| Travel Kosher | Tours to India, Japan, The Silk Road, Vietnam/Cambodia, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, etc.

All roams lead to Rhodes

My husband and I were sitting around wondering where to go this winter where we wouldn’t freeze. My husband didn’t feel like going far, so it limited our choices. But we had been to Rhodes several times for a few hours at a time on cruises and always enjoyed visiting and always wanted to visit the museum in the Place of the Grand Master and never got there. Somehow, the ship always left Haifa late and our time in Rhodes was shortened. Rhodes has a fascinating history, having been conquered again and again by different countries and only returning to Greece in 1949.

We took off yesterday and in a mere one hour and fifteen minutes, we were here. The hotel is lovely, situated along the coast. The weather has been ideal.

Today, because it is Monday, all of the museums and archaeological sites are closed. In addition, because Rhodes is a very popular tourist destination in the summer, but not so much in the winter, most of the stores in the old town were closed. There was something quite amazing about visiting a very very beautiful place and having it almost to ourselves. Here are some of the things we saw:
Deer on columns at the port
Street in the Old Town
Courtyard in Old Town

Although we had visited the synagogue before, this visit was very special. The community is very small, number perhaps 30 people. All of the young people have moved away and the community only has a minyan when visitors are present. They have managed, however, to refurbish the synagogue and to convert part of the building complex to an attractive and moving museum of the history of the Jews of Rhodes.
Entrance to the synagogue
The Bima
The twin arks
Inside the museum

The rest of our walk was lovely too.

We did come upon a rabbit
The rabbit
or was it a horse?
A horse

And of course, here is a peek at the Grand Masters Palace…
Palace of the Grand Masters

More about the trip and especially an interesting story about the Sifrei Torah from the Rhodes synagogue and how they were saved during World War II… next time…

To Market- in Bac Ha, Vietnam

After a long drive through gorgeous landscapes- terraced mountains, picturesque villages, we arrive at the Sunday market in Bac Ha. Every moment of the ride is worth it as you take in your first glance of the market. The people who trade here are from the minority group, the Flower Hmong.

The market at Bac Ha

The market is not just an opportunity to sell and trade handicrafts, but it is the major event of the week. At the market people from villages all around meet. They trade/sell/buy their fruits and vegetables, their meat and their fish. The also buy the exquisitely embroidered clothing they wear.

Buying clothing in Bac Ha

They also buy fabrics to make their own clothing and handicraft items. The women are in their traditional dress– not to impress tourists, but because that is what they wear. Notice that since the helmet law (enacted in December 2007) for motorcycles and motorbikes, the traditional dress has begun to include an additional element.

Shopping in Bac Ha

On Sundays, in Bac Ha, even live animals are sold at the market. Because Vietnam is only beginning to mechanize farming, the water buffaloes are very important to a family’s economic well-being.