Bordeaux is famous for its red wine; canelés, a unique rum and vanilla flavored custard-like pastry with a caramelized crust; cepes, also called porcini, mushrooms; shopping; a vibrant red color and its large number of historic buildings among other things. In fact, Bordeaux has the largest number of preserved buildings of any city in France. It has also been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Set along a river as are most great cities, Bordeaux draws on the river, the ocean, and the countryside to define itself.
Shomrei is a conservative synagogue. According to Wikipedia, the term “conservative” was meant to signify that Jews should attempt to conserve Jewish tradition, rather than reform or abandon them. The dictionary defines the verb “conserve” as protecting from loss or harm; the verb “reform” as improving by alteration, correction of error, or removal of defect; the verb “abandon” as surrendering one’s interest in.
I thought a lot about “conserving” during our recent trip to Peru. (more…)
Secret Tel Aviv listed 2 nearby places as the best hummus in Tel Aviv. We google mapped directions, taking a screen shot to save them since we would not have wifi once we left the hotel.
We easily found place #1 but it was closed; so we followed the directions to place #2.
Did I say that we had saved the directions as a screen shot? That means no corrections if (when) we took a wrong turn. We were at the market in the Yemenite quarter. The last places were closing up for the day. It was very dark. We could not see any street signs. And the street was turning into a stream as shop owners hosed down the sidewalks in front of their stalls.
Lost and Found in Tel Aviv: A Tale of Two Devices
We arrived in Israel after a 9 hour flight – unable to sleep and too tired to read, I watched a movie and numerous episodes of Downtown Abbey during the flight.
I am gathering my things to deplane, but I cannot find my cellphone. I last had it just before take off when I switched it to airplane mode. So it cannot be in my backpack, which was in the overhead compartment. That leaves only my back pockets and my very tiny purse, neither a place where a cell phone could stay hidden. I check the seat pocket and the floor. The cell phone is nowhere to be found. (more…)
From the Lampert Library
A popular commercial in the 1950s, sung by Dinah Shore on her long running TV show, urges people to “See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet, America is asking you to call.” While most of us are probably NOT driving Chevrolets, we might be on the road.
The year 2016 marks the one hundred birthday of the National Park Service. Established August 25, 1916, the goal was to unify the administration of parks, monuments, and other sites overseen by the Department of the Interior. Since the consolidation 100 years ago, the National Park Service has broadened its outlook and now includes natural sites, architectural gems, and cultural venues.
The National Park Service recognizes the contribution of Jews to America’s story and has many sites on the National Register of Historic Places. The Tenement Museum in New York City is one well known structure.
There are many lesser known historic places that added to America’s story. If you take a road trip-in your Chevrolet or not- you might take a side trip to one of these places. (more…)
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