We didn't observe Passover as rigorously in Europe as we usually do. We made a very nice second-night seder, as I previously described, and we had regular and sweetened matzo throughout the week. But on the whole it was difficult to get Passover foods, especially when we were traveling, and we ate plenty of tref (i.e. non-kosher). However, I felt a ray of seasonal familiarity at one of the regular grocery stores we patronize in Brussels when I found gefilte fish!
There are a variety of connections between Passover and Easter, but the connections are really highlighted in French. Easter is Pâques in French, and Passover is also called Pâques, or Pâques juive ("Jewish Easter," I guess). I actually think "Passover" is a great name because it evokes a core element of the story of Passover, and it also matches reasonably well with the meaning of the Hebrew name of the holiday, Pesach; these elements are obviously missing from the French.
By the way, the timing of our France and Netherlands trips (the latter still to be blogged) coincided with the girls' two-week school vacation for Passover.
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