Josefov - Prague's Historic Jewish Quarter

Catching up from yesterday's adventures...

The main event was a remarkably preserved and carefully cared for section of Prague which represents Jewish life in the city over many centuries. The Jewish community is very small today, never recovering from the extraordinary evil of Nazi Germany. The Jews in Prague have endured everything from harsh repression to genocidal violence in Europe over the centuries, and yet still survive today.

A self-guided tour comprises several sites, including a functioning synagogue, an ancient graveyard, and preserved examples of beautiful art, documents and craftsmanship. Also included is a former synagogue that is a memorial for Jews in Prague who perished in the Holocaust. It's well worth the time, and both visually and historically impressive.

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On a lighter note, the RT/TT Express made it's way to places where food and drink was served. Imagine that! The best lured us in with cookies, which has been known to work 100% of the time. Au Gourmand was like most places we like - simple and clean. We had "croques", which is French (in Prague still) for Le Grilled Cheese Sandwich. But the cookies were really good, and so we gave it two thumbs up.

Also on the menu was a drink at a neat little boat-hotel ("botel") on the river, where for very little money we enjoyed the riverside ambience and a little rest. The botel is located on the riverbank below the "Dancing building" a fun bit of architecture that was built in the 1990s.

Finally, a visit to the Church of St. Nicholas was a highlight. It's a small church on the old main square, but very tall, and filled with grand decoration (baroque?) including a huge crystal chandelier that was overwhelming for it's size. As with most of these type of sites, a few quiet minutes is all we needed.

Some other activities and a nice dinner later and it was time to pack for our flight to Paris the next day. We slept well and were banging on the door to breakfast until they opened at 7am. We were ready early and that made the journey less stressful and easier.