Forward.com

A Bounty of Hidden Gems

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:49:00 EST

Israel is full of hidden gems. Such sites make it into few guidebooks, if any, but often offer a better time than the highly commercialized tourist attractions.

Five Sites That Whet the Appetite for Travel

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:48:00 EST

The other night, I went looking for a synagogue in France. When I began my journey on the Web, I didn’t know that this particular synagogue was the country’s oldest; I only knew that it was in France and it was said to be a beauty. I learned about its age — deep roots into the 14th century — later in the evening, when I took a turn down a path I never expected. There, I also discovered that the remains of ritual baths from that era are in that synagogue’s basement.

In Prague, Where the Decisions are Easy

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:46:00 EST

It is a common dilemma for Jewish tourists: Do you spend your time on the general sites and risk missing out on parts of your heritage, or do you concentrate on Jewish sites and wonder whether you are being parochial?

Family Tales and Mystery Amid the Markers

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:45:00 EST

We took the A1 South toward Leeds, exited the highway at a junction crammed with cars, trucks, and construction equipment, negotiated one roundabout and then another, dropped down the hill, looked for the red sign and, sure enough, found the cemetery on Gelderd Road. The English sure know how to give good directions.