Prague--The Jewish Quarter

 It was our last day to explore and we chose the walk on GPS My City for the Jewish Quarter. Looking out the window, the weather had turned on us again. It wasn't terribly cold but it was gray and it had rained, the streets were wet.

We took our time at breakfast since we knew the walk would not take the whole day. Eventually we started out for our first stop which was about fifteen minutes away and again toward Old Town. Little did we know until we reached the Spanish Synagogue that it was a special holiday and all the museums and synagogues would be closed to viewing.

The buildings were still unique and wonderful to see even from just the outside. The current Spanish Synagogue was finished in 1868 and was built on the site of the oldest synagogue in Prague. The origin of its name is a mystery as it never served a Spanish community.

The Jewish Quarter had its own town hall and the High Synagogue was built next to it. The name High Synagogue refers to the location of the main prayer hall high in the upper floors of the building.

Another strange name is the Old-New Synagogue. It is Europe's oldest synagogue still in regular use. It was built in the 13th century. It got its name after newer synagogues were built around it. It was new but now had become the old new synagogue. A bit of lore is attached to this one. It was said there lived a clay guardian, the Golem, brought to life by a rabbi in the late 1500s. But like many creatures, it began to spiral out of control and the rabbi had to "deactivate" it. It is said to still reside in the attic.

We passed the Old Jewish Cemetery several times but there was no entry. I also noted a heavier police presence in this part of town and figured it was due to the holiday and the trouble that most of the world seems to have dealing with anti-Semitism. 

The Ceremonial Hall sits next to the cemetery and in its day was used by the Jewish Burial Society. Inside was a morgue and places for ritual purification. This building was closed for renovation and not scheduled to reopen until 2026. Perhaps that when lucky Bob who touched the brass plaque on the Charles Bridge will return.

We stopped to see a few other synagogues in the area and then ended up at Jan Palach Square. With a little extra googling, we discovered that Jan Palach was a philosophy student at the university that borders the square. It was in this spot however that Palach in 1969 took his own life by setting himself on fire in protest of the Soviet led invasion of Czechoslovakia. In 1989 when Communism lost its hold on many of the eastern European countries, the name of the square was changed from Square of the Red Army to the Jan Plach Square.

Our tour was done by 11:15 and we found ourselves wondering what to do next. Bob wanted to see the Astronomical Clock one more time so we went to the Old Town Hall. There was a nice little outdoor cafe that had heated seating and we found a spot perfect for viewing the clock and ordered some cappuccinos along with "tapas" which was actually a meat and cheese plate with bread. Tasty. We got to watch the clock with no one crowding in front of us. The rooster still didn't flap his wings though.

By the time the clock was done, we'd decided to try our luck with a museum called The Story of Prague. It was rather unique. We downloaded their app and got headsets that plugged into our phone to listen to audio. The audio was activated by opening your camera and focusing on QR codes. There were also some other icons you could set your camera to and activate hidden pictures or make some scenes move. It was all very clever.

The one question it did not answer for me however was the history of the city during the time my grandfather was there. Nothing was recorded from the mid 1700s to WWII. Guess I have some studying to do. I thought I would get some answers in the touring we did but it's like those years did not exist.

Bob walked me back to the hotel and then decided to do a little more on his own. I already had chalked up four plus miles and I didn't think I wanted to push it any farther. There are some joints and muscles that just are too old for me. I spent a few hours catching up on my posts. This one will actually post after we are home and I'm recuperating from a very busy time. A good time. More pins to put in our world travel map. It's still a big world out there though. Where next? 

Exploring The Old Town of Prague

Our time with Uniworld was done. We had tried to book our two extra days at the same hotel but there was nothing available so we were to move on to a different hotel about an eleven minute walk away--without suitcases. It was more like twenty minutes as we struggled with suitcases a bit over the cobblestoned sidewalks and streets. Crossing the street that had trams took some bravery. As one guide said, "In the zebra (the crosswalk) the cars and buses must stop. The trams do not." Another guide had told us when crossing the street, "Be strong. To run is to show weakness."

It was too early to check in but we were able to store our bags for later. The hotel, The Art Neuveau Palace Hotel was every bit as impressive as the Imperial had been and I looked forward to seeing what our room would be like.

Unencumbered by luggage, we were on our way to the first stop on my GPS My City app, the Old Town Center. We arrived in the center and to our left was the old town hall with the iconic Astronomical Clock. The circles represent all sorts of calendars including old Bohemian time, astronomical charts of the sun and planets, the path of the sun and moon through the zodiac and even another ring that shows the day, date and the name of the saint commemorated that day. Whew. I like my old fashioned watch better. It may be analog but I tell time quite well with it.

It was fifteen minutes before the hour and the clock was about to entertain the gathering crowd with a parade of apostles in the two upper windows. Right on the dot of the hour (the performance is hourly from 9 to 9 each day) the bells rang, the two upper windows opened and the twelve apostles appeared as promised. We had been told that at the end the rooster would flap its wings but it didn't happen either time that we watched the show.

Next up was a visit to the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. We didn't get inside that church but we did get inside the beautiful St. Nicholas Church. Fall decorations were set out to celebrate the season. The centerpiece however was the huge crystal chandelier that graced the center of the church. The picture doesn't do it justice as you can't see the sparkles of color in the prismed pieces.

We circled back to the old town hall. The crowd had diminished a bit but looked like it was building for another round of apostles. Inside the town hall was mainly an information center but in one corner was a display case with pieces of an old bell and a reproduction of the original. The bell dated back to 1313 and survived countless close calls only to meet its fate during the Prague Uprising in 1945 when a bomb struck it.

It had been about two hours and we'd had some tea and a croissant. Our room we'd been told would be ready by then. We walked back to the hotel before we got too far away and received our keys to the room. What a surprise! Our TA had booked us into a suite. A closet area just inside the door to one side, a huge bathroom with double sink and bidet on the other side and through the little hallway we entered a sitting room. Double doors led to the bedroom and since the room was on the corner of the building on the fifth floor, we had views in several directions of the city. Bless our TA, this was going to be two very nice nights.

We would settle in a bit and then continue our tour of the Old Town. The weather had finally turned in our favor with some sunshine, no rain and warmer temps that almost reached 60 F. 

The amazing thing about Prague is that it did not sustain much damage in WWII. It was said Hitler wanted to preserve the city for Germany, the Reich. The city was a little out of range of allied bombing but did sustain some damage when bombers were sent to destroy the weapons plants established by the Nazis and, there being no great GPS back then, hit the wrong target. The town hall did sustain damage and the clock needed to be repaired.

The buildings are much as they were in the 18th and 19th centuries. Every one I looked at, I wondered if my grandfather had seen. I don't know how much of the city was important to him and his family. I have no idea where they lived exactly or what their occupation was. Grandpa was a farmer in the states. Was he one here? 

It is hard to walk along and not take pictures as each building is so unique in design and decoration. Except for the towers that still stand. The Powder Tower which was used to keep ammunition and the Old Town Bridge Tower look very similar.

The Old Town Bridge Tower is the gateway to the Charles Bridge. If you read my post on the Prague Castle you will be familiar with St. John of Nepomuk who was thrown from the bridge for not revealing the queen's confession to the king. He is one of the 30 statues on the bridge and is distinguished by the halo of five stars surrounding his head. It is said that to touch the brass plaque at his feet is good luck and means you will return to Prague some day. Bob just had to try it.

All told, we had walked over five miles for the day and returned to the hotel to shower and go for dinner at a restaurant close by. Early to bed as we anticipated another day of sightseeing. There was still more to Prague to see.

Terezin, Czech Republic

About an hour from Prague is the town of Terezin. It is a small town of about 2900 but holds a dark history. In 1780, the Hapsburg Emperor Joseph II ordered the building of a fortress here as protection against invading Prussian troops. He originally named it after his mother, Maria Theresa, from which the name Terezin comes.

The building consisted of a small fortress and a larger walled town area called the main fortress. Trenches and low lying areas around the fortress could be flooded for added protection and the walls of the fortress were planted in grasses so from a distance it blended with the environment of the times

The fortress was never under siege and in the latter half of the 19th century was used as a prison and eventually a political prison during WWI. 

When the Nazis began their occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938, the small fortress became a prison for political enemies of the regime, anyone resisting or defying the Nazi rule. Eventually, many of the prisoners were shipped to extermination camps such as Auschwitz or Mauthausen.

Nazi officers barracks

The larger area, or the main fortress was emptied of residents and became a Jewish ghetto. A more likely description would be a holding area for the deportation of Jews to the extermination camps. 

After passing by the memorial graves of Jews and Christians alike, most with just numbers on them, we explored the small fortress first and a local guide gave us quite an introduction into what life would have been like there. Large overcrowded rooms that held a hundred or more prisoners at a time with one non-functioning toilet. When the mattresses became so infested and moldy, they were burned and prisoners slept on wooden planked bunks.

There were some executions by firing squad. Those who were executed or died at the facility were cremated and at first put in urns. When space and cost became too great, they used paper cones and emptied them into the river. 

Our group of about 40 entered one room and squeezed in as our guide indicated that normally there would have been more than twice that number kept in that cell. 

On one side of the fortress was a beautiful building, well kept, that had housed the Nazi generals and staff of the fortress as well as their families. Children would be playing behind a fence in a lovely grassy area or splashing in a pool in the summer while prisoners were dying just outside of their compound of malnutrition and a host of diseases.

Shower room

Once done exploring the small fortress, we bused a little ways to a museum in the ghetto area which is now inhabited by the small community of people who have chosen to live there. A museum offered a film that showed some of the activity of the time and a propaganda film done by the Germans to try to influence the Red Cross that the Jews were being well taken care of.

Some of the artwork was on display that the children of the ghetto had done and there were several handmade dolls as well that depicted the uniform of the day that had to include the yellow star to identify them as Jews.

Not quite as intense a tour as we had experienced at Mauthausen a few years ago but still, a dark time in the history of the country and this little town.

The Prague Castle

The Prague Castle sits high above the city on a hill. It is and unmistakable landmark that graces the horizon. Our tour began early with our guide hoping to beat the crowds that would eventually take over the castle grounds.

The castle dates back to 880 and was fortified with a moat and a rampart of clay and stones. The first half of the 10th century found three churches inside the walled fortress, the Church of the Virgin Mary and one dedicated to St. George, another to St. Vitus.

The castle was not only the seat of the head of state, princes and kings, but also of the highest representative of the church, the Prague bishop. From the 11th century on, the basilica of St. Vitus was the main castle church and contained relics of St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas (not King Wenceslas) and St Adalbert.

The castle expanded and reconstructed with each succeeding ruler and came through hard times as well as good. It is a huge complex and extremely interesting.

We arrived in time to see the changing of the guard. As with all palaces and castles where we have watched this take place, it was also an impressive display of precision and military finesse. The summer uniforms of light blue had recently changed to winter's dark blue, a fact I'm sure the guards appreciated on this chilly and windy day.

With the guards in place, we proceeded into a large courtyard. Our guide left us for a bit of free time (restroom break) while she bought our tickets. When she returned, we entered another courtyard that was in front of the Cathedral of St. Vitus and crossed to enter the cathedral itself.

I don't understand all that is involved with St. Vitus becoming so important to Prague but some of the 150 relics of St. Vitus were acquired for the castle's cathedral including an arm. 

While we were exploring, our guide told us the story of St. John of Nepomuk whose silver tomb is quite impressive and huge. As the story goes, he received the confession of the queen and when King Wenceslas IV(not the good king) demanded he tell the king what she had confessed, he refused and kept his vow of confidentiality. The king was incensed and had his tongue cut out among other wonderful tortures he inflicted. 

St. John never gave in and his body was thrown into the river from the Charles Bridge. It is said that fishermen the next day saw five floating gold stars that indicated where the body was. He was pulled out and now whenever you see an image of him he has the stars circling his head like a halo. I'll tell a little more about him when we get to the bridge.

We stopped in front of the stained glass window depicting St. Wenceslas, as a child, who was the patron saint of Bohemia. He was posthumously given the title of King Wenceslas and we know him from the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas." There is a square and a statue dedicated to him in Prague.

Entrance to the Old Royal Palace was by ticket only and we saw the huge ballroom that was there. Well, ballroom was only one function of it. Apparently they would cover the floor with something and have jousting contests inside. I can't even imagine...

The last area of the castle grounds was called the Golden Lane, a small street behind the castle wall that had very tiny houses built against the wall. A famous Bohemian author was said to have lived in one. One of the houses which are now small craft shops, was so tiny that in order to have steps going up to the upper room, they had to be foldable, fitting against the wall and pulled out when needed. Clever craftmanship.

We poked our heads into a few houses but since we had free time and it was cold and our guide had mentioned a cafe at the end of the street, we quickly made our way there. Hot chocolate sounded good, dairy or no dairy, I was going to have some. I'm so glad I did. It came in an espresso sized cup and was the richest darkest hot chocolate I've had since we visited a chocolate factory in France. I don't think there was much dairy in it.

From the last courtyard, there was a long but easy stairway of stones to get back to our bus that had moved to the base of Castle Hill. It was good to get back to the hotel. We had just enough time to grab a pizza at the place a few doors down from the hotel and then be back in time for our afternoon excursion to Terezin, a concentration camp.

Just a little side note and to let you know our guides were often a bit humorous. This guide informed us very matter-of-factly that McDonald's did not originate in the USA. She pointed to a spot in a relief on the wall. Sure enough, you could make out the "golden arches." It was actually a W upside down but almost convincing.

Prague, Czech Republic

The lobby

Prague was the primary reason for this cruise adventure. It was on my bucket list. My grandfather was born in Prague in 1888. He left when he was sixteen and entered the USA with his siblings in 1905. Much as Bob tried, he was unable to locate any records with more detail than what Ellis Island offered. Still, I was curious to see the city where he came from and learn anything I could about what was going on there at that point in time.

The restaurant, all tiled

The bus ride from Regensburg to Prague was about three hours long with one rest stop. I found it interesting that our transfer guide brought to our attention the crossing of the border into the Czech Republic. He called it "The Iron Curtain." I hadn't heard that term in a long time and the term no longer applies to the divide that separated Western Europe from the Soviet Union and its satellite states.

Our hotel was one of the oldest in the city. The Art Deco Imperial Hotel dates back to the 1400s. The original building burned down and was reconstructed in the 1700s and early 1800s. Many famous Czechs from history are associated with the hotel either having stayed here or owned it. During WWII, the Nazis occupied it and for quite a while after the war, it took some time for locals to patronize the hotel and restaurant again. In 2022 extensive reconstruction was done to bring it back to its grandeur.

Our room has a high ceiling and two large windows are hung with heavy damask drapery. Needless to say the bathroom is much larger than the one we have endured for the two weeks on the riverboat. I can wash my hair without my elbows hitting the sides of the shower. The door to our room is at least nine feet or more in height and a heavy dark wood. 

The restaurant attached is decorated in carved and painted tiles with amazing detailing. It was here I raised my first Czech Pilsner in memory of my grandfather. He taught me several words in Bohemian. Pivo--beer, Nazdrovi--cheers, Jak se mate?--How are you? and we always answered "dobre" or well.

So armed with very little language, I am grateful that everyone speaks English as well. I stay out of trouble that way.

Nuremberg, Germany

For those of us who did not want to pass up the opportunity to see Nuremberg, Uniworld arranged buses to take us into the city from Regensburg which was as far as the river level was going to let us go by riverboat. The bus ride was about an hour and a half and then we were to have a tour with a guide followed by two hours of free time before we had to head back to Regensburg. It was a plan and it worked well.

Our bus let us out at a high point, the Nuremberg Imperial Castle. It was again a chilly morning and being up on a hill made it a bit windier which added to the wind chill. The castle area was very interesting and had great views of the city. 

The Nuremberg property is first mentioned in documents in 1050. In the Middle Ages the city had developed into a great location for great Imperial Diets (no not that kind of diet, a legislative meeting of sorts). As with most important castles and palaces, this too went through many changes with the passing of time and powerful leaders.

From the castle, we walked down into the old town and past several buildings that had significance but I'm sorry to say as I write this I can't remember it all. If I don't write while it's absolutely fresh, the old brain just doesn't pull it out again. As I've said before, there was just too much information thrown at us each day. Too much to process. 

Albrecht Durer home

We stood in a very busy place while the guide pointed out several buildings including one that Albrecht Durer, one of Germany's most famous artists lived in the early to mid 1500s. 

We eventually found ourselves in the old town square where there was a fall market going on. Lots of fall decorations and handcrafts as well as snacks and treats. 

St. Sebaldus got a nod as we walked past and we decided we would return during our free time and take a peek inside. Sebaldus is the patron saint of the city.

Church with Glockenspiel

Our guided tour ended at the market square after our guide pointed out the glockenspiel on The Church Of Our Lady and told us it was worth waiting ten more minutes for the noon time playing of the clock. We wandered the market a bit and then as the crowd began to grow for the glockenspiel's performance, we found a spot and claimed it.

At noon, the chimes rang and the music played and the figures surrounding the emperor seated on his throne began to move. Eventually the seven electors parade around the emperor twice giving him honor and then disappear.

When the clock's performance ended, we walked back to a place that the guide had recommended for sausages and beer. The place was packed and extremely noisy. We walked in and right out again and wandered around the corner toward the church we wanted to peek into. We found a lovely restaurant with the same kind of local sausage as the other place offered and we could sit quietly inside amid a very Bavarian atmosphere of old wood and designs. My sausage was perfect accompanied by some sauerkraut--Bob's had potato salad.

After our lunch, we wandered around a bit, of course looking into the church of St. Sebaldus. Eventually we found ourselves in an ice cream/gelato shop and indulged while we waited for our appointed time to meet the ship's director and find our way back to the buses.

I wish we could have done Nuremberg on our own but at least we got a taste of it. Perhaps another time...

Regensburg, Germany

 Regensburg would be our last stop on the Danube. The captain had informed our director that the river had become too shallow for the boat to make it safely to Nuremburg which was to be our last port before our post cruise time in Prague. I didn't mind having to stay in Regensburg overnight. It was a quaint little town and we were right in the middle of the old town section.

Our morning had been a few hours of cruising while we had breakfast and then enjoyed the countryside as it passed by. There was a bit of mist on the river as the morning sun played with the cool temperatures. At one spot, it appeared as if a cloud had rested on the water. There was lots of waterfowl to watch, many swans mostly white but a black on now and then.

We arrived in Regensburg around ten and our excursion formed on the shore after we had climbed to our sundeck, passed over a Viking ship and down their stairs to the ramp to shore. At least there was only one ship to pass over. Sometimes on the river there would be three or four rafted together.

Our guide greeted us with O-H when he asked where we were from. It seemed he knew quite a bit about America, enough to make a few jokes. He raced along a boardwalk of sorts lined with pretty fall colored trees. It was near impossible to get any pictures as he was moving so fast we would have been left behind. Some asked him to slow down and he said, "Ja, Ja." 

After a short stop for everyone to catch up and for him to show us pictures of the area, he raced on again. When he stopped to show pictures again, this time news headlines from the past that had little to do with where we were standing, I looked at Bob, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you ready to cut out?"

He agreed and we got out my GPS My City App and began our own tour and at our own pace and headed for our first stop, the Regensburg Cathedral. Now I haven't mentioned how cold it had gotten. Even though the sun was shining the temps were only in the 40s F. We tried to walk in the sun as much as possible. 

The square in front of the cathedral was nice and sunny and we warmed a bit there before going inside. The building was icy cold. I would hope that there would be lots of warm bodies in there when they had mass. But then, maybe they heat it for the worshippers. The stained glass windows were stunning and obviously well cared for as the colors were not dulled by smoky candles or the weather.

Out on the square again, we spied a coffee shop that was open. We had been warned that there might not be too many places open for business since the Germans were celebrating Reunification Day, the day in 1990 when East and West Germany were reunited for the first time since 1945. We were grateful for the opportunity to go inside and warm up with a cappuccino and we split the last available chocolate croissant. The proprietor was very happy to split it for us and declare it was our lucky day.

By the time we were back on our tour, the sun had warmed the cobblestones and building walls a bit to make it a little more comfortable as we sought out the Praetorian Gate, the oldest surviving stone building in Germany. It dates back to 179 AD when it was a Roman settlement. Over the years it has become a part of adjoining buildings but has been preserved as a historic landmark.

We skipped a couple of uninteresting stops, we'd already had our food and drink, and went on to the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady. From the outside it didn't look like much but the inside was amazing. I sat and just took it all in while Bob wandered about. He likes to check out all the nooks and crannies and any crypts that might be interesting.

Several other places of worship also had beautiful interiors. The paintings themselves I'm sure have quite a history and meaningful connection with the artists. You could spend a whole day in some of them and not find out all that is represented there in paint and sculpture. 

Of course a visit to a German village would not be complete without a stop by the Rathaus, the town hall. We were a little disappointed to learn that the interior was closed for the day along with all the lovely shops and bakeries and candy places we'd seen along the way. 

The Old Stone Bridge would be our last stop for the morning tour. It was near where our ship was docked. The bridge dates to the 12th century and for the longest time was the only place to cross the river.

After lunch and a short rest, we were off again with a large group to hear a wonderful choir at a church nearby. The choir turned out to be ten men and their conductor but with the acoustics and their amazing voices, you would have thought it was a choir of a hundred. They did quite a variety of music including Gregorian chants, some pieces by Mendelssohn and Haydn, It Is Well With My Soul (made you want to sing along) Ava Maria and they ended with Brahm's lullaby. 

We all returned to the ship for dinner and the usual predinner meeting to plan the next day. We were all curious to know what our cruise director had planned for us since we would not be cruising to Nuremburg the next day. Could we get there by bus? How long would it take? What tour would be planned?