Jewish Old City 犹太人旧城

July 1, 2022

We went to the city square in the morning before the most tourists showed up. The square was tranquil and beautiful. One or two cafes on the square opened for breakfast and coffee. We had a cup of cappuccino costing 8 euros, including the currency exchange and tip. It was the most expensive coffee on this trip. But enjoying a peaceful time in the square was worth the money.

The 48-hour Prague tourist card we purchased would expire at noon today. Before it was over, we stopped by the Powder Tower, one of the 13 city gates in Prague, used to store gunpowder in the 17th century. It was difficult climbing up since the staircases were very narrow and steep. The view from the top was fantastic, and there were metal plaques in the tower to help recognize all the city's significant buildings.

Then we visited the Jewish Quarter, one of the unique places in Prague. The Jewish Museum was composed of several synagogues and an old Jewish cemetery. Jewish had settled in Prague as early as the 10th century. Jews' life in the Czech had been terrible, discriminated against, and persecuted greatly throughout history, except for just a few years after World War I and after the decomposition of the Soviet Union. The names of 80,000 Prague Jews who died during World War II are inscribed on the walls of one of the synagogues. The old Jewish cemetery, one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Europe, from the first half of the 15th century until 1786, was the most remarkable of its kind. During the more than three hundred years in which it was in active use, the old cemetery struggled with the lack of space but was not allowed to expand beyond the existing plot. Jewish tradition didn't allow to abolish the old graves, so many soil layers were added to the ancient tombs for burial. The grave surface was raised several meters higher than the surrounding streets. Several old synagogues presented their experiences, Judaism, and culture. This was our first time visiting the Jewish community, and it was a great way to see the city of Prague and learn the history of the Jewish people in Prague and Czech. On the way to the Jewish Quarter, we spotted an old Coffee maker in the store window, which was the largest one we had ever seen.

Lunch was Chinese food and tasted average, but it was the first time in 40 days that we had stir-fried bok choy, the authentic Chinese veggie. We did not even take pictures before it was all gone. Every time we visit a new country, we like to try Chinese food if it's available. Sometimes the food would be surprisingly good, but not this one.

Seeing the Infant Jesus of Prague, highly recommended online, was our afternoon activity. A little disappointed as the Infant Jesus was just a tiny wooden/wax statue in a small church. But at least the church was beautiful. On the way back to the flat, we were surprised to see a large crowd in front of the old town hall, a clear contrast comparing to the morning.

After we returned to the flat to rest, wind/percussion music was on the street, and a group of people marched through the street, shouting and singing. We didn't know what religion it was, but they looked happy.

We had tomato, mushroom, and egg soup again. We planned to go out after dinner, but the rain kept us in the flat for the night.

欧洲游第四十二天：买的48小时观光卡今天中午要过期。赶在作废之前又去爬了另外二个城楼，然后就来到犹太人旧城参观。在捷克的犹太人很不容易, 几百年来，除了第一次世界大战后短短几年和苏联分解后，他们一直受到歧视和迫害，几个旧犹太教堂都介绍他们的经历，犹太教和他们的文化。二次大战期间死去的犹太人的名字都刻在其中一个犹太教堂的墙面上。第一次参观犹太人社区，了解了不少。午餐是中餐，味道一般，不过算是四十天来第一次吃上炒青菜。反正每次去一个新的国家总是要尝试一下那里的中餐。下午去看网上推荐的婴儿耶稣，没什么意思，不值得特地跑去一次。回到旅馆休息一下，楼下传来吹打声，没搞清楚是什么教。晚上本想要出去转悠，结果因为下雨就只能乖乖地呆在旅馆了。