Our Trip to Prague

Guest post by Sarah

Prague - June 5 - 9, 2011

Jeremy and I had been thinking for a while about going on a little adventure. As most of you probably know, Jeremy really likes airplanes, airline websites, and pretty much anything that has to do with travel. In his perusing of local travel websites, we found a site with last minute deals to Europe. Now, when I say last minute, I really mean it. Some of these trips give you less than 5 hours to get to the airport and on the plane. Now, 5 hours is a little short for me, but we did decide last Thursday night to pack our bags and head to Prague just two days later.

DAY 1 - Sunday

The sheirut (shared cab that takes you to the airport) picked us

up on Sunday at 2 AM, after just a few hours of rest. We dozed on and off on the way to the airport, got our boarding passes and headed through security. We changed some shekels into Koruny and boarded our plane to Prague. The flight was a charter flight on an airline called "Travel Service." We took a bus from the terminal out to the plane and went up the steps where Sinatra music was playing. A very nice touch. The flight was completely uneventful, at least in my view since I slept the entire time. We landed in Prague around 10am, and were met by a Hebrew-speaking Arkia representative(Arkia is the travel agency we used to book the flights, but they are also an Israeli airline), who loaded all of us onto a little bus and took us to our hotels.

Jeremy and I stayed at the Dum Hotel, which was nothing to write home about. Or blog about, as the case may be. It was perfectly satisfactory for our needs, and our reservation included breakfast in the morning. We dropped our bags in our room, and braved the bus and metro to get to the center of the city. We found that public transportation in Prague is actually very easy. The buses, metro, and light rail come exactly at the minute they say they will and get you reliably to your destination. We bought day passes that were good for 24 hours, so we just hopped on and off all three modes of transport as we pleased.

(Feel free to peruse our pictures from Days 1 and 2 as I describe where we are going. Or, if you prefer, there is a "best of" set on Facebook)

Our first stop was the famous Prague Castle, Pražský hrad. On our way, we walked through the Mala Strana neighborhood, and had lunch at a little cafe right on the river overlooking the Charles Bridge. We saw the Kafka Museum, and the famous statue of two men peeing in the courtyard. We meandered through Mala Strana, through the neighborhood with all the foreign embassies, and up some very long stairs to the castle. Our first stop was the square outside the castle, where we walked around and admired the views of the city and the myriad different types of architecture found around the square. Prague Castle is actually the biggest castle in the world and has housed the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors, and the presidents of the Czech Republic. Once inside the castle, our first stop was St. Vitus Cathederal (which can be seen from all of Prague). St. Vitus is a gothic style cathedral, which really stands out from the romanesque Basilica of St. George (also beautiful).

From there, we visited the Memorial to the Victims of Communism, which is a beautiful set of metal statues of men set on an incredible steep hill. Our walk took us to the 120 year old funicular (funiculee), which took us on a ride up to the top of Petrin Hill.We were able to visit the inside of the Catherdral before heading back to the gate to watch the changing of the guards. We spent about an hour walking through the streets of the castle and admiring the buildings and the views, the walked down the hill back to the Mala Strana neighborhood.

Petrin Hill sits on the west side of Vltava River, and is about 130 meters above the river itself. The top of the hill boasts incredible rose gardens. We really enjoyed just walking through the flowers and all the paths through the parks. Also on top of the hill is the Petrin Lookout Tower, which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower. Even though the tower itself is only 60 meters high, it actually stands taller than the Eiffel Tower since it sits atop a hill. Climbing the tower was a recommendation we had received from my brother, so we decided to do it. We climbed the 340 steps up to the top, and were rewarded with a 360 degree view of the city and the river. As you can imagine, we took a few pictures up there before heading back down to the river.

From there we jumped on the tram, and headed toward the Old Town Square. Although we just missed the Astronomical Clock show, we were able to see the clock, the Tyn Cathedral, St. Nicholas Church, and the Old Town Hall. Since we knew we'd be back in the square the following day, we headed down one of the side streets and picked a small Italian restaurant for dinner. Jeremy and I shared a pizza and some absolutely incredible Gnocchi. After dinner we journeyed back to the hotel (we had been up since 2am…).

DAY 2 - Monday

Well rested and tummies full from breakfast, we headed out Monday morning to the Museum metro stop. We walked up from the metro to the beautiful National Museum, located right on Wenceslas Square. The museum is built in the neoclassical style, and is truly breathtaking. As we walked into the lobby we bought tickets for a concert later in the evening, right in the National Museum. Just in front of the museum, there was a long wall displaying the history of Prague from 1000 years ago, through WWI and WWII, Nazi occupation, the communist era, and present day. We walked through Wenceslas Square and over to the Municipal House - an incredible building built around 100 years ago in the art nuveau style. Adjacent to the Municipal House is Smetana Hall (a concert hall). We unfortunately only got to see it from the outside, but it's supposed to be absolutely spectacular on the inside.

From the Municipal House we walked back to Old Town Square, and were able to see the Astronomical Clock do its thing. The show lasted about a minute, and involved some puppets coming out of the tower while the bells rang. Jeremy said he wants that minute of his life back, but I thought it was fun to see. After walking around for a little while, we met up with Aharon, our guide for Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. (Quick side note: if you get the chance to visit Prague and are interested in seeing the Jewish sites, you absolutely must get in contact with Aharon. He was fantastic, and really enhanced our visit both to the Jewish Quarter and to Terezin the following day.) Aharon is truly an expert in the Jewish history of Prague, and it was so cool to visit the Jewish sites with his commentary. Jewish history in Prague is like nowhere else in Europe. Jews have been living in Prague since the 10th century, and were eventually confined to a walled ghetto. Most of the Jewish quarter was actually demolished in the early 1900s, but there are six synagogues, the Jewish cemetery, and the Old Jewish Town Hall left. While most of Jewish life in Europe was destroyed by the Nazis during WWII, Prague was preserved to be a museum of an extinct race. Artifacts from all over the Nazi occupied "Czech-lands" (as Aharon kept calling them) were brought to Prague and catalogued and preserved. So really, Prague has a very old Jewish history, uniquely preserved unlike any other European Jewish community.

We started our tour at the Pinkas Synagogue, which is now a memorial to the Jews of the Czech Republic who died in the Holocaust. The Pinkas Synagogue was opened in 1479 and showcases renaissance design. Now, as a holocaust memorial, the walls are covered in names of Czech people who lost their lives during the Holocaust. Each wall is covered with writing, starting with the name of the town, the person's last and first name, and dates of birth and death. It is truly a stunning site to see all of these names covering multiple rooms - it truly provides a sense of how many Czech people lost their lives at the hands of the Nazis. Upstairs in the synagogue, there is a display of children's drawing from Terezin from 1942-44. Terezin was unique, in that people who were there were allowed to keep the things they had brought with them, and arts and culture truly flourished both among the adults and the children during their time in the camp. We saw the drawings done by the children, and also some hand-made Judaica (menorahs and kiddush cups) that clearly was made for Jewish ritual activity in the camp.

From the Pinkas Synagogue we moved to the Klausen Synagogue, just next door. This synagogue got its name from the German word "klaus," meaning small. There were originally 3 small buildings where the Klausen synagogue now stands, erected by Mordechai Maisel in the late 1500s. When these buildings were destroyed by a fire in 1689, the Klausen Synagogue was build. Even though it is not a small structure, it kept a name reminiscent of the buildings that used to be there. The synagogue is the largest of those in the Jewish Quarter, and now houses an exhibition about Jewish cultural life. Each display cabinet is about a different holiday, and while Jeremy and I didn't learn much from the displays, we can appreciate that it is an incredible teaching tool for non-Jewish people who come to visit Jewish Prague. Adjacent to the Klausen Synagogue is the Old Jewish Cemetery. This cemetery is truly like nothing I have ever seen. The oldest graves in the cemetery have been traced back to the early 1400s, and the cemetery was active through 1787. While there are 12,000 tombstones in the cemetery today, there are though to be many many more people buried there. Since this was the only land where Jews were allowed to bury their dead, graves here are in layers, with new earth being brought to build up the ground around the new graves. Some headstones were lifted along with the additional earth, and some were not. This leads to the incredible cemetery, with headstones in every direction and at every height. Walking through the cemetery, it is clear that the level of the earth is way above the street level, and in fact, one (well, one taller than I) can reach up and top the roof of the adjacent building. Probably the most famous people buried in the cemetery are Rabbi Loew (d. 1609) and Mordechai Maisel (d. 1601). Even though we refused to pay the 40 Koruny fee to take pictures in the cemetery, we managed to snap a few photos of the headstones.

Our next stop was the Ceremonial Hall, with a display about the Hevrah Kaddishah, the burial society (originally founded in Prague in 1564). The museum contains a series of paintings depicting the steps from sickness to death to burial preparations, to burial itself. From there we walked to the Old-New Synagogue, originally built around the middle of the 13th century in early gothic style. This is one of only three synagogues in Prague that are still used for services. The main room boasts a beautiful vaulted ceiling, with traditional wooden chairs and desks for study covering the walls and surrounding the centrally located shulchan (the table from which the Torah is read). An addition to the synagogue was built much later for the women, who are able to be in the hallways surrounding the main room and listen to the service through small slit-like windows build into the walls of the main room.

The Spanish Synagogue was next. Interestingly, Hebrew does not distinguish between "Spanish" and "Sephardic," both being translated from the word "Sepharadi." So, even though this synagogue is called the "Spanish Synagogue" and was built in the Moorish style, it has no connection to the Spanish Jews. The Spanish Synagogue is absolutely stunning. The entire interior is covered with Islamic motif painting, and it all culminates in a large dome over the center of the synagogue and the ark. Jeremy and I were excited to learn that there would be services at the Spanish Synagogue for Shavuot the following day, especially since its the only synagogue in Prague that has mixed seating for men and women. We unfortunately didn't get to daven there, but that's a story for another day and time (keep reading, that day and time is tomorrow evening).

Our last stop on our tour with Aharon was the Maisel Synagogue, named for Mordechai Maisel, the mayor of the Jewish Town who funded extensive building in the renaissance reconstruction of the ghetto. This synagogue was built in the early 1590s, but was destroyed by fire and was rebuilt in the baroque style, and eventually again in the pseudo-gothic style in the early 1900s. Today, the synagogue contents an exhibit about the history of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia.

We parted ways with Aharon, and headed back toward the Spanish Synagogue to have lunch at a pasta place that he had recommended. Boy, was it delicious. If you find yourself in that area, we highly recommend lunch or dinner at Pasta Cafe. It seemed to be mostly locals, and the food was absolutely delicious. (Side note: This is the only place in Prague where we found tap water offered.) Even though this was a late lunch (about 3:30pm), it ended up being perfect timing. A few minutes after we sat down inside a huge rain storm swept into Prague. Lucky for us, the rain and hail were gone by the time we finished lunch and were ready to continue our stroll. After lunch, we walked down the street to the Robert Guttmann gallery, which was included on our Jewish Quarter admission ticket, but wasn't part of our tour with Aharon. The gallery currently has an exhibition of pictures of synagogues from all over the Czech Republic. After just visiting the Prague synagogues, it was really interesting to see what synagogues throughout the rest of the country look like.

Our next stop on our adventure took us to what is probably the best known landmark in Prague - the Charles Bridge. We walked from the right side of the river over to the left, and enjoyed watching the musical performers and vendors along the way. While the bridge was crowded, it was fun to see all the people enjoying the bridge. The statues along the bridge are beautiful against the backdrop of the city, but unfortunately are starting to crumble since they were made of sandstone. Most of the statues have been replaced with replicas in order to preserve the originals. When we reached the other side of the bridge we wandered around the Mala Strana area for a little while, then walked back toward the National Museum and Wenceslas Square, where we had started our day by buying tickets to the Czech Strings Chamber Orchestra concert that night.

The concert was held right in the main foyer of the Museum, with the musicians on a landing and cushions on the stairs leading up from the landing for people to sit and watch. The concert was fairly sparsely attended, but really was a highlight of our trip. The orchestra included a pianist, first and second violin, viola, upright bass, and a cello. They played pieces from Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Smetana, Paganini, Brahms, and many others. After the concert we walked back to the river to watch the sunset, then came back to Wenceslas Square for dinner at a restaurant featuring "local cuisine" with live jazz music. After dinner it was back to the hotel via the metro and the bus to get some sleep.

(Pictures from Days 3 and 4 can be found here)

DAY 3 - Tuesday

Tuesday morning we headed back to the bus and the metro into the city to meet Aharon at the train station. The train station has both a very modern portion that is all metal and glass, and a much older portion from the early 1900s that is just stunning. Since we all know that Jeremy likes modes of transportation, we took some time to walk around the train station before meeting Aharon. Aharon picked us up and we drove about an hour through the countryside to the town of Terezin and the concentration camp. Terezienstadt is a concentration camp unlike any other in Eastern Europe. While it housed tens of thousands of Jews in the early to mid 1940s, it was never intended to be a death camp. Rather, Jews were transported from Terezin to other camp where they were exterminated. Terezin was originally a fort that was built in the late 1700s to protect the region. Hundreds of years later, it was used for military and political prisoners. In 1941, the Gestapo turned Terezin into a ghetto. This camp, unlike the others, was set up as a "model Jewish settlement" to show the Red Cross how well the Jews were being treated and was used as propaganda to be distributed around the world. In reality, though, it was a concentration camp where over 33,000 people died during the Holocaust and another 88,000 were transported to be murdered. Unlike in other concentration camps, Jews in Terezin were allowed to keep the belongings that they brought with them from home. Because of this, there was an incredible amount of art, plays, musical performances, and religious expression that took place in the ghetto.

We started our tour at the museum, where we saw a short movie of the way in which the Nazis portrayed Terezin for the Red Cross and the rest of the world. The movie was actually lost for many years after the way, but was found and has been integrated with drawings from the Jews in the camp to show the differences in the way that the Nazis and the Jews were portraying what was happening in the camp. We continued through the museum, which detailed how the Jews came to the camp, and where they were transported from there. After the museum we visited a really interesting building that had been used as a secret synagogue during the war. The inside of the little space was painted with all sorts of Jewish symbols and Hebrew sayings, and you could just imagine people gathering there secretly to pray. Our next stop was outside of Terezin, at the cemetery. Since Terezin is a town that has existed for many years, the cemetery houses mass graves from WWI, mass graves of Jews from the Holocaust, and Soviet soldiers who were killed during the war. Also in the cemetery is the crematorium, which was used during the last few years of the war to help bury those who died in the camp. Our last stop was to one of the barracks, which is not set up as a museum both exhibiting the living conditions in the ghetto and displaying the incredible music and arts that were present during that time. Being there really gave me a sense of what it must have been like to live in those conditions.

For me, visiting Terezin was a really important part of this trip. My mom's parents were both survivors of the Holocaust, and even though they were in labor camps and were hidden for parts of the war, the concentration camps are a huge part of my family's history. Especially since my grandmother passed away just a few months ago, it was so important for me to be able to see the conditions that existed during the hardest time in her life. A few years ago I visited Klooga with my parents, which is a labor camp in Estonia where my grandfather was during the war. While not much of Klooga is left and it really is just some barracks and a memorial, Terezin still looks exactly like it did during the war. It was a little weird to see people living in the city and going about their daily lives there.

After our drive back to Prague, Aharon dropped us off at Havansky Pavilion, which is a beautiful park up on a hill overlooking the city. Jeremy and I enjoyed the views from up there, then walked down via the metronome (literally, a giant metronome on a hill), to the Jerusalem Synagogue. The Jerusalem Synagogue was built in the late 19th century, and is an interesting merge of the Moorish style and art-nouveau. The colors on both the outside and the inside of the synagogue are vibrant and fantastic. Even though the inside of the synagogue was under construction and covered in scaffolding, we could see the true beauty of the space. From the synagogue we walked back toward the Jewish Quarter, and had some gelato along the way (Jeremy had banana-chocolate and I had apricot). Since we were planning on going to the Spanish Synagogue for Shavuot, we went back to Pasta Cafe and had dinner. At 7pm we walked next door to the synagogue, but it was closed. We waited around for almost half an hour, but nothing. I can only guess that either services were much later, or they were in another location. I was disappointed, I'll admit - I was really excited to be in such a beautiful synagogue for Shavuot. So instead, we ate ice cream and lots of cheese to celebrate. Our evening ended with a walk along the river to watch the sunset, then it was back to the hotel for our last night in Prague.

DAY 4 - Wednesday

By the end of Tuesday we had seen most of what we wanted to see in Prague, so on Wednesday we saw some lesser-known sites recommended by the guidebook, and by Aharon. We started the day at the Vysehrad Castle, with is smaller and less well-known than the main Prague Castle. The castle has an incredibly elaborate cemetery and the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. The views from the castle were beautiful and very different than many of the views that we had seen so far. Since the castle was on the right side of the river and far south of most of the places we visited, it was interesting to see this new view of the city.

From the castle, we walked down the hill and took the tram up to the dancing building. This building is quite new, completed in 1996 by Frank Gehry. The house is nicknamed "Fred and Ginger," as it was designed to resemble a pair of dancers. From there we continued up the river and took the tram up to Strahov Monestary. While the monastery itself was beautiful, my favorite part was the restaurant overlooking the city where we had lunch. The food was delicious, and the view was absolutely spectacular. If you have some time when in Prague, I highly recommend visiting and eating there. From the monastery we headed down to the Vrtbov Gardens, which were a recommendation of our guide Aharon. And he was right, they were just beautiful. The gardens climb a series of terraces, from which you can see the whole city. Our next stop was at the Vystaviste iron building, which boasts a dancing water show. Unfortunately, the water show is only at night, so we stayed long enough to see a few buildings then took the tram over to the Zizkov TV tower.

Zizkov TV Tower is the tallest tower in Prague, build between 1985 and 1992. In 2000, it was decorated with climbing babies, which were pretty fun to see. On our walk to the metro we passed the Former Jewish Cemetery where Kafka is buried, then walked past a beautiful church and farmers market. We took the metro to Namesti Miru, and had more delicious gelato (I had yogurt flavor, Jeremy had orange) before meeting Alison at the church. Alison is a friend of ours from San Diego who is spending the year teaching in Prague. She took us to a fantastic local beer garden and introduced us to Gambrinus, a local Czech beer. It's always so nice to see friends from home, especially so far away!

From there we headed ran over to Mala Strana to try to buy some incredible mugs that we had seen in one of the stores, but unfortunately the store was closed. We jumped back on the metro and headed back to the hotel, just in time to grab our backpacks and head to the airport.

Some concluding thoughts:

• Prague is an incredible beautiful city. If you've never been, I would definitely add it to your list.
• I'm pretty glad that the weather on the internet can't be completely trusted. We were expecting rain and thunderstorms the entire 4 days we were there but only had a little rain during lunch on Monday and just a little more on Wednesday (we only had to briefly pull our our umbrellas and rain gear).
• This is the first time that I've travelled with just a small backpack. Traveling light was pretty fantastic.
• Water in Prague is more expensive than beer. Also, most of the food there is based around meat and potatoes since during the communist era people were only allowed one cookbook and goulash was the most common food.
• We can, in fact, exist for 4 full days without a computer. Go us.