We finally arrived in Prague after 24 hours of traveling. We had a few issues getting here due to lightning in Orlando resulting in a hour and half delay. Also had a hour and half delay in DC due to a bad auxiliary power unit but ended up getting to Prague ontime and with our luggage! Our scheduled 4 hour layovers saved our butts. Was able to use the United Polaris club which was a God send since the food on the plane left a lot to be desired.
Stayed at a gorgeous hotel built in 1518 (Alchymist Grand Hotel). Walked up to see the Was really impressed by the gothic St Vitus cathedral and the view of the city. The stained glass in St Vitus used very small pieces of glass for a very intricate design. Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque era architecture remain intact because the city did not need to be rebuilt like most European capital cities after WW2.
Toured the Jewish quarter. 77000 Jews from greater Prague were executed. In the Pinkas Synagogue, the walls are covered with the names of these unfortunate souls. Also, upstairs we saw drawings by Jewish children who also
met the same fate. Hard to understand how anyone could participate in the mass executions of so many people.
Also, saw the John Lennon wall which started during regime. It was used by students to protest against the Soviet Union. It seems the primary focus is currently global warming and the Ukraine war. Thousands of poems were posted assailing Putin for his actions.
On a lighter note, we were also fascinated with the geometric patterns on the sidewalks. Having laid tens of thousand pavers ourselves, we were impressed by what must be millions in Prague. I bet some of the guys went to the beer spa after laying those pavers all day. Yes, there is such a thing as a beer spa with dispensers right next to the tub!!
Our general impression of Prague is verified by the wide number of languages spoken here by the vistorsfrom all over the world. A walking tour we took had people from Israel, Tunisa, Brazil, Croatia and Florida. However, fortunately for us, denominator was English which made it easy It is a beauitiful City filled with wonderful architecture from several periods and lots of
history. Czech food is dominated by dumplings, duck, deer, brown gravy and some the best pilsener in the world! It sure doesnt hurt that beer is very inexpensive as well. We feel very fortunate to have been able to spend the the last nine days here and experience Prague. Next stop is Cesky Krumlov.
