Dear Raffaella,

 Chana and I  arrived in Paris yesterday, and I hurry to write you and tell you that we had a wonderfully, interesting and enjoyable week in Portugal.Our warmest thanks to you for having arranged all the details down to the tiniest item of our various tours, which included a driver, local guides, meals and lodging. Your care and attentiveness to our every need along the way was exceptional.

You arranged the most professional people for every step of the way; Our driver Nuno Oliviera, our tour in Castelo de Vide with the former Mayor Carolino Tapadejo, our guide Joao Fiandero in Tomar and Nelson Mendes our guide in Lisbon.

Our hotel accommodations were unique and first rate, the provision of delivered kosher meals was a great convenience. Your regular check- in with our driver Nuno, as well as ourselves, was another indication of your sincere concern for our welfare and enjoyment of our trip. I, Nachum was the Associate Director General of Shaare Zedek Medical center, one of the leading Medical Centers in Israel, for the last 45 years, until my retirement, and in that capacity I have travelled widely on several continents- in all sincerity I can say that this was the most carefully  and best organized  trip  I  have taken part in.. Kudos and thumbs up to you for your high level of professionalism. We will certainly highly recommend both yourself and all those who you chose to accompany us during this week

Mucho Abrigado,

Chana and Nachum Pessin

November 2011

Dear Mrs. D`Intino,

Our visit at the Parque das Nações was great. We are very satisfied and Maria Helena had more than enough information for us. All our questions are answered. Thank you very much for arranging a great tour and we would like to thank Maria Helena too for giving an interesting tour. It was a perfect start of our week in Portugal. Thank you very much!

Very kind regards,

When I brought my group to Portugal I was fortunate to have Raffaella D’Intino, the director of “Episode” a leading travel firm based in Lisbon to help me arrange an Itinerary for our unforgettable eight day trip in June 2010.

We met at Lisbon airport - a group of thirty two friends, twenty one from Israel and eleven from England. Sergio, our Portuguese guide is one of several employed by “Episode “. He greeted us and stored our luggage in the base of the large comfortable air-conditioned coach that was waiting for us outside the main gates. It took us twenty five minutes to arrive at the hotel, during which time Sergio gave us some feeling of the layout of the capital city and its history. We felt immediately that we had a guide who would make our visit both interesting and with a touch of humour, memorable.

During our travels over the next week we were impressed by Sergio’s general knowledge as well as specific information on Jewish Heritage. The coach always arrived promptly and soon we felt both the driver and Sergio were our friends too.

We had a full Itinerary which stretched from Lisbon –Tomar-Coimbre-Porto-Covilha-Belmonte-Castelo de Vide- Lisbon- Sintra and Evora

 There were many highlights which we shall all remember.

 To mention a few;

1.      The Baroque library of more than 300,000 tomes, built between 1717 and 1723 by King João V. A written description of the height of its halls and the gold leaf-decorated ceiling and walls can in no way give justice to the magnificent sight we beheld standing with open-mouthed awe and admiration,

2.      The meeting in the mountain city of Belmonte with past conversos who have now returned to their Jewish origins. The beautiful synagogue, the meals they prepared, the dancing and singing  together and the recently opened Jewish museum we visited

3.      The meeting with Mr Carolino Tapatejo, a past mayor and the instigator of the excavations/archeological project in the town guided us through the cobbled streets finishing at the small town square where the forced baptisms took place in the 15^th & 16^th centuries..

 We also tasted the rich kosher Port produced at Taylors wineries and enjoyed a cheese and wine evening with two varieties of excellent kosher dry red wines and kosher cheeses from the Braz factory in Covilha.

 I would highly recommend “Episode” for their promptness, attention to details, attention to our special interests and for their outstanding guide, Sergio, who made history come to life in a masterly manner,

Many thanks

Sheila Becker, "Sheila’s Friends” - Jerusalem