This day has not started out well. First, we had to get up at 4:15 that was only 4 hours after we went to sleep. Second, we were flying easyJet ; it’s cheap, but definitely not easy. I tried to pay for our bags online but couldn’t get it to work. I asked Josh to call since their local phone is French. He looked online and assured me that it wouldn’t cost any more if we waited and paid for them at the airport. As I thought we ended up paying an extra $45 for our baggage. Third, when we arrived in Toulouse, with a pre-paid auto reservation for a car we were supposed to pick up at Avis, the Avis desk was closed. When we went to Information to ask if there was another Avis ... read more

Great morning! We met Rabbi Tom Cohen, formerly of Portland Oregon at the Cite Metro stop at 10. Little did we know that we were about to spend 3 hours having fun and learning a huge amount about the history of the Jews in Paris as well as the history of the city itself. We started at The Cite Metro across from St. Chappelle because it was the site of the first Jewish community in Paris in the 4thCentury. The first synagogue which was 8’X31’ was built on the site and later turned into a church. The Jews lived there until the early 17th Century when for the first of 3 times they were expelled from France. The cause for the expulsion was that someone claimed they saw a Jew in Bourse sneak into a church ... read more

The weather was most uncooperative today. We had breaks of sun that made everyone optimistic, then torrential downpours, then hail, then showers and then overcast. Walking around with damp clothes and shoes made everyone uncomfortable, although everyone maintained a good attitude. We started the day late, OK so I was up at 6:30, but we didn’t leave until 10:15. We reached the Catacombs about 10:45 and had to wait in-line for over an hour. By the time we got into the Catacombs we found the environment that was billed as damp and cool to be warm and dry. It is a 2.3 meters walk underground passing piles of bones, each pile from a different church cemetery. They are arranged artistically with great care. Quite frankly, it was not the highlight of the trip. After the first ... read more

The apartment in the Marais is perfect for us. The bedrooms are comfortable, the bathrooms are new and the kitchen is fully equipped. After a quick shower, we headed out for some basic supplies. The Sunday flea market was in full swing; a cross between a giant yard sale and a street festival. Used almost anything, animal skulls, clocks, great cheese, saucisson, fruit, bread and more bread. All the vendors give you tastes and the only problem is one saucisson is better than the other. We returned with basic supplies for breakfast. The kids got up and headed out to the flea market, Jack fell asleep on the coach and I headed off the Musee d’art et d’histoire du Judasime. I figured I was the only one who would want to go, so this was as ... read more

Today was my last day in Israel and for the first time it rained. Maybe the sky was sad that I had to leave? I had a very slow day. The Ketubah lady picked us up at 9. For those of you who don’t know a Ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract that basically spells out the responsibilities of the groom if the marriage fails. In today’s world, there are egalitarian Ketubahs that include provisions for the bride and the groom, the groom and the groom or the bride and the bride. They can be in various dialects of Hebrew, English or a mix of the two. They were nice, but not overwhelmingly beautiful. Our Ketubah is beautiful, but it is a standard document. I don’t know if Jess and Matt will want the customization that ... read more