We started out early on day two and had a traditional Czech breakfast which consisted of a plate of ham, salami, liver, assorted cheeses, along with bread. After this interesting meal, we decided to head out and find our more traditional morning spot—Starbucks. On our way to the Old Town we were able to visit a few shops that lined the cobble stone road. The sites were beautiful the whole way and it was interesting to see that none of the roads went in a straight line—all curvy and unique. We were able to navigate the map quite well thanks to Amy (even though there were no street signs) and we made it to Starbucks, followed by our meet up point for our walking tour.
The walking tour, which lead us all around Prague, introduced us to the history we not aware of. Prague is an extremely beautiful city and while they did experience the Town Hall and part of the Clock Tower being destroyed during WWII , they were able to keep much of the history intact. The tour led us to the recovered portion of the Clock Tower which displayed the Astronomical Clock representing just about EVERYTHING! The standard time was represented, the Czech Name Day (literally every day in the calendar is represented by a name), the agricultural calendar, the sun calendar, time of day, color, and the astrological calendar. There was a breathtaking glockenspiel as well, that performed every hour. The artiest that designed the clock and aided in constructed it was actually rewarded by being blinded. Yes blinded. When the clock was completed the governors’ of Czech decided that ‘no one in the world shall have a clock more beautiful’. Weren’t those just the days? Our tour also took us to the Jewish district. The majority of the Jewish population was sent to concentration camps during Hitler’s reign and good ol’ Hitler decided that he wanted to keep this district in tact to serve as a museum for the race he destroyed. After the war the Jewish district was respectfully given back to the Jewish community. Some of the historical churches still provide service and others serve as a house for historical materials. One of the inactive churches housed pictures that were colored by children at concentration camps. These pictures were more significant then just keeping children in good spirits; it was actually the only way to determine that these children even existed (as their passports and birth certificates were destroyed as the Nazi power attempted to cover their tracks). At one point in time the Jewish were only allowed to be buried in one specific cemetery. Once the plots were full, bodies were buried on top of other bodies. The number of individuals were not consistent and this created a terrain that would rise and fall (similar to stairs). This grave yard is said to be the inspiration for the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin—interestingly enough, we had already viewed this and we certainly understood the meaning. There were other great monuments that were able to see in Prague including the Karluv Most (Charles Bridge), Agricultural Museum, the Prague Castle, Old New Synagogure , Goelum, Kinsky Palace, Powder Room, and the many churches of Prague.
After this heavy history of the town us ladies decided we needed to do some shopping. We ventured to the Town Square and were able to accomplish the shopping. The Czech Kron really goes a long way! Afterwards we headed towards the river to have some traditional Czech dinner at a local Pub. Goulash, beef, dumplings, and potato cakes YUM! It was a rainy night and the city seemed to die down and we decided to enjoy the last night with our newest friends at the Chili Hostel.
The walking tour, which lead us all around Prague, introduced us to the history we not aware of. Prague is an extremely beautiful city and while they did experience the Town Hall and part of the Clock Tower being destroyed during WWII , they were able to keep much of the history intact. The tour led us to the recovered portion of the Clock Tower which displayed the Astronomical Clock representing just about EVERYTHING! The standard time was represented, the Czech Name Day (literally every day in the calendar is represented by a name), the agricultural calendar, the sun calendar, time of day, color, and the astrological calendar. There was a breathtaking glockenspiel as well, that performed every hour. The artiest that designed the clock and aided in constructed it was actually rewarded by being blinded. Yes blinded. When the clock was completed the governors’ of Czech decided that ‘no one in the world shall have a clock more beautiful’. Weren’t those just the days? Our tour also took us to the Jewish district. The majority of the Jewish population was sent to concentration camps during Hitler’s reign and good ol’ Hitler decided that he wanted to keep this district in tact to serve as a museum for the race he destroyed. After the war the Jewish district was respectfully given back to the Jewish community. Some of the historical churches still provide service and others serve as a house for historical materials. One of the inactive churches housed pictures that were colored by children at concentration camps. These pictures were more significant then just keeping children in good spirits; it was actually the only way to determine that these children even existed (as their passports and birth certificates were destroyed as the Nazi power attempted to cover their tracks). At one point in time the Jewish were only allowed to be buried in one specific cemetery. Once the plots were full, bodies were buried on top of other bodies. The number of individuals were not consistent and this created a terrain that would rise and fall (similar to stairs). This grave yard is said to be the inspiration for the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin—interestingly enough, we had already viewed this and we certainly understood the meaning. There were other great monuments that were able to see in Prague including the Karluv Most (Charles Bridge), Agricultural Museum, the Prague Castle, Old New Synagogure , Goelum, Kinsky Palace, Powder Room, and the many churches of Prague.
After this heavy history of the town us ladies decided we needed to do some shopping. We ventured to the Town Square and were able to accomplish the shopping. The Czech Kron really goes a long way! Afterwards we headed towards the river to have some traditional Czech dinner at a local Pub. Goulash, beef, dumplings, and potato cakes YUM! It was a rainy night and the city seemed to die down and we decided to enjoy the last night with our newest friends at the Chili Hostel.
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