We arrived at our destination at 9 AM. Still sleepy, yet energized by the prospect of sightseeing, we departed from the Czech airport and made our way to the Old Town quarter of Prague. Stepping down from our tour bus into the city for the first time, I was stunned by the incredible architecture and scenery that surrounded me in all directions. Every building in the city is seemingly a different color. I could have been walking through a rainbow. They date back hundreds of years, yet are impeccably preserved and look as if they could have been built very recently. During my first ten minutes in Prague, I couldn't help but feel as if I were actually in Disney World. Walking the streets of Prague and cruising through the Magic Kingdom had a parallel impact on my senses, only I knew that what I was currently experiencing was authentic and not a hyper-reality fabricated by Walt Disney and Michael Eisner. The sights were breathtaking.
One of the initial highlights was taking the obligatory snapshots with the guards of the royal palace. Just like in the movies, these men could not be compelled to move an inch. Needless to say, my attempts to cause them to smile were futile. After passing by the grand palatial estate, we made our way over to the Charles Bridge, named after King Charles IV, who I must say was quite a boss. Besides the bridge, there are many major landmarks in the city which honor his name, as in the Charles University, which is one of the ten oldest universities in all of Europe. The bridge is quite long and hosts a variety of street artists and musicians, as well as a different statue within every ten feet.
After crossing the bridge and passing by another complex of elaborate edifices, we boarded a boat and sailed the sea (well actually the Vltava River). Once on the cruise, we ascended the steps to the top deck and plopped down on a row of picnic benches and lunched. We could not have asked for better weather, which was sunny and in the upper-60s all weekend. Our tour of the waterway was quite enjoyable, and after a long morning of air travel, the cruise was just what the doctor ordered.
After the ship docked back at the port, we set out en route to our hotel. Just like in the old town, each building we passed in the city center was adorned with a different hue than the previous. We were walking down a paved rainbow.
Arriving at the hotel was a very joyous moment because it meant that we would be able to unwind for a bit and take a quick, refreshing shower. Emerging from the shower, I felt like a million bucks again, and a few friends and I set out into the city where we were able to enjoy free time until Shabbat came near. There is a main street in the city that one walks down in order to get to the center of all of the action (Clock Square). The main street is filled with boutique shops like Prada, Gucci, Rolex, Audemars, etc. Whilst prancing about the avenue, I couldn't help but feel that I was part of a Jay-Z song.
We walked about Clock Square, which is appropriately named after the magnificent clock tower that resides in a pocket of the square. Every hour, on the hour, the tower functions as a cuckoo clock, and animatronic creatures would emerge from its depths to blow trumpets and horns. Prague, like all places in Israel, LOVES gelato. So after we had witnessed the robotic performance at 3:00 PM, we found a nice, little gelato shop, purchased some frozen deliciousness and picked a spot to picnic in square.
For those that have never been to a Jeff Seidel event, they come equipped with classy liqueur, copious amounts of classy liqueur. So before we headed down to a nearby Chabad for Kabbalat Shabbat, we continued to break the ice with each other over Grey Goose and Johnny Walker Double Black. As far as Shabbat pregames go, I must say that this one was particularly good. Our services and dinner were also noteworthy, as the tunes, the conversation, and the food were all of the utmost quality.
Luckily, we had nothing filled in for the itinerary for Saturday morning, and so I took full advantage of the opportunity to catch up on sleep. When I arose, I showered and quickly shuffled off to Chabad for a nice Shabbos lunch. The weather was yet again remarkably pleasant, so after lunch, a few of us walked back to the hotel to change out of our Saturday best and into something a little more tourist-friendly. As we paraded about the avenues of Praha (the way the Czechs spell Prague), we eventually came across a Starbucks, an oasis of sorts for us addicts who have been on the wagon for months now. At school, I am friends with all of the baristas there, and I get to use my Starbucks Gold Card, and although neither of those luxuries were present, the iced coffee that I ordered was sublime. The Czech people are very polite in general and often interject "please" at the end of sentences that don't normally contain the pleasantry. For instance, when taking my order, the barista asked, "What would you like, please?" It helped make my day. Walking along the streets of Prague and sipping my iced coffee was yet another great pleasure of my study abroad experience.
We then went to the Synagogue of the Maharal to make Havdalah, another great experience. The Maharal is a very famous rabbi from Prague who lived during the 15th century. There is a legend that accompanies his work and the city's Jewish life that the Maharal once built a golem (a creature similar to Frankenstein's monster) to protect the Jews of the city. But once the golem got out of hand, the Maharal ended its life and stored it up in the attic. However, legend also has it that anyone who climbs up to the attic to see the golem will perish in some unfortunate, unforeseeable stint in the near future. No one really goes up there to see it. Nor did we.
After exchanging Shavua Tovs (blessing for a nice upcoming week), a group of us headed over to the square area and dined at an outdoor cafe. The warm air that had filled the city earlier in the day had turned chilly, but each table came equipped with a torched lamp and blankets, and so we sat there full and toasty. Besides hosting a multitude of magnificent buildings and splendid cultural affairs, the largest nightclub in all of central Europe belongs to Prague's domain. The club maintains five floors, each playing a different type of music (hip hop, house, '80s, '90s, and chill). So after dinner we headed back to the hotel where we joined forces with many others on the trip and headed out for a really, really fun night out on the town.
My Sunday morning started earlier than usual as we had to book it out of our hotel by 8:00 AM. After breaking our fast back at Chabad, we headed on a group tour destined for various synagogues and lofty sights around the area. First we came to the Pinkas Synagogue, whose walls are marred with the names and birthplaces of the Czechs who perished in the Holocaust. Outside of the synagogue is a graveyard which dates back hundreds of years and whose capacity is inestimable. Thousands upon thousands of headstones reside within inches of each other. Next we went to the Spanish Synagogue, where gold lined the walls. Actually, gold was something of a theme in Prague, with many buildings owning golden exteriors. I kept thinking, "The streets of America are not paved with gold, but the streets of Prague are".
Finally, we made our way over to the Lennon Wall. The rainbow theme again appeared in the form of bright graffiti that covers every inch of the wall. After John Lennon died, many people in Praha began to paint pictures and lyrics on an ordinary wall that pertained to his message of peace and love. The Soviet regime did not take too kindly to the wall that personified such a western cultural icon, and banned people from continuing to visit the sight for artistic purposes. But the youth was inspired to carry on, and to this day, the wall continuously changes form as people of all ages and backgrounds come to leave their mark. I, myself, wrote my name on the wall, and I hope they'll let it be.
The last major portion of our agenda was a visit to the Terezin concentration camps. The town, which is both eerie and depressing, has been restored and has inhabitants, but it was as active as a Western ghost town. After visiting a museum there, we took a short bus ride over to the crematorium. This could have been an incredibly morose experience, yet I left from it uplifted and inspired. A few minutes into our inspection of the crematorium, we circled around, learned the story behind the song "Am Yisrael Chai" (the people of Israel live), which was actually written by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach in Prague, and proceeded to merrily sing about the ongoing life of Jewry throughout the world. We then sung HaTikvah. Standing in the darkest of places, singing the most soulful of songs was yet another highlight of this amazing trip, and my study abroad experience overall for that matter. On the bus ride back into the city, we coincidentally drove right by a rainbow, and that was the icing on top of a very colorful weekend.
Our flight departed from the Prague airport at midnight, and we did not make it back to Jerusalem til 6:30 AM. I am still trying to catch up on sleep, so I think I'm on my way to hit the hay. This upcoming week will be another big one, as I turn the big two-one!
Ciao,
Zac
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