Helen and Judy's Excellent Eastern European Adventure: Old Town Prague

We are a little (okay, a lot) sleep deprived and it rained a little today, but that did not discourage us from continuing our exploration of Prague. Today we enjoyed the other side of Prague, Old Town, New Town (still 700 years old!), and the Jewish District. We've got the bus system down pretty well by now.

At one point, our bus was invaded by students; were were a little afraid Judy would get one in her lap!

We made our way to Old Town Square and found one of the free English walking tours, headed by our very funny guide John. He made us "Czecks-perts" in about 3 hours.

Old Town Square, with the Tyn Church in the background

According to John, the original inhabitants of this country were Celts who gave the area its name of Bohemia (at one point in their history, this group was ousted and wandered around pursuing poetry and the arts; hence the current meaning of "bohemian"). Czech history is complex; suffice it to say there have been seven different political entities in charge here in just the last 100 years, including the Nazi's and the Soviet Communists for 40 years. Many of us remember Czechoslovakia; a "velvet divorce" in 1993 resulted in an independent Czech Republic, currently a parliamentary democracy.

Statue of Jan Hus, Czeck philosopher and reformer, predecessor of Protestantism movement, followers became Hussites

Astronomical Clock (Orloj, dating back to 1410

The astronomical clock is a central attraction, with hundreds of tourists waiting in anticipation for the "cuckoo clock" performance on the hour (our guide acted it out for us--much better than the real thing).

The clock includes Roman numerals, astrological signs, and each day of the year, accompanied by a name. Czech parents still name their children according to the clock (and celebrate a name day); any unusual name has to be approved by a special office.

Estates Theater where Mozart played

Statue commemorating Don Giovanni by Mozart, who loved his "Praguers"

The Powder Tower, one of the 13 original city gates in Prague, used to store gunpowder in the 17 century.

We enjoyed a more modern sculpture, In Utero by controversial artist David Cerny; one of our tour mates got to be "rebirthed" from the interior of the sculpture!

In the Jewish District, we visited the "Old New" Synagogue and other sites preserved from the time when Jews were restricted to this particular neighborhood.

The Old Jewish Cemetery, the only place Jews were allowed to be buried, where it is estimated that as many as 100, 000 people are buried, 12 deep, with shared tombstones.

Part of the Jewish Museum, housing pictures drawn by children housed in the Terazin concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Old New Synagogue (so named by a German mis-translation), the oldest and still active synagogue in Europe

Tour guide John left us with the stories of the Prague uprising of 1945, when the Czechs took on a much larger Nazi military force, and the 1969 self-immolation of two students in protest of the Soviet crush of human rights established by Dubcek. The story of Prague and the Czech Republic is one of accommodation and resistance as various outside entities invaded, but Czech language, identity, and culture prevailed.

After our tour, we took another stroll across the Charles Bridge and returned to the hotel for a rest. For dinner, we found a fun place called U Chlupatyo, translated as At Hairy Ghost. Czechs are fairly superstitious; the "ghost" in question is supposed to have preyed on loose women (no comment).

Have to have at least one Pilsner in the CR!

The Hairy Ghost

On our way home, we stopped at the "Lennon Wall," a wall with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and used for political expression.

We also took one more walk/shop around the Old Town Square and across the Charles Bridge, inspired by the beauty and spirit of the place. There is definitely a Camelot/ fairy tale quality to much of this city.