HAPY Farmers of Spaceship Earth

Pont D'arc is stunning! It's a beautiful natural arc that was formed as the river grew. It started off as a rock wall and then slowly as time went on the river wore away at the rock and formed a magnificent arc that you can go look at. There's kayaking and water sports that people do on the river. There are also some natural hikes around. Luckily for us we were there right after tourist season so it wasn't too busy and we were able to hike to one of the areas that is basically right under the arc. After that we drove to Pont Du Gard which is a Roman built aqueduct bridge. It is crazy that they made this thing without any machinery! We actually went down to the beach that's underneath the aqueduct and went into the water. It was absolutely freezing but the water was crystal clear! Unlike the earlier beach, this beach was actually a rock beach so it was really hard to walk around with all those rocks under our toesss! Until Next Time... ...

Troyes: Pronounced twa - and most definitely not Troy. We went to go see Rashi’s shul but unfortunately we were unable to get in touch with the individuals who run the shul and therefore couldn’t take a tour of it. We did see it from the outside though! We also accidentally wound up in a learning center across from the shul where they learn about Rashi,  Mediterranean history and politics, and more. The woman who was speaking to us told us that nobody knows where Rashi is buried but there was a Jewish cemetery nearby that he might have been buried in. However, the cemetery was no longer there and was now an area between a McDonalds and a library. Xoxo.

At the vegan shop in Charmonix we met a really nice guy who told us about a hotel twenty minute away from where we were staying that hid Jews during the war. They received a plaque from Yad Vashem and have it hanging in their main dining area. After hearing about it we naturally decided to make that our next stop. When we arrived at the hotel the greeter seemed confused as to what we were talking about but the owner overheard our question and started talking to us about it. The hotel had been in her family for generations and her grandma had been the one who helped hide Jews. She said that they would have them helping out with sewing and cleaning and when police officers would come, they would make sure to keep the Jews hidden upstairs. There was a collaboration between this family, a church, and a local mountain guide, who were all helping to feed, clothe, hide, and then smuggle them over the border. Right behind this hotel was a really nice hike. Yehuda and I decided to hike it and i...

Although our trip to Charmonix was unplanned, it was one of our favorite parts of France. It is absolutely freezing at night so staying in the van was out of the question. We had to splurge and spend a few nights indoors. “Words can’t even describe our time in Charmonix” - Yehuda. Our first day there we went up Mont Blanc. The mountains all around were huge with their tallest peaks covered in snow! We knew this was going to be a really special experience. On the cable car we took there were two stops - one halfway up the mountain and the other to the tippy top. We decided to go all the way up first. Our trip up was terrifying - we were going so high and the village below kept getting smaller. At one point we started swinging and there was a collective “ahhhhh” as we all freaked out together. Thank god we went in the same car as a church group who was praising god the whole way up. When we got to the top it was breathtaking, not only because of how absolutely freezing it was, but becaus...

On our way back towards Paris we headed towards the Gorge Du Verdon, which is a beautiful river in a canyon with crystal clear turquoise water. However, we stopped at a little market about half an hour away from the gorge and were told that due to a very dry winter the gorge was empty and it was full of mud - no water. So, we decided to head over to Mont Blanc which is in Charmonix. Bonne Journee!

After our wonderful encounter with Mr. Motorcycle Man, we decided that it would be best to find a nice camp ground in a safe area to spend the next two days. Yehuda came across this spot in the south of France called Giens. It’s a tiny little peninsula with beaches, nature trails, snorkeling and more. It was absolutely lovely and exactly what we needed! The place we stayed was friendly, accommodating, and right on the water. We had a great time and totally recommend going to this little oasis if you ever make it to the south of France. 

Our trip to Le Beausset was honestly very eventful. We pulled over and went directly to the city municipality to speak to them about Grandma Erika’s land. Once we got there they immediately sent us to the urbanist who was able to sit with us and discuss the land with us. When we were done with him he sent us to a really estate agent who again, was very helpful and was happy to meet with us. All of these meetings happened in French. We communicated via Google translate and were very proud of ourselves for having been able to get through so many meeting successfully.Brenton! Bye-ooosh!

On our way down south we made a bunch of stops. One of those stops happened to be in Marseilles. How come nobody ever warned us about that place? As we drove through we realized something was very wrong. We immediately felt unsafe. We went to a kosher restaurant and thank god were able to find a spot right in front so we could watch our van. When we left, we were going to go through a national park and stop somewhere over night with the van. However, as we started driving and checking out campsites on our apps we kept seeing the same reviews, theft, robbery, cars that were broken into. All these comments were at the spots near Marseilles which is when Yehuda decided no matter how long it took we would drive through the night to get somewhere safe. So, as we’re driving through the mountains and these little villages at night, Yehuda started to notice this light had been following us for a while and it hasn’t caught up to us yet (which is very unusual for Europe since  everyone drive...

We went from Paris to the French country side in what felt like a Time Machine. Every 15-20 minutes we passed through a small village that looked like it was straight out of a WWI movie. Every village had a medieval looking church and everything surrounded that.  At one point while we were driving we passed a school and the children had thrown their ball into the street so Yehuda stopped the car to throw it back to them (of course).  We spent our first night on the road at a goat farm. It was so interesting to see what people who have goat farms do with their goats. This family makes meats and cheese, soups and spreads, there’s just so much you can do with a few simple farm animals.  The next day we continued on our journey. We were trying to get to our destination by night fall but we’re hit with a huge rain storm and had to pull over at a campsite on the mountain. We couldn’t really see where we were but we woke up to a beautiful spot. There were mountains in the backgr...

The Jewish quarter was unreal. Yehuda and I went out for our first meat meal since we started this trip! We’ve been vegan ever since we left home and I was dying for some meat! We ate at Rodechenko’s and it was phenomenal. Then we continued on our journey and made our way to Manmarte which is the artist district of Paris. Artists flood the streets with their creativity painting while shoppers walk around the square looking for something to take home with them. Personal portraits, the Moulin Rouge and The Eiffel Tower are some of the few options you’ll see being painted around there.  We went back to the Jewish quarter for dinner again. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity, it was just way too nice for us to have kosher options again. Adios Amigos

Yehuda and I walked all over Paris on Shabbat. We got lucky that there was an outdoor market for the weekend right near where we were staying so we walked around looking at all the interesting things that were being sold from furry cow hooves to peoples old petticoats. As we walked the streets of Paris we couldn’t help but gawk at the beautiful architecture that is this city. Everywhere you look there is an old Victorian styled building, whether it’s just standard apartment buildings, to parliament everything is exquisite. People have been asking us if we went to any museums and our response is that Paris itself is a museum. We walked all the way to Notre Dame and then headed back home.  At night we went to the Eiffel Tower where we were lucky enough to see a small light show. The tower was much larger than I thought and is an obvious piece of art. Au Revior

We arrived in Paris! Levana, Guillermo, Raf and Rio literally live in the heart of the city and were kind enough to let us stay with them for the weekend.  Levana set up a Shabbat dinner with her Grandpa David who is Grandma Erika’s brother. Levana’s father, Patrick came as well as her brother Michael and his wife and child, Anlyse and Moise. It was so special for us to have dinner with everyone and be able to share old memories with them while also creating new ones. Later Skaters!

Lisbon or how locals pronounce it Lishboa… we’re not sure why and for the first few days we were in Portugal had no idea wheat people were referring to… Anyways… We got to Lisbon and walked around the city for a few hours. We went to the LXFactory which is basically a huge outdoor market with restaurants, art, and culture. You can go in and out of these old warehouses and there are tons of shops inside of them. We heard a couple of amazing street musicians, saw some monuments, and had some delicious vegan food. We also walked around at night and visited the area around the Rua Augusta. We had the nicest check in at the airport in Portugal. The man behind the counter let us check all of our bags for FREE! Portuguese people are so nice. They really are just a friendly and welcoming people and it was a pleasure to spend the first part of our trip in such a sweet country. We had a great trip in Portugal and are hoping to go back really soon. Saying goodbye to our cousins was super hard. We...

Sao Luis is another little village nearby. There's a farmers market with the most delicious fruits and vegetables and it is so inexpensive.  Compared to what we usually spend at Whole Foods, this was an absolute steal for literal farm fresh produce. Sao Luis also has a ton of art around, although the workshops were closed when we went so we couldn't actually get anything... window shopping at it's finest. Boa Noite 

Milafontes!! This was our favorite town. It's got a really nice vibe, it's right on the beach and it has a castle as well. (The castles is for sale and Yehuda wants to buy its so if there's anyone out there that wants to invest, hit us up). There are a ton of shops and restaurants around. As we were walking, we heard some locals sitting at a bar and singing - it was really nice.  Milafontes is a big spot for  paddleboarding in the ocean because there are never any waves. The locals use the beach as a kid friendly spot since its the place where the ocean in the most calm. Other beach towns we visited were, Porto Covo and Malhao. Porto Covo has a really beautiful look out point. There is a lot of development going on and it seems to be an up and coming place. Our favorite beach was Malhao. The water is clear - which is my favorite since I like to see things that are swimming near me. That being said, there is no dangerous marine life in The Alentejo. Our surf instructor did s...

Yehuda and I have been spending our time with family, at the beach, and walking around adorable little villages. We've been all around the Alentejo. Catifarras (pronounced Catifarrash - the letter "s" here in a word or at the end of a word has a sh sound) is such a sweet little village. We spent the week in Yehuda's cousins beautiful airbnb and had fantastic NEIGHHHHHBORS, who we loved saying hi to every morning. We fed them so often that by the end, when we approached the fence and called for them, they'd come running over. Ciao!

Yehuda's cousins set us up at a really cool spot called Azula. Azula's mission is to try and introduce people to permaculture by living in harmony with natute. The owners Alon and Penina are very free spirited and welcoming. Alon jokes that it's his cultural university. While I was in the outdoor bathroom, I heard something rustling in the bushes. I thought it was a human... but then I stood up, looked out, and saw an actual wild boar running through the woods. Oh, and we were totally recognized today!! At breakfast a local introduced himself to us and told us we looked familiar.... he saw our profile on Workaway!! It was so funny. Hasta Manana

Sines, what is there to say about Sines. (It's pronounced Sinesh just by the way). It's a little town that kind of looks like the old city of Jerusalem (most cities here do). It has a bunch of shops, a castle, and also has this huge art exhibit that is insane. Yehuda and I walked through it and laughed the whole time because we literally just didn't get it. It was enormous, especially for such a small city. It had maybe 30 exhibits. And, it was absolutely bizarre, we couldn't figure out if it was a social expirement or not.  We also did a lot of waiting in Sines. We waited at a cafe for a smoothie for 20 minutes, then we waited at another Cafe for bread to be toasted... to be toasted, and that took 20 minutes. Sines was by far the slowest paced town we visited so far. Bye Bye for Now!

We've spent our time this week in the south of Portugal otherwise know as The Alentejo. Yehuda's cousins, Netta and Noam live here with their absolutely amazing girls, Lily, Polly, and Tony. We are actually obsessed with these kids! They are so friendly and fearless! They always want to play, climb trees, do puzzles and just hang out with the local cats. They are extremely bright and sweet and we have really been enjoying our time with them. The Alentejo is a beautiful oasis with tons of nature, rich culture, and adorable horses! Being that Yehuda's cousins are in the process of creating their own school, we figured we'd lend a helping hand and have been working on creating an educational garden for them. Their school is like nothing I've ever seen before. Firstly, the school is basically in the middle of the woods... and secondly, the school is made out of two dome shaped... idk what to call them but I'm going to go with YURTS! Yes, yurts. The domes are pretty ...