sarah in nyc

We have been home for two nights. Each of those nights I have woken up in the middle of the night thinking that I was still in Paris and wondering where the bathroom was. After several moments in a fog of confusion, I finally realize that the very nicely proportioned room I am sleeping in with the attractive curtain is, in fact, my very own bedroom. Before I get back to life here in New York I wanted to share a few thoughts. I kept noticing that buildings in Rome and Florence were often embellished with either a bas-relief or painting of sainted figures. We saw dozens and dozens of such building decorations. I finally realized that they are the Catholic version of a mezuzah. Another realization: I was an art history major in college. I spent a fair amount of time studying Christian religious art. Most of that art lives in museums. During this visit, we actually spent relatively little time in museums but we did wander into church after church a...

It was hard not to be aware that Sunday was the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. When we arrived in Paris the Arc d'Triumph was surrounded by police barriers and reviewing stands had already gone up. On Thursday we saw a ceremony staged under the arch and broadcast on the giant screens. On Shabbat we went to services at the nearby Liberal synagogue on Rue Copernic. During services they read the long list of shul members who had died serving France during World War I.  My husband has been eager to show me buildings he loves in Paris.  He took me to see Gare l'Est, the station that leads to points east. My husband loved how the big window looks like a rising sun. We walked through the station. I was unexpectedly moved to tears to see this memorial   for railway workers who  died serving during WWI. I guess what moved me so much was realizing that most of them had probably left for the front from this train sta...