Prague: Serious, Silly & Delightful
The Jewish Quarter can be found just off the “Fancy Street” as Fierce and I have taken to calling Parizka Street which houses all of the high-end name brands. The Synagogues and Jewish Cemetery seem almost tucked in and probably for good reason as it was once a “model” ghetto used in propaganda. Of course, it was not as advertised when Jews arrived.
The Pinkas Synagogue explains that the now out-of-work greatest scientists and teachers came together in an attempt to give the children a sense of normalcy by teaching classes to the children. There is an exhibit of children’s artwork made during this time. All but this small room of the Synagogue is covered in 77,297 names of Czechoslovakian Jews that never returned from concentration camps.
The Old-New Synagogue is a traditional Orthodox Synagogue. Chilling, is that as you enter, each of the seats has a missing poster with the picture of a person taken by Hamas on October 7 of this past year.
This was all a lot to take in, so as we walked back to town, I decided to pick a tourist destination that was a bit light-hearted. We went to the Illusion Museum and this was really fun. Every piece of art was interactive. When you buy your tickets, the lady smiles and says, “Take lots of pictures!” We pushed someone out a window, were blasted away by a meteor, fed a dear and Fierce was even knighted.
After lots of laughs, we strolled the street for a bit. We happened upon a Miner’s Candy Shop where a train carries train cars full of candy from a cave as dwarves mine the “loot.” Soon we walked by an outdoor ice rink. I casually asked Fierce if he was interested and he said, “Sure!” Rented skates in hand, we put them on and off we glided. Ok, so at first Fierce clung to the edge and…fell…got back up…fell 19 times, but not the 100 I told him it might be…and learned to skate all by himself in Prague. We had a blast. He pushed himself by making goals further and further. What a great experience.
Next we decided to skip the Baroque Museum up ahead and try to catch the Boat Tour at the Charles Bridge instead. It was in the opposite direction, but we walked literally next to our hotel on the way back, so I decided to see if Andrea wanted to join us for the boat ride. She had taken the morning to rest and I knew she had mentioned wanting to go earlier. Sure enough, she was excited and came down all bundled up, ready to brave the cold. Thankfully, the Boat is enclosed and heated. Oh my goodness, as you go along the path to the boats, there were nativity scenes made of hay set up amongst pine trees. It was gorgeous! And…of course the actual boat ride was just adorable, informative, and the architecture seen from the river all together as one close-up picture was delightful. Must see. Loved.
Andrea saw a cute little restaurant on the water as we were leaving the tour. The chairs had fur on them, so of course we had to check that out. It was an upscale restaurant with views of the water. Each chair had a blanket and each table had little dried flower arrangements. There were heaters above us and even the silverware was warm. My goulash soup in a bread blown warmed my insides and the whole experience felt charming and cozy.
Good night!
