Prague

Wednesday, 9 July - I've been in Prague for two days now. It is a beautiful city. The architecture is stunning; the beer is good and cheaper than water (really); and like Poland, graffiti is rampant. And best of all, Kellee arrived safely.

We spent our first day getting used to getting around and figuring out the transportation system. After a short rest, we hit the road and began exploring the old town a little (we will be doing an in-depth tour today).

Yesterday we spent our time in the Jewish quarter (or as the map says, Jewish Town). It too is a relic of a time long gone. Though there are still two or three synagogues in operation today in Prague. There are six sites operated by the Jewish Museum, including four synagogues, the old Jewish cemetery (no one has been buried there since the late 1600s), and the beit chaim (where the dead are prepared for burial).

Truly the most spectacular of the structures was the Spanish Synagogue. It is built on the site of Prague's first synagogue from the 11th century. The current structure was constructed in the 1840s and is in a Spanish Moorish style. In a sense, it bears a resemblance to Rodef Shalom in Pittsburgh, although way more ornate and spectacular.

We ended the day in the castle quarter with dinner at the monastery/brewery. Their home brew was called St. Norbert. It comes in three flavors: dark, pilsner, and for the summer heffweisser. So far their dark is my beer of choice in Czech.