Bohemia Bohemia

I, and five friends, spent this past week in the city of Prague, the Czech Republic's capital and a city that has been rated one of the 10 most beautiful cities in the world.

Four of us began our trip departing St Andrews on an autumn casted St Andrews. Arriving in Prague late at night we met up with my friend Elli, briefly, who guided us to our hostel. We quickly dropped off our luggage in order to go out for dinner. Walking around the streets we found a place tucked away between two apartment buildings. The place was a perfect place to start. It's interior was green and black. Street lamps filled the place and gave it an outside feel. Appearing touristy, we were the only foreigners there. Our waiter was a kind, young Czech. He spoke English well and gave us a nice welcome to Prague (and gave me a little trouble for being vegetarian :) ). After our meal we headed back to our hostel to rest and prepare for the following day.

Our second day in Prague began with a quick and silly wild goose chase. Attempting to find our other two friends we went down to a train station to meet them only to receive a text saying they were at the hostel. Meeting up with them we took a quick break and then sent out explore sunny Prague. On our way to Old Town Square we stopped by a couple of little shops and a beautiful church. One of the little shops was a toy shop that sold traditional toys. These included marionettes, dolls, and cute racing games. There were also wooden models and painted eggs. The church was quiet, oddly empty of people. It has gold along its columns and gates, along with paintings and statues.


At Old Town Square we discovered the tourist center of Prague. Small shops with Prague decor, t-shirts, glass and baked goods lined the streets leading up to it. Within the square there are restaurants, tourist centers, museums, galleries, and a huge clock tower. On one side of the tower there is the famous astronomical clock (Originally built in 1410). We spent some time in the square, enjoying the buildings around us, exploring the street market, and sharing previously bought baked goods.

After the square we made our way to the Jewish section of Prague. We visited pinkasova synagoga, a place dedicated to the 80,000 Jews of Prague that died in WW2. The names of the victims are written all along the walls in letters of black and red. Upstairs, there are pictures drawn by children from WW2. Outside we went to the Old Jewish Cemetery. Thousands of graves stand close together, packed in to the small allotted ground. The place appears untouched, as if created by nature itself. Among the buried there is Rabbi Low (the creator of the Golem). After the cemetary we made our way to the Jewish Ceremonial Hall. We learned about burial tradition among Bohemian Jews and the structure of the society. An old painting depicted Jews in clothing I had not imagined them; high socks, three-pointed hats and black suit coats. Overall I was stunned by the Jewish history there. A part of Judaism I feel for yet felt hard to relate to. It was so long ago and so different from what I have experienced.

We then went across the river on the Charles Bridge , stopping in a view shops that sold antiques and cute rabbi figurines. The bridge is home to several statues that line its stone rails. Among the statues there are saints and important figures. One of the statues is a depiction of Jesus on the Cross. Under his arms appear the words. Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh, Adonai Tzeva'ot. Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of hosts. The statue caught my eye and I am still debating its meaning to me. It is a statue of controversy and there is a tablet there to notify the public.

After the Charles Bridge we met again with my friend, Elli, and joined her along with her flatmate to a restaurant, The Globe. The Globe is a small cafe. It is Prague's first English bookstore and sells 10,000 hand picked titles. It serves American style food and has a great atmosphere. After eating we browsed through the many books. This ended our second day.

Our third day began very slowly. Everyone slept in and enjoyed a relaxed morning. We went out for breakfast (really lunch) at Bohemia Bagel. On our way there we strolled along the streets and again looked around at the local shops. We also began our project for the next few days, Doors of Prague (post coming soon).

Afterward we split up. The guys went to explore the hill that over looks all of Prague. It was a long climb, the whole time surrounded by autumn. Along the way up we took stops to enjoy the surroundings and capture photos of Prague. After a couple of hours there (where we discovered an observatory and mirror-maze) we journeyed toward Prague's Castle. On our way we found embassies from many countries. Germany has one of the most beautiful. Unfortunately, we did not make it to the castle and instead found ourselves lost. We eventually joined up with the gals and journeyed back to the hostel. After a short rest and some time to relax we went out to Perpetuum, Prague's duck restaurant. It was an adventure traveling there. We had forgotten directions and so we asked many locals how to get there. Our Czech was poor and it took us many attempts until one lady new where to go. We got there and found no tables in the main area available. Instead, we were given a private room in the basement of the restaurant. We feasted there (food post coming soon) and then went on a hunt for a Jazz clubs.

We searched the streets until we chanced upon a club one of our group had formally been to, the Jazz Republic. There we heard a few minutes of Jazz until the club was overwhelmed by a group of Italian teens. The band concluded shortly afterward and we set out for the next club. There we were told the band was also finishing up so we took a slow walk back to the hostel.

Our last full day in Prague, the 9th, was undoubtedly the best of them all. We all, except one, woke up to discover she had brought us baked goods for breakfast. We ate in and then dispatched to the Strahov Monastery. We meant to immediately see the library, but it was closed for a short while. So, we went to the back of the monastery where there was a restaurant that overlooked Prague. We sat outside, enjoying games of cards, light chat, and a warm meal. We went inside when the library reopened and walked through a building that stunned us. The entrance walls were lined with sea life and old volumes of books. Of the two rooms we were allowed to see one has shelves all the way to a high, painted ceiling. The other room was much smaller, but still painted and lined with books from head to toe. In it were multiple globes that divided the room. I could think that if all libraries were as beautiful as this one that I'd be in one most days, whenever possible. It was hard to leave.

When we did leave, we went down to Prague Castle. We spent a couple of hours there exploring the world's largest castle. We started with the St. Vitus Cathedral, a Roman Catholic church. I was awed by the cathedral and its Gothic architecture. I almost believed I could have been a priest or a monk if that is where I spent my days. Then we went to the Vladislav Hall and the Old Royal Palace. The guys then split and spent time in the armory, looking at armor from the middle ages and before. We concluded with a hot beverage and an overlook of Prague.

Hours later we went to an opera, the Jacobin, at Prague National theater. Its was written by Antonin Dvorak. For my first opera, I could not have asked for a more delighting show. The Jacobin tells of the events occurring in a small Bohemian town in the 1793. It is full of laughter and love. Throughout it sends a message that music and song are important in life. A full summary can be found on Wikipedia (I don't want to spoil it!).

After the Opera we went to Elli's to surprise my friend for her birthday We all sat around and enjoyed a variety of Czech cakes. Delicious! After filling ourselves we went back to the hostel to rest before the journey home.



Finally, a shout out to Elli. Elli is currently doing a Jewish Studies abroad program in Prague. She's a states-side friend of mine and someone I consider one of my closest and truest friends. Had it not been for her, I would have never thought to go to Prague or to invite my friends along. I owe this beautiful escape from the ordinary of university to her. Thank you, Elli, for the invitation to visit you and for being an amazing host. We had an amazing time.