Bavaria Day 5: Prague

To start our day we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast buffet in our hotel's underground restaurant: rice, fresh veg, sausages, eggs, cheese and meat slices, breads and pastries. I brought the camera because I wanted to capture the old walls and arched ceiling.



After breakfast we went to see the first of our destinations: the historic Jewish ghetto area. There are lots of artifacts to look at. Apparently Hitler allowed Prague Jews to archive their things as he was planning to make it sort of a museum to an extinct race.

We walked through the town square and along the Parizska shopping street past new high-end stores. I noticed that the sidewalks were made of small paving stones just inches across.

A sculpture inspired by Franz Kafka stood just outside the first of several synagogues we visited. Pictures were not allowed to be taken inside, though I did get this in one of the later synagogues before I saw signage prohibiting photos.



Inside the last synagogue we visited, the walls were filled with the names of Jewish war dead. We found names similar to Margo's maiden name: Margolius and Marguliesova. Then we toured the adjacent Jewish cemetery.



This was the only plot where Jews were alowed to bury, so the ground is raised a few feet because bodies were stacked atop each other.

Next we walked to the waterfront towards our next destination, the Prague Castle.



We crossed the famous pedestrian-only Charles bridge and got some crépes for lunch at a café. Then we found a tram on the next block that would take us up the hill to the castle.

From the tram, we walked a short distance to the castle entrance, walking over a bridge above a deep valley, serving as a waterless moat. Soon we were standing before the massive St. Vitus Cathedral.



Margo and Sarah are just specks at its base. I think it's the biggest cathedral we've visited.

From the promontory is a great view of the city.



We also toured the Golden Lane, a collection of shops that also contained a gallery of medieval armour and weaponry. Sarah was very disappointed that she was too small to shoot a crossbow, but she did get to try out a rotating wooden block for shooting arrows.



We returned to our room. Margo and Sarah had a rest, while I went out to visit some pubs. The beers of Prague were praised in our guidebook as being among the cheapest and best of Europe. I agree with the cheap part, but best is a bit strong. The beers are certainly stronger and tastier than a typical lager, but not so tasty that I'd consider them among the best. However, over the hours of our visit, I did get to sample brews from some of the city's popular breweries: Krusovice (light and dark), Staropramen (which I find on tap in some London pubs), and Pilsener Urquell. Budweiser is also brewed nearby; the name is used by Anheuser Busch everywhere else, and so, because of a famous trademark dispute, the brewery can only legally use the name locally and not for export. I also had a chance to try some absinthe. Strong!

I also got some shots of the square on the way back. This is the astronomical clock on the side of the city hall. I happened to be near it as the hour struck.



This is one view of the square, towards the Tyn church; our hotel was just behind it.



Walking toward the church and looking back, one would see the city hall in this view.



Often on our travels, we reach a point where we get more than enough of each other's company and tensions rise. Today was our day. From morning through the day we were crabby with each other, climaxing with a bit of a row at dinnertime. We resolved to find ways to spend a bit more time on our own. It was unfortunate to end the day on such a sour note.