Deb's Blog

Prague was the most beautiful and most historic city on our trip. We spent 4 days there. We went on 5 guided excursions: Old Town; Jewish Prague; a food tour; Prague at Night; and a folk dance/dinner evening. We also explored Prague on our own.

Old Town:

The Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock were the main highlights of the walking tour in Old Town. The medieval stone bridge was built in 1357 by the most popular and infamous King Charles IV. It connected Prague Castle and Old Town. It’s decorated with 30 very ornate Baroque statues. The Clock dates to 1410 and is the oldest working astronomical clock in the world.

New Town:

Joe and I spent one morning visiting the area where Joe lived when he taught English as a second language for one year. He lived in a beautiful neighborhood directly across from a lovely park. His landlord, Natalie, was a Russian woman who was sent from Moscow in 1963 to teach the Russian language to Czech kindergarten children. She married a Czech fellow and stayed in Prague. Unfortunately, Joe’s old neighborhood which he described as “hippy,” is now yuppy gentrified. And Natalie’s whereabouts are unknown.

We also spent one morning on our own walking around New Town, listening to a Rick Steves’ audio tour. His audio tours are kind of quirky but fun, and we always get lost.

Jewish Prague:

Personally, I was most deeply touched by what I learned about the Jews’ life in Prague through the centuries. The Jews of Prague are one of the oldest recorded Jewish communities in Europe, first mentioned in 965. The community has never ceased to exist, despite the expulsions, the holocaust, and the antisemitic persecution by the Communists in the 20th century. Our walking tour through the Jewish Quarter was led by a young historian who really brought the Jews’ experience to life. We were able to tour the Old-New Synagogue, the oldest active synagogue outside of Israel, built in 1270. The only time of inactivity was during the Nazi occupation 1942-45. We also toured the Old Jewish Cemetery. The oldest visible gravestone is 1439 which belongs to a rabbi. But there are layers and layers of graves beneath.

A fun fact: The greeting hand sign that Leonard Nimoy—who was Jewish—used in the Star Trek series (“Live long and prosper“) is actually a Jewish sign of blessing, and it appears on several of the gravestones. (Learn more here)

Food Tour:

Our food tour took us first to Spejle, a bistro and tapas bar that serves small, delicious open-faced sandwiches. You pay according to how many skewers are in the sandwich. Then we had a delicious full-service meal of duck at the Blue Duckling, said to be the best Czech restaurant in Prague. And lastly, we had decadent desserts at the Francouzska Restaurant in the Municipal House, a gorgeous Art Nouveau building built in 1905. The building stands on the site of the royal residence of Wenceslas IV around 1383. The restaurant has original Art Nouveau fittings and restored wall designs.

Mucha Museum:

Joe and I are big fans of Alphonse Mucha, a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period. He became instantly famous when he displayed his first poster advertising a play starring Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous stage actress in Paris. She signed a 6-year contract with him. The Mucha Museum opened in February 1998.

Folklore Dinner:

We were taken by bus out into the countryside to a heritage farmhouse/restaurant where we enjoyed a typical Czech dinner served family style, and a lively program of traditional Czech folk music, song, and dance. The musicians played a violin, double bass, and dulcimer. (Click on the arrow in the center to start the video.)

Prague at Night:

Prague is absolutely magical at night with many buildings bathed in a golden light. We walked around the Strahov Monastery founded in 1140. We weren’t able to go inside to see the amazing frescoes since it was after hours. But we did get to go into the brewery where we were served various beers brewed at the monastery since the 17th century.

We also went to the top of the Nationale-Nederlanden building, known as the Dancing House, and nicknamed Fred and Ginger. Designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunic in 1992. From there we got great photos of Prague and its many spires. Prague is known as the “city of 100 spires.” Actually, it has 500 to over 1,000!