After years of setting it aside, you finally made the decision to visit Europe, a departure that’s twice the fun because you are embarking on a Kosher cruise! Although vacations are still on hold right now due to the pandemic, you can still make the most out of your time by doing the following things: 1. Research You are going on a new adventure that will definitely make a huge impact on your life. You wouldn’t want this memorable trip to be ruined by unwanted or unforeseen circumstances, right? The key to preventing this is to do your homework. Yes, you need to do some reading and researching! Watch travel vlogs, read travelogues, and check out some facts about the country (or countries) that you will be visiting. Although Jewish tours already have seamless travel itineraries, it would still be good if you check out other iconic spots that you can see if you have spare time. What are their unique traditions, cultures, and norms? Is there a historic or natural sight that I must explore since I’m already in the area? How is everyday life like in the place that you are about to visit? What are the current travel protocols for tourists? These questions, among others, will help you make the most out of this experience. 2. Packing Checklist Pack light? No, you should pack smart. Making a checklist will help you in achieving this. First, consider how long you will be staying. Also, how often will you be moving around? You wouldn’t like to go through the hassle of much packing and unpacking. Next, the clothes you’ll be bringing will depend on the weather and climate of the country you’re visiting, as well as the activities you’ll be doing. Aside from clothes, you have to include the following in your checklist: travel documents such as your passport and airplane tickets, first aid kits including prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs for common sickness, toiletries, and cash (or your bank cards). An extra tip, store your electronics in your hand-carry, as batteries often malfunction when stored in the checked-in baggage due to different pressure and humidity. Be sure to check all the essentials, label your belongings, attach a lock for extra security, and re-check everything again before you depart. 3. Languages Europe is a melting pot of culture, with distinct traditions in each country. With this diversity, different languages have bloomed. As such, it would be helpful if you study some basic sentences, phrases, or the slightest words. Based on a survey, about 38% of Europe can communicate in English. Twelve and 11 percent of the continent can speak French and German, respectively. Around 7% of Europe speak in Spanish. Russian is spoken in about 5% of all of Europe. Local and minority languages take up the rest of the chunk. Learning some of these languages will help you interact with the locals better, contributing to a richer experience, especially that you are going on some Jewish tours. Keep these three things in mind as you look forward to your next Kosher cruise!
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Throughout history, the Jewish people have thrived and endured in various nations around the world. From these different fonts of heritage also come different culinary traditions–dishes served during the Sabbat and celebratory meals prepared on holidays like Pesach. While a lot of these fascinating cultural cuisines can be savored in luxurious kosher resorts, you too can make them at home. Here are a few interesting cultural Jewish dishes for you to try. Traditional Apple-Walnut Charoset Charoset is a traditional Passover seder dish, a relish whose colors and textures resemble the brick and mortar made by the Jewish people in Egypt. With Pesach being celebrated all over the world, it makes sense that there are different variant ways of preparing this dish. You might want to save this Ashkenazi recipe for Traditional Apple-Walnut Charoset for next year’s seder. Meaty Alheira Alheira is a fascinating Portugese sausage delicacy–one borne of necessity in a time of persecution. When the Portugese Inquisition was in full swing, the various crypto-Jews of Portugal obscured their Jewish faith and pretended to be converted Christians. To prevent suspicion, they hung alheiras, bread and poultry-based sausages, outside their houses, tricking passing Inquisitors that their household ate pork. For a traditional kosher Portugese sausage, savor this Meaty Alheira. Delicious Dafina If you ever go on Glatt Kosher holidays in the future, why not savor variants of Jewish cuisine that you haven’t tried before? Cholent is a traditional Shabbat meal, slow-cooked and served as stew by generations of Jews around the world. Dafina (from the Arabic word for “covered”) is a kind of North African variant of Cholent, coming from the diaspora settling in Morocco–possibly after the expulsion from Iberia. If you’re interested in this variant Shabbat stew, try this Delicious Dafina recipe from Jamie Geller.com.
Which of these recipes will you try next? The world is still only slowly opening itself up after months of quarantine, but traveling freely across the world is still not an absolute certainty. While there are some locales that have not been struck as badly as others, it seems that stays at kosher resorts and vacations abroad will have to wait a bit longer. However, that doesn’t mean one can’t plan ahead and make an itinerary of post-pandemic travel destinations. If you’re interested in imbuing your vacations with Jewish heritage, why not visit a historic synagogue? There’s a lot you can learn about the different Jewish communities around the world based on the synagogues that they established. Here’s a few that should interest you. The Esnoga of Amsterdam The Portugese Synagogue or the Esnoga is a historic building, with strong ties to the Sephardic Jewish identity of the people who established it. It was built around the late 17th Century by Iberian (dubbed “Portugese”) Jews during the Dutch Golden Age. It is an active place of worship and is also home to the Ets Haim Library, home to many rabbinical papers and one of the oldest libraries of Jewish texts in the world. The Kadoorie Mekor Haim of Portugal Porto is one of the most luxurious and relaxing places to visit in Portugal, owing to its nearness to the sunny Douro Valley and its fame for its world-renowned port wine. It is also home to a community of Sephardic Jews whose ancestors hid from the Portugese Inquisition by masking their faith. The Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue was born of the efforts of Captain Artur Barros Basto to establish a place of worship for Jews in Porto in the early 20th Century. Nowadays, it is known as the largest synagogue in Iberia, and is worth visiting on your future Jewish vacations through Portugal. |
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