There are little hints with aging. What hurts in the morning, how tired you feel physically AND mentally, how lightly you sleep. I felt all of those this morning. My thighs were burning, I was still exhausted after sleeping 10 hours, going to bed @ 10 o'clock, and not drinking. Not a drop. And no Michelle, I wasn't watching "Murder She Wrote". I was beat. So I did what I do best, and that is lay back down. At this point my stomach starts growling, I nudge Becki, and threaten a 1-person breakfast if she doesn't shower and get ready. I've become my dad, the trip Nazi. No offense dad, (or mom, for that matter).
Our mission is simple, we must see old town, all the tourist sites that accompany that, and we have to shop for things to get people. The former is what I came for, the latter is what I pay for. Mixed emotions, and it's only 9 o'clock, so I grab 2 cups of coffee. We head out of the hostel, and are amongst the thousands by 10 o'clock. I mean it, thousands. Now is the time I shine.
If you haven't heard, I love Disneyland. I love it so much that I've been there more times over the years than I've been to my parents' house. An exaggeration, but you get the point. Also, with part of my adaptability and, what I like to call "shrewness" and not the other word, I have developed a specific set of skills that allows me to move through crowds at high speeds, find the quickest route encompassing the highest amount of destinations along the way, and by spending the least amount of money. The last point isn't of importance, except to the people I call "friends" as a joke. I use "friends" loosely. Becki, on the other hand, might be the opposite of that. To the people that know her, explain to the people that don't. Shiny objects, souvenir stands, and loud noises are what get her attention; a nightmare in large crowds. When I say I "grabbed her hand", I chain and locked that shit, and dragged her through most of old town like a misbehaving child through a candy store.
After searching through the stands, comparing prices, and matching quality, we purchase a couple gifts before moving to the sites. And boy, they number. 1st stop was the Astrological Clock. I have pretty much used up the words "awesome", "beautiful", and "amazing", so I'll have to sum it up: awfulzing. The has about 4 different dials on it, starting with a standard clock, at which when the clock strikes twelve, 2 mechanical characters appear above the clock, and mimic the ringing of the bell. Cute, but rather comical. The next part of the clock is the month dial, which is pretty self explanatory. The best part through, is what is called the "astrological clock". Now keep in mind, they crafted this in the 16th century. The clock has a background, which shows the amount of daytime/nighttime left based on sun rise/set. The next has the astrological clock, which shows what zodiac sign we're in, and the last shows the position of the moon and sun in their respective phases. 'Nuff said about that, check the pictures.
We walk along a large bronze diorama depicting tragedy and war at the center of a large common place, presumably the middle of Prague when constructed. Although bronze sculptures and scenes are quite the norm throughout most of Europe (most are bluish-green, because of the rain and oxidation), this one differed because parts of the bronze draped over the platform, appearing sloppy at first but later difficult and well performed. I didn't get the names involved, but it was memorable nonetheless.
Next up was Charles Bridge, which was the peasant gateway to the Prague Castle. It was spectacular; the entire bridge wasn't that wide, but the effort put into the statues that littered the walls made it worth the almost house party-like crowding that continued until the hills of the great castle. The statues, like most in Eastern Europe, depicted Biblical scenes; many dinner stories, many that were not well-read. What was peculiar is that the scenes and figured became less based from the "good book", and became more of political and "church-based" figures and scenes, of St. Peter and his blessing of Prague, and others that were related to God's presence in the country. Well thought out, and well performed in aged marble and adorned with recently added or simply polished bronze, these statues are the quintessential memories of Prague. And goth, tons of goth.
After some quick shopping, and haggling with the locals (again, what me shine!), we backtracked across the bridge into Josefov.
Josefov was stunning, realistic, and enlightening; as Central Europe's oldest Jewish settlement, it sits behind a 4m tall wall, created by the Jewish Community in or around 1200. Inside the walls were a few synagogues and many houses, most of which we saw. Old is the first adjective that comes to mind, dark was the other. Maybe it was the lighting, but the cloud had covered most of the sun during our stay, and it set the mood. Pinkas Synangogue was eerie yet informative. Inside on the first two floors across every wall were the names of Jewish community members across the Czech Republic that were sent to death camps- around 80,000 names were etched in black and red. Most of the spectators were most likely tracing their lines.
The 3rd floor held all the items and artifacts needed during the burying ceremony, which, interestingly enough, was held and performed by members of the community rather than the family members. Jewish rite dictates that when a person is sick or dying, a group takes care of that person, while the family members watch and grieve, sending prayer. Quite interesting.
As if it wasn't sobering enough- they had to plan this- the next stop on the somber train was the cemetery. The cemetery, was over-crowded and tight packed, and I'm not describing the lines through, however long they were. It seemed that headstones were stacked next to head stones, as the community itself filled the small area within Prague, it seemed the walls were closing in on the dead. Some stories of the Rabbis and servants were told along the way, but mostly it was silent, as again the partly cloudy setting cast slim shadows amongst the sleeping.
After a stop inside a synagogue displaying items of marriage, wealth, daily life, and rather interesting law documents, we moved on to the Spanish Synagogue, which by far was the most beautiful (un-biased!) religious structure yet. Pictures were not allowed to be taken in any of these structures, however the elaborate designs, seemingly including a star in every center, were trimmed so delicately by gold and the deepest blue. It was a sight to be seen, and I tried to get a photo as we walked in- it's towards the end in our Prague album.
After a little more shopping we decided to call it a day- our train wasn't early but we were spent, we had to get more peanut butter for our lunches (and breakfasts, and dinners :0 ) and I was feeling like a beer. A couple more looks at the surrounding bronze sculptures and we headed to the Metro station. Prague, down. Vienna, next!
Sam and Becki
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