Today was more or less evenly divided between Jews and some really frickin´ steep hills.
In the morning, we visited the Great Synagogue-- billed as the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world, after Temple Emanu-El in New York. It is very beautiful and very much in the European style of ornate houses of worship (albeit without all the statuary and imagery of the many churches we have been visiting.) Indeed, after spending so much time in churches lately, it was sort of refreshing to walk into a synagogue-- finally, some landsmen!
The only unfortunate part of the visit to the Great Synagogue was our tour guide. She spoke limited English, and what she said was not really worth tuning into. For most of the twenty minutes (we paid for an hour) that she spoke to us, she listed the various donors to the reconstruction effort and told us which prominent Hungarian Jews had not been generous. Unfortunate stereotypes flashed in my head. I think she spent a total of five sentences on the history of the building.
She did tell us a ˝joke˝ which went like this--
The Orthodox grandfather was sitting at home on Shabbat. He forgot to turn on the light. And you know flipping the light is a sin. So he called to his grandson: ˝Janus! (That is Hungarian for John) I bought you a big bottle of kosher slivovitz brandy, but I cannot find it!˝ And so, Janus turned on the light! The End.
I don´t think it is necessary to offer commentary. The sheer hilariousity of the joke speaks for itself.
Afterwards, Zak and I walked across the lovely Elizabeth bridge to Buda. Our first stop was the famous Cave Church-- an underground sanctuary built in a natural cave in the side of the highest hill in Budapest. The church was nice-- if a little bit dank. We set out to climb the hill, to reach the Liberty Monument (erected in 1945 after the Nazi defeat) and the Citadel (built by the Hapsburgs after the 1848 revolution.) The hill was significantly higher than I realized, and I am deeply out-of-shape. I made it to the top of the hill without having a myocardial infarction, but only barely.
It was worth it. The views from the top were magnificent. Budapest´s urban landscape (which has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO) is really something to behold. I think Zak and I took about 300 pictures of the Parliament Building alone (thank God for digital!)
After wandering back down the hill, we realized that we now wanted to see Castle Hill, so back up we went. The whole complex was very nice. The Castle is not as grand as those in Vienna, but well worth looking at up close. Even cooler was St. Matthias Church-- a traditional, Gothic church that is completely covered in colorful, geometric paintings. Zak and I shared a beer at a little beer garden looking out over the city before descending Castle Hill.
We took a meandering walk back to the hostel, where both us have been chilling for the past few hours. Zak is making noises about going out later, I am thinking about an early night. I am starting to understand the wisdom of resting a little bit between bouts of sight-seeing-- I believe that my back and feet will thank me for it.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
On the Blue Danube
This morning, we packed up, checked out of the hostel in Vienna, and made our way to the train station for a new adventure.
The train from Vienna to Budapest was largely unremarkable. Zak and I both slept most of the way. It is amazing how physically draining it is to spend all day long walking and sight-seeing. It has been the same for the past week-- the second I sit or lie down, I tend to fall asleep.
It is interesting to pass through the former Iron Curtain. I suppose, for a significant portion of the last century, the border between Austria and Hungary marked a sort of end-of-the-world. Indeed, one could clearly see from the windows that the towns we passed in Hungary were poorer than those I had encountered in Germany or Austria. Many of the towns we passed still sported huge, concrete housing structures, of the type I have seen pictures of from the Communist era.
We arrived in Budapest and got a little bit lost looking for the hostel. Hungarian is a difficult language, and it is not related to either the Germanic or the Romance languages groups, so I can´t make any sense of the words on the street signs. Thankfully, we encountered many helpful English speakers on the street, who guided us to our hostel.
I´m not going to lie-- this hostel building is a pretty freaky place. To get the hostel itself, one must walk up a few flights of stairs through a dark and creepy building-- with peeling paint and graffiti on the inside walls. The stairs creak. The few times I have entered the main atrium, there are ominous bangings from higher floors. I am reminded of how geographically close we are to Transylvania.
The rooms themselves are quirky-- done up in bright colors with lots of strange art on the walls. The proprietor lives here year-round. He speaks some English and seems friendly enough, but I will lock my door tonight.
Zak and I walked around the city for a couple hours this evening. We had a delicious and filling pasta dinner on an upscale street. Afterwards, we decided to splurge and took a nighttime river cruise on the Danube. The cruise lasted one hour, and included a blanket for the cold, head-phones with a very corny monologue given in the voice of the Danube River herself, two glasses of perfectly horrible champagne and wine, and awesome views of the city at night.
All of the great buildings of Budapest hug the river, and at night they are all illuminated with a rich, golden light. I was really quite taken with the beautiful Budapest Castle, glowing on a hilltop, reflecting its light onto the river around us. Each of the four major bridges which connect Buda with Pest were also lit-up, and it was wonderful to pass underneath them. Zak and I both agreed that this is one of the most beautiful cities that we have ever seen.
The train from Vienna to Budapest was largely unremarkable. Zak and I both slept most of the way. It is amazing how physically draining it is to spend all day long walking and sight-seeing. It has been the same for the past week-- the second I sit or lie down, I tend to fall asleep.
It is interesting to pass through the former Iron Curtain. I suppose, for a significant portion of the last century, the border between Austria and Hungary marked a sort of end-of-the-world. Indeed, one could clearly see from the windows that the towns we passed in Hungary were poorer than those I had encountered in Germany or Austria. Many of the towns we passed still sported huge, concrete housing structures, of the type I have seen pictures of from the Communist era.
We arrived in Budapest and got a little bit lost looking for the hostel. Hungarian is a difficult language, and it is not related to either the Germanic or the Romance languages groups, so I can´t make any sense of the words on the street signs. Thankfully, we encountered many helpful English speakers on the street, who guided us to our hostel.
I´m not going to lie-- this hostel building is a pretty freaky place. To get the hostel itself, one must walk up a few flights of stairs through a dark and creepy building-- with peeling paint and graffiti on the inside walls. The stairs creak. The few times I have entered the main atrium, there are ominous bangings from higher floors. I am reminded of how geographically close we are to Transylvania.
The rooms themselves are quirky-- done up in bright colors with lots of strange art on the walls. The proprietor lives here year-round. He speaks some English and seems friendly enough, but I will lock my door tonight.
Zak and I walked around the city for a couple hours this evening. We had a delicious and filling pasta dinner on an upscale street. Afterwards, we decided to splurge and took a nighttime river cruise on the Danube. The cruise lasted one hour, and included a blanket for the cold, head-phones with a very corny monologue given in the voice of the Danube River herself, two glasses of perfectly horrible champagne and wine, and awesome views of the city at night.
All of the great buildings of Budapest hug the river, and at night they are all illuminated with a rich, golden light. I was really quite taken with the beautiful Budapest Castle, glowing on a hilltop, reflecting its light onto the river around us. Each of the four major bridges which connect Buda with Pest were also lit-up, and it was wonderful to pass underneath them. Zak and I both agreed that this is one of the most beautiful cities that we have ever seen.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Two Slices of Cake and an Imperial Pee
We had a very slow, sleepy morning. Neither Zak nor I got out of bed until around 11-- and then we wandered over to the nearby bakery and produce shop to buy lunch. We ate a quiet lunch of fruit and crusty, olive-bread in the hostel courtyard.
After that, we repented for our sleepy morning by walking, pretty much continuously, from noon until ten o'clock at night. We walked around the grounds of the Hofberg Palace, the primary residence of the Hapsburgs, the imperial rulers of most of Europe, for several centuries. It is really quite awesome-- just massive.
I remember Mr. Meckna-- 11th grade, AP European History-- telling me that there are living Hapsburg heirs today. I remember thinking that it seemed like a pretty rough break to be born into the family that used to run the Holy Roman Empire. Now, having seen a few of their former digs, my sympathy for these poor schlemiels has monumentally increased.
Afterwards we walked through the Vienna Jewish Museum. he main exhibit covers the history of Viennenese Jewry through holograms-- that was very strange. Much cooler, and much sadder, were the open store-rooms in which one can view piles of ritual items of all types saved from the Kristallnacht destruction of Vienna's synagogues.
Lunch was a slice of cake at Demel's-- founded in the 1740s as the confectioner to the Imperial Court. The cake has a blend of nutty chocolate cream with orange liqueour, complimented with an excellent cup of coffee. Vienna is full of beatiful art and architecture-- but more than anything, I am coming to love this city for its cake.
Another highlight of the afternoon was a stop at the Hotel Imperial. One of the lovely traditions passed down to me by my Mother is a love of peeing at the great hotels of the world. I'm not sure the origins of this particular tradition-- but, I have faithfully peed at the Plaza in New York, the Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco, and many others. I have a list somewhere. Now, I can add the Hotel Imperial in Vienna. Score!
After an awful salad at an American sports bar full of drunken Scotsmen in impressive kilts, we decided that we needed yet another piece of cake. Another slice of Sacher torte at the Hotel Sachar was wonderful. I can imagine this becoming a place of pilgrammage.
I have 30 more seconds of Internet before I have to pay again, so I will sign off for now. Tomorrow, we go to Budapest, so my next entry will be from a new place.
After that, we repented for our sleepy morning by walking, pretty much continuously, from noon until ten o'clock at night. We walked around the grounds of the Hofberg Palace, the primary residence of the Hapsburgs, the imperial rulers of most of Europe, for several centuries. It is really quite awesome-- just massive.
I remember Mr. Meckna-- 11th grade, AP European History-- telling me that there are living Hapsburg heirs today. I remember thinking that it seemed like a pretty rough break to be born into the family that used to run the Holy Roman Empire. Now, having seen a few of their former digs, my sympathy for these poor schlemiels has monumentally increased.
Afterwards we walked through the Vienna Jewish Museum. he main exhibit covers the history of Viennenese Jewry through holograms-- that was very strange. Much cooler, and much sadder, were the open store-rooms in which one can view piles of ritual items of all types saved from the Kristallnacht destruction of Vienna's synagogues.
Lunch was a slice of cake at Demel's-- founded in the 1740s as the confectioner to the Imperial Court. The cake has a blend of nutty chocolate cream with orange liqueour, complimented with an excellent cup of coffee. Vienna is full of beatiful art and architecture-- but more than anything, I am coming to love this city for its cake.
Another highlight of the afternoon was a stop at the Hotel Imperial. One of the lovely traditions passed down to me by my Mother is a love of peeing at the great hotels of the world. I'm not sure the origins of this particular tradition-- but, I have faithfully peed at the Plaza in New York, the Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco, and many others. I have a list somewhere. Now, I can add the Hotel Imperial in Vienna. Score!
After an awful salad at an American sports bar full of drunken Scotsmen in impressive kilts, we decided that we needed yet another piece of cake. Another slice of Sacher torte at the Hotel Sachar was wonderful. I can imagine this becoming a place of pilgrammage.
I have 30 more seconds of Internet before I have to pay again, so I will sign off for now. Tomorrow, we go to Budapest, so my next entry will be from a new place.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Brothers and Empires
Zak arrived in Vienna without a hitch. It is great to see him-- he has really had an amazingly transformative year. It is great to hear his stories and see the ways in which he has grown. It's been good spending time with him so far, and I am really looking forward to having two weeks of real brother time.
Last night, we walked down to Hofberg Imperial Palace complex in the center of downtown Vienna. We lay out on the concrete entrance yard in front of one of the main palaces and gawked. It is very imposing. We wandered around and explored a little bit further, and then found ourselves locked into the compound. We had a jump a quite spikey fence to get out-- so spikey that it punched a hole clear through the sole of my shoe; thankfully, however, it stopped short of entering my foot itself. I suppose that the Hapsburgs did not want unannounced company.
The hostel is very nice. It is clean, modern, and our six other roommates are quiet sleepers. No complaints.
Today we took in many of the other amazing sites in Imperial Vienna. We walked to the Schonbrunn Palace this morning, and spent a large part of the day exploring the extensive grounds. I think that Zak and I both agreed that the best part of the whole thing was the hedge maze. I kept hoping that we would bump into a centauer or something from Harry Potter. No luck no that, but it was pretty neat-o anyway.
We went the Vienna State Opera this evening. The building is very ornate and it was fun to watch all the ritzy looking people milling around. We got 2 euro, standing-room only, tickets. I wish I could say that it transformed me into an opera-lover, but I kept falling asleep and so it was hard to follow the plot. We left at intermission-- 1 hour of opera was enough to say that we had the experience, but I think more than that might have left me comatose.
We toppped the evening off with the classic Vienna dessert, a Sacher torte, at the Hotel Sacher in downtown Vienna. It was worth the cost of the flight (almost.)
Last night, we walked down to Hofberg Imperial Palace complex in the center of downtown Vienna. We lay out on the concrete entrance yard in front of one of the main palaces and gawked. It is very imposing. We wandered around and explored a little bit further, and then found ourselves locked into the compound. We had a jump a quite spikey fence to get out-- so spikey that it punched a hole clear through the sole of my shoe; thankfully, however, it stopped short of entering my foot itself. I suppose that the Hapsburgs did not want unannounced company.
The hostel is very nice. It is clean, modern, and our six other roommates are quiet sleepers. No complaints.
Today we took in many of the other amazing sites in Imperial Vienna. We walked to the Schonbrunn Palace this morning, and spent a large part of the day exploring the extensive grounds. I think that Zak and I both agreed that the best part of the whole thing was the hedge maze. I kept hoping that we would bump into a centauer or something from Harry Potter. No luck no that, but it was pretty neat-o anyway.
We went the Vienna State Opera this evening. The building is very ornate and it was fun to watch all the ritzy looking people milling around. We got 2 euro, standing-room only, tickets. I wish I could say that it transformed me into an opera-lover, but I kept falling asleep and so it was hard to follow the plot. We left at intermission-- 1 hour of opera was enough to say that we had the experience, but I think more than that might have left me comatose.
We toppped the evening off with the classic Vienna dessert, a Sacher torte, at the Hotel Sacher in downtown Vienna. It was worth the cost of the flight (almost.)
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Travels in Germany and Austria
This is my first chance to sit down at a computer in the past few days-- so there are many more updates to share than just the few I will be able to post now.
Since Tuesday, I have been in four cities: Munich, Salzberg, Rattenkirchen, and currently Vienna.
I landed in Munich on Tuesday evening-- and caught the train with my cousin Benjamin to his uncle and aunt's home in a very nice, central Munich neighborhood.
On the way, I had my first surreal German experience. We sat down on the train, and immediately noticed that the couple in the seats adjacent to us were speaking Hebrew (and I could understand, yay UJ!) and then we looked out the window to see that the train coming in opposite direction was headed to Dachau. This sort of thing kept happening.
We spent Shavuot in Munich-- wandering around the city and sticking our heads into various churches and other sites. On the first night of the holiday, we went to synagogue and then back to the home of the Rabbi and his wife for late night food and, since it was Chabad, booze.
Thursday evening we went o Salzberg, and met Benjamin's half-brother and his family there. We took at late dinner on the street watching the people walk by and Ben's enthusiastic, young nieces doing cartwheels and other gymnastic tricks.
In the morning we explored Salzberg-- which looks amazingly like it fell right out of a fairie tale. It has colorful domes and spires and a real-live castle up on the hill. I kept looking around for a booth selling Mickey-Mouse ears.
We got into Rattenkirchen an hour or two before Shabbat. Rattenkirchen is a small, Bavarian village about an hour from Munich, where Benjamin's grandfather and his wife live. The house was very beautiful and we had the most relaxed Shabbat that I can remember for a long time.
I got into Vienna about an hour ago, and just checked into the hostel. Zak arrives from Israel in a few hours. I am counting on him being pretty mopey the first couple of days-- he has just finished his year in Israel, and I doubt that even these adventures will compare with that. However, I am really looking forward to seeing him and exploring together.
That's all for now-- hopefully, I will have the chance to write again soon.
Since Tuesday, I have been in four cities: Munich, Salzberg, Rattenkirchen, and currently Vienna.
I landed in Munich on Tuesday evening-- and caught the train with my cousin Benjamin to his uncle and aunt's home in a very nice, central Munich neighborhood.
On the way, I had my first surreal German experience. We sat down on the train, and immediately noticed that the couple in the seats adjacent to us were speaking Hebrew (and I could understand, yay UJ!) and then we looked out the window to see that the train coming in opposite direction was headed to Dachau. This sort of thing kept happening.
We spent Shavuot in Munich-- wandering around the city and sticking our heads into various churches and other sites. On the first night of the holiday, we went to synagogue and then back to the home of the Rabbi and his wife for late night food and, since it was Chabad, booze.
Thursday evening we went o Salzberg, and met Benjamin's half-brother and his family there. We took at late dinner on the street watching the people walk by and Ben's enthusiastic, young nieces doing cartwheels and other gymnastic tricks.
In the morning we explored Salzberg-- which looks amazingly like it fell right out of a fairie tale. It has colorful domes and spires and a real-live castle up on the hill. I kept looking around for a booth selling Mickey-Mouse ears.
We got into Rattenkirchen an hour or two before Shabbat. Rattenkirchen is a small, Bavarian village about an hour from Munich, where Benjamin's grandfather and his wife live. The house was very beautiful and we had the most relaxed Shabbat that I can remember for a long time.
I got into Vienna about an hour ago, and just checked into the hostel. Zak arrives from Israel in a few hours. I am counting on him being pretty mopey the first couple of days-- he has just finished his year in Israel, and I doubt that even these adventures will compare with that. However, I am really looking forward to seeing him and exploring together.
That's all for now-- hopefully, I will have the chance to write again soon.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Eyes, Ears and Conscience
This blog's name: "Eyes, Ears, and Conscience" comes from Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Breakfast of Champions. In it, he writes:
"What is the purpose of life:
to be the eyes
the ears
and the conscience
of the Creator of the Universe."
I believe that this is my job description as a future rabbi,
as a Jew, and as a human being.
I believe this this is everyone's job description.
"The day is short and the work is great."
"What is the purpose of life:
to be the eyes
the ears
and the conscience
of the Creator of the Universe."
I believe that this is my job description as a future rabbi,
as a Jew, and as a human being.
I believe this this is everyone's job description.
"The day is short and the work is great."
R is for Rabbi
At 3 o'clock this afternoon, I finished my first year of rabbinical school. In the lingo that means that I am now officially an "R" (after second year-- RA, after third year-- RAB, and so on until ordination.)
It is both terrifying and amazing to think that I have finished an entire year of rabbinic studies-- that I am a whole 20% of the way through this process. On one hand, I have learned a ton this year, and on the other hand, I am becoming ever more cognizant of how much there is to learn. Tonight, however, I will allow pride in myself to be my dominant emotion-- later I can indulge in feelings of inadequacy.
One of the mistakes I made in the hustle and bustle of this year was not committing enough of my thoughts and experiences to writing. I will try to use this blog to correct that error.
This summer should have some big blog-worthy experiences. Here are my plans:
Europe with Cousin (Ben) and Brother (Zak):
May 21-27 Munich, Germany with Ben
May 27--29 Vienna, Austria with Zak
May 30-June 2 Budapest, Hungary with Zak
June 3- 7 Prague, Czech Republic with Zak
June 8-10 Back to Vienna and then Home
June 10-18 Long Beach
June 18- July 25th-- Faculty at PANIM Summer JAM in Washington DC
Please check in with the blog-- I will try my best to update frequently through these adventures.
Much Love,
adam
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