Up and our with the sunrise, we’re pretty proud of ourselves. As we cross the Charles Bridge, there are quite a few photographers, many with tripods set up at the same point of the bridge. They’re waiting for the sun to pop up over the buildings, I guess. I try my hand at some nice shots:
A walk to the old town square is rewarding, because there are only a few people there at the moment. Some nice photos of the square,
and the famous astronomical clock that’s on the side of the town hall. It not only tells the current time, but relates the movement of the planets around the earth and the sun and moon through the signs of the zodiac.
Picture itch scratched, it’s back to the hotel for breakfast and a two-hour nap. Out again, and the sun is out and weather perfect. Next on the agenda is the Jewish quarter. Prague was home to one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe, as well as an equally long history of anti-semitism, with progroms recorded back to 1389. the Munich Agreement with Hitler in 1938 gave Hitler Czech lands, and restricted Jews to a strictly defined ghetto. Hitler actually planned a museum to the extinct race (of Jews) for after the war. In all, over 80,000 Bohemian and Moravian (two predominant social groups that comprise the Czech republic) Jews from Prague were killed.
The Old-new Synagogue is Europe’s oldest surviving synagogue.
The Spanish synagogue has a Moorish design on the exterior; the town hall is still in use as a community center and the Pinkas synagogue abuts the Jewish cemetery. As the Jews were confined, their dead were buried here and when the cemetery was full, more dirt was brought in to bury the most recently dead. This practice led to the area being a full story higher than the rest of the area, and for the dead to be buried about 12 deep. Scholars estimate that somewhere between 120,000 and 200,000 people are buried here, which is why the headstones are all falling into one another.
It’s really hard to imagine how they managed.
Touring done, we head to the King Solomon kosher restaurant. Lance isn’t feeling well – we’re both fighting colds – and it seems obvious that a bowl of matzoh ball soup would be good! We enjoy the mean, but suffice it so say, soup is not their strong suit.
After lunch, I do a bit of shopping. They have a main street with every couture name you can think of, but I find a small woman’s clothing shop that carries only 4 Italian designers (who I’ve never heard of) and I purchase a few unique items at what is comparatively, bargain prices.
Back to the room for another rest (trying to keep those virus colonies as small as possible), then out for dinner at V Zatisi. It’s gourmet Czech and Indian, and it’s incredible. Lance stays local and I am ready for a change, so I have local for appetizer (did I tell you that foie gras and duck are like burgers and fries here?):
and then tandoori lamb with dal, masala sauce and aubergine:
I have NEVER had lamb so tender – how did they do it? It’s like butter. Lance enjoys his fish,
but it doesn’t hold a candle, flavor-wise.
A lovely walk home, enjoying the lights and seeing the castle all lit up on the hill. Doing my best to pretend the tourists aren’t there at all. Starting to understand the advantages of a neutron bomb (not kill all the people, perhaps just send back home?).