Another gorgeous day! … While dressing this morning I flipped through a magazine in the room with the most incredible eyeglasses by Prada … perhaps this will be today’s quest … or just another impossible dream! This morning Juli, Konstantin and Tejomaya rose early to hike up to Petrin Observation Tower on the other side of the river. Meanwhile, after a leisurely morning of organizing my things, Zelda and I met for breakfast. Once everyone showed up, a plan was made. While the kids showered and changed, Zelda and I start making our way to the Old Town Square where we would all rendezvous. |
This morning Juli, Konstantin and Tejomaya rose early to hike up to Petrin Observation Tower on the other side of the river. Meanwhile, after a leisurely morning of organizing my things, Zelda and I met for breakfast. Once everyone showed up, a plan was made. While the kids showered and changed, Zelda and I start making our way to the Old Town Square where we would all rendezvous. Being of Jewish heritage, they would then go to the Jewish Museum and the Cemetery. We would then meet up for lunch and afterwards they would take Konstantin to the bus station.
Taking a more circuitous route to the Old Town Square, retracing many of my steps from yesterday as I meandered through narrow back streets to Dancing House, we found ourselves back at the Golden Crown Jewelry store, where I found the same beautiful amber with coral necklace yesterday. While Zelda tried on a few amber necklaces, I found a pair of earrings for a niece, who is housesitting for me, and another pair for me! |
Hot and humid again today, Zelda and I sat at an outdoor café and waited for the others. Though still hot, the cafés fans have misters that are really effective. After cold drinks, we crossed through the Old Town Square passing the Jan Hus Monument honoring one of the most important personalities in Czech history and who, one-hundred years before the Protestant Reformation started by Martin Luther, was burnt as a heretic for his reformist ideas. Hus was dean of the Charles University, and in 1410, was excommunicated by the pope for his ideas and criticism of church practices. Despite that, he continued preaching until 1415. |
In the summer of 1415, Hus was invited to the Council of Constance and asked to renounce his ideas. After refusing, he was burnt at the stake as a heretic on July 6, 1415.
Walking up Maiselova, our first stop was a small museum by Maiselova Synagogue that exhibits old Hebew writings and sacred objects, including gorgeous tapestries sewn with gold and silver threads.
Around the corner we stopped at the Holocaust Memorial at the Pinkas Synagogue, which is dedicated to the memory of Czech and Moravian Jewish Holocaust victims. Their names and dates of birth and death, which is generally the date of their deportation to ghettos and extermination camps, are inscribed on the interior walls of the synagogue’s sanctuary and adjoining rooms.
Adjacent to the Holocaust Memorial is the Old Jewish Cemetery, which is one of the largest in Europe. It includes 12,000 tombstones and many more burials, having served its purpose from the early 15th century up until 1786. During the more than three centuries that it was in active use, it struggled with lack of space. Since expanding the cemetery wasn’t always an available option, it gained space in other ways like adding new layers of soil . So, in some places there are exist 12 layers of graves. Therefore, sometimes new graves occurred over old gravestones to protect the one beneath, and sometimes the older gravestones were elevated above ground — thus explaining the dense forest of gravestones visible today.
Overhearing a docent, I learned that there are two kinds of Jewish burial monuments. The oldest are simple, rectangular slabs of stone or wood. Around the 17th century more decorated gravestones came into fashion with ornamental pilasters, volutes, false portals and the like. All gravestones are inscribed with Hebrew letters that tell the deceased person’s name and date of death or burial.
Overhearing a docent, I learned that there are two kinds of Jewish burial monuments. The oldest are simple, rectangular slabs of stone or wood. Around the 17th century more decorated gravestones came into fashion with ornamental pilasters, volutes, false portals and the like. All gravestones are inscribed with Hebrew letters that tell the deceased person’s name and date of death or burial.
Peckish, we head to Les Moules on Parizska for a delicious lunch — oddly, I was the only one who ordered mussels, which I adore. Their mussels are cultivated in the middle part of the west coast of Denmark on lines about 500 meters offshore — and “there is never more than 12 hours from the time they are harvested to being served. Les Moules offers 12 ways their mussels are prepared ... and according to information provided, customers consume about 2,500 kilograms every month! |
There are many other seafood and non-seafood things on the menu, and if we weren’t leaving the next day, I’d be back to try many more. However, a mussel connoisseur, I choose mussels with garlic and white wine with pommel frites and a baked herb baguette — delish!!!
After lunch Tejomaya and Juli walked Konstantin to the bus station for his trip back to Dresden. Meanwhile Zelda and I strolled down Parizska — the Rodeo Drive of Praha (Prague). Funny to see pencil thin young women wearing designer clothes (perhaps they work in the boutiques) and stiletto shoes on the cobblestone sidewalks and streets!
Finding ourselves back at the Old Town Square, we headed back to Dancing House, through narrow, windy streets and past wonderful graffiti. Getting turned around, we discovered our approach was from the same direction as when arrived two-days ago!
Finding ourselves back at the Old Town Square, we headed back to Dancing House, through narrow, windy streets and past wonderful graffiti. Getting turned around, we discovered our approach was from the same direction as when arrived two-days ago!
After freshening up a bit and grabbing reading material, Zelda and I walked along the Vltava River to Most Legii (Bridge of Legions) to Streleckeho Ostrova (Shooters Island) for cold glasses of lemonade. This island is one of a system of island parks in the Vltava River. First mentioned in the 12th century, this island was home to the monastic order of Johanitas in the 14th century. |
The island was reserved for shooters in the 15th century. By the 18th century, the island was used for funfests with dancing, as well as shooting activities. In 1892 the City of Prague purchased the island. Various renovation and reconstruction projects have occurred over time, the most recent commencing in 2013.
Sitting on the upstairs terrace of a café across the river from the National Theatre, we watched as peddle boats filled with families, young people and older couples floated by. We watched the National Theatre turn golden in the waning sunlight.
Sitting on the upstairs terrace of a café across the river from the National Theatre, we watched as peddle boats filled with families, young people and older couples floated by. We watched the National Theatre turn golden in the waning sunlight.
After several hours of chatting and people watching, we walked over the last section of the Bridge of Legions, alongside Devil’s Stream and the Dutch and French Embassies. Still hot and humid, we even stopped in "Sweet Dream," one of the shops that make the conical donut ice cream cones — trdelník — filled with a softened vanilla or chocolate ice cream and/or whipped cream that I’ve been eyeing since Dresden. When I asked for all three, the man looked at me like I was insane … I clearly was because by the time I reached the lower chocolate layer, it was oozing out the “cone” all over me! Good thing really as the caloric count must be staggering!
Crossing over the Charles Bridge as the sun was dipping low, we worked our way back to Dancing House vowing to not eat again until Dresden. A few text messages back and forth, as we were walking back to the Dancing House, revealed that Juli and Tejomaya made dinner reservations for our last night in Prague at the Fred and Ginger Restaurant — in less than an hour.
I wish I could say I didn’t eat dinner. My plan going up the elevator was to have a glass of wine. My second plan was to have a glass of wine and a bowl of soup. My final plan was to have a glass of wine and a hamburger (no bread) and pomme frites. Got to shave off some calories ... Hey, it was our last night in Praha — and I have been averaging 6-12 miles of walking a day … and I’m on holiday … Cheers!