Florentine New Year

We just left our week in Florence. It was a strange mix of Rosh Hashana stress, beautiful streets and 3 long days of window shopping. We saw David, and we saw Venus and we saw the entire city of Florence from atop the very intricate Duomo. All of which were amazing and shocking and, with the help of Rick Steves, very informative.

Many told us about the Synagogue in Florence, and it is, the most beautiful shul either of us have ever set foot in. It's also clear that the community spends more than a fortune to regularly keep it pristine clean for its visitors. We had many delicious and very international meals at Ruth's Restaurant, where we met: Brazilian Jews from New York who live in Milan, an older couple who live in Vienna and Israel, and a restaurant owner who is really a puppeteer from the Czech Republic. This man, Simcha, is really exceptional, and if you happen to be in the region, please visit, eat some and chat to this guy. Many stories, many languages and lots of smack about the community. The Jewish community in Florence seems like it's on its way out, with barely enough people to make a minyan. Not to mention that Rosh Hashana services take FOREVER when you're you're in a sefardic shul that not only reads every word aloud, but also sings a special Florentine nusach that is very long-winded.

Our stay in Florence ended in time to commemorate September 11th, Lili's birthday. Since it was Shabbat, we felt a little restricted by where we could go and what we could eat, to celebrate. But a huge KOSHER meal has our name written all over it when we arrive in ISRAEL on Thursday morning at 4am. We've penciled in a rain check.

Before then, Athens and Paros.

Natan.