the floor detects the weight of a person so it knows when not to run the clean cycle. How cool! It totally beats the self-cleaning toilet seat in Zurich, though the first place for nicest public bathroom ever goes to Bryant Park. Seriously, if you have not been to the bathroom in Bryant Park you are missing out.
All is good for Shavuos, I am sufficiently set up, though it took most of the day by the computer to get that done. Thanks to all who helped! I'll be in Paris for another few days and then it's off to London!
Have a great shabbos!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Montparnasse and Luxembourg
Wednesday was so far the only sunny day we've had, and I spent it walking around in the Parc du Luxembourg, and amazingly beautiful park right by the place I am staying. The parks and public buildings in Paris, for the most part, used to be private gardens and palaces of the insanely wealthy nobility, opened to the public after said nobility lost everything in the revolution, including their heads, so these public spaces are especially nice.
I wrote a bit about Wednesday's meeting in the market and the top of the Tour Montparnasse last week, so I will skip to Thursday. I was introduced to a friend of a friend who showed me around the Montmartre neighbor, the location of both the Moulin Rouge and the 'Amelie' cafe, a movie I have not seen but that everyone tells me is iconic. If you say so. It is also the location of the Cathedral Sacre Couer, the newest and second most iconic Cathedral in Paris. As always, the building was amazing, and the area was packed with tourists.
I wrote a bit about Wednesday's meeting in the market and the top of the Tour Montparnasse last week, so I will skip to Thursday. I was introduced to a friend of a friend who showed me around the Montmartre neighbor, the location of both the Moulin Rouge and the 'Amelie' cafe, a movie I have not seen but that everyone tells me is iconic. If you say so. It is also the location of the Cathedral Sacre Couer, the newest and second most iconic Cathedral in Paris. As always, the building was amazing, and the area was packed with tourists.
Cimitiere Pere Lachaise
On Tuesday I walked to the largest, and perhaps most famous cemetary in Paris to see the graves of some of the greatest cultural figures ever to have died in Paris, including Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein, Frederick Chopin, Marcel Proust, Honore de Balzac, Eugene DeLacroix, and of course, Oscar Wilde. Judging by his grave, he has to be the most popular dead guy in the world.
The cemetary is huge, and they do not give out maps, but luckily I met an Israeli girl who had a map, and we hung out together at the cemetary. We even attended the funeral of a ballet dancer who, judging from the size and pomp of the send-off, must have been very popular.
The cemetary is huge, and they do not give out maps, but luckily I met an Israeli girl who had a map, and we hung out together at the cemetary. We even attended the funeral of a ballet dancer who, judging from the size and pomp of the send-off, must have been very popular.
Paris
I've been really bad with blogging of late, but I will try to get back on it.
Last week on Sunday Gerard and Marisa, cousins of my grandfather, picked me up from the train station. I had taken a TGV (high-speed) train from Strasbourg to Paris, where I sat next to and had a long conversation with a very nice and friendly Parisien.
The LeClairs took me out to eat, insisting on paying, which was the start of what has been the most hospitable stay in a foreign city that I have ever experienced. After lunch we drove around Paris and saw all of the famous sites, a grand tour that I replicated by foot the next day, despite the consistently terrible weather. We went out to dinner as well, where I had a very good Chukkus plate, and then went to bed early (or tried to; jet lag was killing me).
On Monday I spent the day walking almost all of Paris, seeing, from the outside, almost everything there is to see, though I did go into the Pantheon where I saw the graves of Rousseau and Voltaire. I also got to join a tour after I was able to quote Guy de Moupassant (I quoted him but I don't think I can spell his nale correctly). The guide was really psyched that an American barbarian knew something about French literature; it was kind of funny. The French are very proud of their history, language, and culture, and they fight tooth and nail (or try to) to protect it.
Last week on Sunday Gerard and Marisa, cousins of my grandfather, picked me up from the train station. I had taken a TGV (high-speed) train from Strasbourg to Paris, where I sat next to and had a long conversation with a very nice and friendly Parisien.
The LeClairs took me out to eat, insisting on paying, which was the start of what has been the most hospitable stay in a foreign city that I have ever experienced. After lunch we drove around Paris and saw all of the famous sites, a grand tour that I replicated by foot the next day, despite the consistently terrible weather. We went out to dinner as well, where I had a very good Chukkus plate, and then went to bed early (or tried to; jet lag was killing me).
On Monday I spent the day walking almost all of Paris, seeing, from the outside, almost everything there is to see, though I did go into the Pantheon where I saw the graves of Rousseau and Voltaire. I also got to join a tour after I was able to quote Guy de Moupassant (I quoted him but I don't think I can spell his nale correctly). The guide was really psyched that an American barbarian knew something about French literature; it was kind of funny. The French are very proud of their history, language, and culture, and they fight tooth and nail (or try to) to protect it.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Shabbos in Strasbourg
Shabbos was amazing. I was in Strasbourg, a small city and the capital of Alsace in Estern France, right along the border with Germany. I was hosted by the Kahns, whose eldest son is a fiance of a friend (Thanks Sarah!) The family is amazing, but let's keep things in order. When I first arrived in the city after an uneventful 3 hour train ride from Zurich, I dropped my bags off at the Kahn's apartment and took a walk. The weather was terrible (and remained so for days) but I saw the EU Parliament and Human Rights building, and the very nice Parc de l'Orangerie, which has beautifully landscaped flozer gardens, a lake with swans and a waterfall, and pigeons that are actually scared of humans! It was a bit sad to see such a bird that is so tough and macho in NYC so scared and helpless, but what can I say; this is France.
When I returned to the house I got to meet the family. Besides Andre, the eldest son, who amazing and spet hours showing me the city, they have three younger kids. The eldest girl, 9, spent all of shabbos trying to teach me some French and learn English. The second sister, age 7, was very shy, and the youngest boykept talking even though I had no idea what he was saying. The parents were extremely hospitable and friendly, and if all European Jews are like them I won't have any problems during this trip. She was really open and welcoming and his sense of humor was worse than Uncle Larry's. I loved it. (Family joke).
Besides all the normal shabbos things, Andre and I took a long walk in the city, a very old city (founded in 12 bce, though looking very young, postively Medieval), and it's main highlight, a magnificent Cathedral that rivals Notre Dame in Paris.
When I returned to the house I got to meet the family. Besides Andre, the eldest son, who amazing and spet hours showing me the city, they have three younger kids. The eldest girl, 9, spent all of shabbos trying to teach me some French and learn English. The second sister, age 7, was very shy, and the youngest boykept talking even though I had no idea what he was saying. The parents were extremely hospitable and friendly, and if all European Jews are like them I won't have any problems during this trip. She was really open and welcoming and his sense of humor was worse than Uncle Larry's. I loved it. (Family joke).
Besides all the normal shabbos things, Andre and I took a long walk in the city, a very old city (founded in 12 bce, though looking very young, postively Medieval), and it's main highlight, a magnificent Cathedral that rivals Notre Dame in Paris.
Catch Up
Well, it has only been five days since my last post, but I have a lot of catching up to do, but before I go back to shabbos in Strasbourg, I want to write about something interesting that happened today. To put it in context, I have to mention the rhetoric that is not so uncommon that says that the Palestinians want the Jews out of Israel because they are anti-Semites and don't like Jews, that they are "Amalek" and want to kill us. It may sound extreme, but I have heard it more than twice. To the story:
Today I went to the top of Tour Montparnasse, probably the best view of Paris, and when I exited I saw a street market. Of course, being obsessed with food I wandered around, salivating over the cheeses, meats, fish, and all of the other items that make up a gourmands dreams but a kosher-keeping Jew's nightmares. Of course, the fruits and vegetables are A-OK, so I decided to buy some. The vendor did not speak any English, but with pointing and knowing how to say 'demi-kilo' I was able to communicate what I wanted. He saw my kippah (yes, I am wearing a kippah; France is anti-Semitic, but it is not as bad as people make it out to be), gave me a huge smile, and said "Shalom!" I thought he may have been Israeli, wouldn't have been the first I met, so I said back "Atah medaber Ivrit" (you speak Hebrew)? He responded, "Mah shlomcha, Baruch Hashem!" Clearly, he did not speak Hebrew either. With some rudimentary French I asked him where he was from, and he said, Palestine, Gaza. He has been in Paris three years, and seems to be glad to be here.
That was the end of our interaction, but I wondered, if all of these people hate us so much, why would he go out of his way to engage me in a friendly manner? Sure, it was a crowded area, he can't express his hatred, but then t least give me my fruit brusquely and then be done with it. Of course, I never bought into that rhetoric of hatred, but it was nice to see some real proof.
Today I went to the top of Tour Montparnasse, probably the best view of Paris, and when I exited I saw a street market. Of course, being obsessed with food I wandered around, salivating over the cheeses, meats, fish, and all of the other items that make up a gourmands dreams but a kosher-keeping Jew's nightmares. Of course, the fruits and vegetables are A-OK, so I decided to buy some. The vendor did not speak any English, but with pointing and knowing how to say 'demi-kilo' I was able to communicate what I wanted. He saw my kippah (yes, I am wearing a kippah; France is anti-Semitic, but it is not as bad as people make it out to be), gave me a huge smile, and said "Shalom!" I thought he may have been Israeli, wouldn't have been the first I met, so I said back "Atah medaber Ivrit" (you speak Hebrew)? He responded, "Mah shlomcha, Baruch Hashem!" Clearly, he did not speak Hebrew either. With some rudimentary French I asked him where he was from, and he said, Palestine, Gaza. He has been in Paris three years, and seems to be glad to be here.
That was the end of our interaction, but I wondered, if all of these people hate us so much, why would he go out of his way to engage me in a friendly manner? Sure, it was a crowded area, he can't express his hatred, but then t least give me my fruit brusquely and then be done with it. Of course, I never bought into that rhetoric of hatred, but it was nice to see some real proof.
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