Day #9: Prague

Yesterday we arrived in Prague, and it really does look like a huge wedding cake. All of the buildings are painted beautiful pastel colors and the ornamentation is over the top. The only bad thing is that there are so many tourists--it seems to be the NYC of Europe. It was still fun to walk through all the crowded alleys full of shops and see tons of cool novelties.

Besides doing all the touristy stuff, we went into multiple synagogues and churches. They were all gorgeous, but I thought going into the synagogues was the most interesting because I really didn't know that much about Jewish religion or culture. The other people in the group were really awesome because they explained different religious items or traditions that I would have never understood if my classmates hadn't been there. The only sad thing is that many synagogues aren't restored or haven't been restored till now because they were basically destroyed in WWII and even after that time they weren't prioritized. Still, I thought many of the synagogues were the most spiritually touching because they weren't overwhelmingly decadent like some of the cathedrals. 

When we were looking at a dilapidated Jewish cemetery, Frau Freeman said that it was almost good that they hadn't been put upright or repaired because they served as a testament to the culture that was attacked and oppressed during the Holocaust. I thought that was a really good way of putting it, and I was happy to see that still so many people leave little notes or money on the graves of important rabbis, some who lived centuries ago.  (Fiona F.)

At the Prague castle ( below)