It's 5:30 p.m. on a beautiful Jerusalem day. The weather was bright, sunny, and crisp; a perfect fall day in the middle of this unseasonably warm winter. It's getting dark and Shabbat is on its way out. I'm enjoying the dusky view of the King bson has ever heard me sing live. I'm ecstatic with my voice teacher- Judy, the Brit, not only because of her fabulous accent that constantly keeps her palette raised, but because she is making a huge difference with my voice! We're lightening it and finding better placement- all good stuff! Very exciting...
After services, I had 7 close buds over for a delicious brunch. I experimented with 2 new recipes--flour-less quiche and banana bread. I've never made a quiche or a frittata before, but it turned out superb! Who knew it was that easy? Here's the recipe
if anyone is interested. There are tons of great recipes on this website. I made 2 quiches; roasted vegetable, basil, and cheddar...and spinach, tomato, basil, and parmesan. Both were big hits! As far as baking goes...I am not a baker. It's all too precise for me. The reason I'm a good cook is because it's creative, you use whatever is around- you sprinkle a little of this, a little of that, and add a pinch of something else to make the flavor burst. But baking is like science and math, so precise, never my strong subjects...BUT, I'm happy to report that my banana bread came out moist and delicious! Other dishes to round out the brunch were:
-rosemary roasted potatoes
-sliced melon and coconut
-baby green salad with dried cranberries, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, avocado, Parmesan w/orange balsamic vinaigrette.
-raisin-challah french toast with cinamon sugar
Friends brought tuna salad, mimosas, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate dipped strawberries and apricots. Are you getting hungry reading about it? We had quite a feast!! Everyone wobbled home...happy and stuffed.
I went for a post-brunch walk (had to happen) with my ipod over to the Tayelet, a promenade with beautiful views of Jerusalem. There were lots of families taking Shabbat walks. A nice way to end Shabbat. We did SO much waking in Europe the entire week we were there and for the past 2 weeks I've been a total blob. My second week of break I relaxed, watched tons of TV, saw some movies, wrote a paper, hung out with Berney, and slept. I needed to unwind, especially after running around Europe. Last week was our first official week back to school, but it wasn't the typical schedule. We had a 3 day colloquium led by 3 Stateside faculty members on Reform Judaism and then Thursday classes. The colloquium was informative and thought-provoking, but I feel that middle of the year in Israel isn't the best place for it. It was totally focused on the U.S., the financial crisis, how the Reform Movement is responding to it, the future of the Movement, etc. It was just a it jarring after being to Israel-focused the last 7 months. But, I guess one of the main goals of 2nd semester is to get us geared up to go back to the States and take student internships next year. It's important that we stay informed and on top of developments in the States even though we are so removed...
Now it's time for Europe in a nutshell. My week in Paris, Brugge, and Amsterdam was incredible. I love how easy it is to travel in Europe--you hop on a train and suddenly, you're in a new country. We started with 3 days in Paris, walking EVERYWHERE, hitting all of the major sites; The Eiffel Tower, The Note Dame, The Latin Quarter, Opera quarter, Arc de Triumph, The Champs-Elysee, St Germain des pres, The Opera House (unbelievable), The Orsay, The Louvre (we tooks pictures, but it was closing just as we got there...), outdoor market, all of the high-end fashion Streets, Monmartre, Sacre-Coeur church, and tons of squares, cathedrals, churches, monuments, and statues along the way. Paris is breath-taking. Everywhere you look, there is art, history, incredible architecture, and interesting culture. It's a photographers dream! Each street is lines with dozens of adorable cafes and brasseries. The stereotypes are all true! The French are rude (not all of them! But we had some typical waiters), they are always walking around with baguettes, there are creperies everywhere, and they sit outside cafes drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes at all hours of the day.
My best friend from college, Alana, is living in France for the year in a small town South of Paris, so she took the train up and spent the week-end with us. It was awesome spending time with her and great to have her with us on the first leg of the trip. Especially because her French helped us get around!
I have French cousins who live in Paris so I also spent some time with them. My Paternal Grandmother's sister is the grandmother of Sylvie, my French cousin. Sylvie and her husband, Patrick have 2 kids around my age. I spent Shabbat dinner with them at Patrick's brother's apartment and they also took Alana and I out to dinner one night. They were lots of fun to be with. How cool is it that I have Parisian cousins?!?!
Must run to dinner (still stuffed from brunch!)-Rabbi Gibson is taking me out with his family.
To be continued...
