Day 1: Welcome and Prague Tour
After our introductory meeting at The Metamorphis, we took a walking tour of Prague on the way to our first group dinner. We got our first views of Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, along with our first lessons in geography and history. We stopped outside the John Lennon Pub and at the John Lennon Wall. During Communism, the wall was covered in graffiti. Each day, the government had the wall painted over, but it was re-graffitied every night.
During dinner at the traditional Czech restaurant Baráčnická rychta, we had our first tour surprise. Two musicians from the Prague Castle Orchestra serenaded us throughout our meal!
On the return trip, we enjoyed the beautiful twilight views of the castle from Charles Bridge, and took in Old Town Square at night. A great way to end our first tour day!
Prague
Day 2: Prague Castle
Traveling by subway from our hotel to Prague Castle was easy and efficient. We came out to a beautiful garden with castle views. Our castle guide, "Jana 2" led us through the castle grounds. We saw many of the highlights, including:
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St. Vitus Cathedral- (Mucha stained glass window, St. Wenseslas Chapel- burial site for St. Wenseslas and home to the Czech royal jewels)
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Golden Lane (upstairs are several examples of armor, the main level features shops and models of the small homes that were in the buildings, downstairs is the apothecary shop and dungeons)
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the Old Royal Palace (large meeting room and the window where the 100 Year's War began)
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Changing of the guards
Sprinkled throughout were beautiful panoramic views of Prague.
After the castle tour we walked to the Strahov Monastic Brewery for lunch- pub food and beer.
On our free afternoon, my dad and sister and I went throught the Strahov library, then wandered back to the hotel, stopping into the second St. Nicholas Church in Prague (at least the second one we saw!) and venturing back on the subway. Becky and I went to the Gallery of Art Prague to see a Mucha/Dali/Warhol exhibit. It was right on Old Town Square. After dinner we went to the top of the Astronomical Clock Tower for a beautiful evening panorama view of Prague.
Day 3: Jewish Quarter
After breakfast we met Martin, our tour guide for the Jewish Quarter of Prague. Prague's Jewish history during World War II is different from the rest of Europe. Hitler used Prague's Jewish Quarter as propaganda, supposedly showing how Jews would be treated after the War. The Nazis made movies and other propoganda showing how "well" they were treated and promising the same for other Jewish people in Europe. These were lies, of course, but it does mean that many of Prague's Synagogues were preserved.
Most of the Synagogues in Prague are part of the Jewish Museum in Prague and are accessible with one ticket. Our first stop was the Pinkas Synagogue- an overwhelming reminder of those lost in World War II from Prague and the Czech Republic. Names fill the walls and a somber, respectful silence fills the building. Outside of the Pinkas Synogogue is the Old Jewish Cemetery. It was an amazing place- when the cemetery filled, they began adding another layer of graves above. Tombstones are tightly packed, leaning every which-way, and often decorated with symbols giving clues to the person's occupation. We visited the Spanish Synagogue next, with beautiful Moorish decor and architecture. I couldn't take pictures, but here are some- stunning!
After lunch on our own we met again in the afternoon to tour the Municipal House. This is a cultural center for the city. Jan was our guide inside and the tour was great! The building has beautiful Art Nouveau architecture and we learned all sorts of interesting things about the building- including an interactive experience with the amazing acoustics in one room. Stand in the middle and talk, and the sound amplifies. Stand in the right spot in the outside circle of the room and hear whispered conversations from across the room.
Our last group event for the day was to visit the Mucha Museum- a large collection of Alphonse Mucha's work and history of his life.
That evening, my sister and I went with another group member to watch USA in the World Cup. Even though the USA lost it was fun to be in Europe during the World Cup- fans were everywhere!
Day 4: Communism
Today's guide, Šárka, helped us understand the recent history of Czech Republic. We began at Charles University, wandering through Jana's alma mater on our way to Wenceslas Square. Wenceslas Square had many protests during Communism, including several during the Velvet Revolution (Czechoslovakia's peaceful end to Communist control in 1989). Vaclav Havel signalled the end of Communism from a balcony on the square (actually more of a boulevard). Both Jana and Sarka shared memories of growing up under communism during this tour. Sarka recalled the citywide announcements for rallies and other gatherings, telling citizens where to be, when to be there, and what to wear. Jana remembered the lack of choice and availability of clothing and food. They brought communism to life in a way that simply visiting on my own would have never done.
After our morning tour, my family spent the afternoon walking to the Dancing House and exploring along the Vltava River. We met with the group for a traditional dinner at Pivovarský Dům and then attended a private (!!) opera concert at the Villa America. This building is also the Museum of Antonín Dvořák. It was a great farewell to Prague!
heading photo- Old Town Square, Prague