Prague - Day 2 - 23 Jul 2007 23:00
The last 2 days have been truly wonderful and wonder-filled. Prague is a beautiful city of many contrasts. Our first day, despite the jet lag, we were up and out - always a good practice if you are serious about switching over to a different time zone.
Prague is divided into different districts sometimes referred to as "towns" or "quarters" - "Little", "Castle", "Old Town" and "New Town". We are staying in "Little Town" which, as the name implies is small with private residences, local restaurants, and several foreign embassies including our own American embassy and the German Embassy which is right across the street from our B&B. Tonight we had a first class dinner at "Restarance David" - which seems appropriate!
But I am ahead of myself. On our first day, our main focus was the "Castle Quarter" which contains the largest castle in Europe and is a short walk up the hill from our B&B. This castle, really a walled city within the city has a commanding view of the river and the rest of the city. It is composed of multiple squares and buildings and is centered on St. Vitus Church. North of the castle are the royal gardens - simple and beautiful. In the evening we strolled thru Kampa Island which is situated on the Vlata River in the center of the city. Dinner was at the "Fisherman's Club" right on the river front. The cream fish soup was almost as good as Charlie's Shecrab -- almost!
Today we set out for Old Town crossing the Charles Bridge. This is a pedestrian bridge which spans the river connecting "Little Town" with "Old Town". These days it is packed with tourists, vendors, musicians, etc... It would seem to be a good example of how things have changed since the "Velvet Revolution" of 1989 when communism fell and freedom began spreading in the former soviet bloc. The locals tell us that before then, Charles Bridge was mostly deserted - other than a few shady characters working the black market. Now it could compare to the Boardwalk in Va. Beach!
Within Old Town is the Jewish Quarter. We had planned to spend about 1/2 day there but there was so much to see that was of great interest that we ended up spending most of the day there. The mix of emotions and thoughts is very overwhelming and will take some time to process. Start with the fact that the Jews have been in Prague for more than 1000 years, that they survived multiple assults, pograms, etc, to grow into a vibrant community of about 120,000 prior to WWII. Today there about 10,000 Jews in Prague - most perished in the concentration camps here and in Germany. Terezin is a short train ride from here and was the first stop for many on their way to oblivion. How can I describe the childrens art - art done by children who survived the camps. Or the lists of names of the families and individuals who disappeared into the Holocaust. Yes, I did recognize family names: Goldberg, Friedberg, Maisel,and Levin and Nachman - all gone. As Beth said, "There is chill, a nameless chill, that runs up your spine".
But one is also struck by the beauty of the temples, the art, the torahs, the daily rituals of life. The emphasis on education, charity, service to the community. These Jews, like most immigrants today appear to have wanted two things - to be left alone and to be allowed to follow their way of life.
It is interesting to me that when things got tough in Czech history (economic hard times, disease, famine) a scapegoat had to be found - often the Jews. And I ask myself: is there a parallel to current events in the US. we are living through a time when fear had been stoked and manipulated by political leaders (I do not mean that the dangers from Islamic extremism are not real, simply that our leaders have taken advantage of that in the worst ways). We also have economic stagnation and a widening gap between rich and poor. And the current immigration debate - which is really about American attitude towards those who come from Mexico and South America. Intersting that some of the language used now seems so similar to that used in the pogroms and to justify the "final solution to the Jewish problem". Simlar, frightening, and sad.
But I will end on a positive note. How wonderful to see the mix of people in this city - young & old, east & west, capitalist and former communist, artist and engineer and freak. It gives one some hope for the future. Things do change. Slowly. And sometimes (but not always) for the better. How lucky Beth and I are to have this experience.
