Ahoj! Greetings from the Czech republic! We are having a wonderful time. This trip is a little different from past trips, because we brought Elliot and Adam's mom along. It's been really fun to have Elliot with us, and Jeanne has been really helpful. It's her first trip to Europe and she loves her baby grandson, so it's a treat for her to be with us.
The flight was pretty easy. Elliot was a trooper, with very little crying. He got some sleep on the long leg in his deluxe baby business class bassinet. Mom and Dad weren't able to get much. Elliot has lots of fun riding around in his private palanquin on daddy's back. He likes to look around at all the sights and smile at the ladies. Sometimes it's all too much and he falls asleep while riding.
We arrived on Saturday, and had to wait a bit for our apartment. After checking in, we took a moment to read before getting dinner at a great old brewery just down the street. The highlight was the accordion player who Elliot was very interested in.
On Sunday, we had brunch with a friend, Anna, and her husband and 6 year old twin boys. She is the daughter of a woman who was Emily's grandfather's translator when he was doing business in the Czech republic many years ago. Her mother was very important to Norval, so we made sure to get in touch before the trip. It was nice to see them and catch up.
Sunday afternoon, we took a walk around the popular sites, to get a good feel for the town. We visited the old town square, with the astronomical clock and several old churches and buildings, then went up to Prague castle, home of the cathedral of st.Vitus. We went into the garden behind the castle where there was a food festival. Many of the best restaurants around town had tents where you could taste some dishes from their menu. Elliot, as usual, made lots of friends. We talked to a chef originally from Philadelphia, who became fast friends with Elliot. He even gave us each a free desert because he liked him so much.
After dinner we walked down to the Charles bridge before heading back to the apartment for the night.
Monday, we got out early and went right to the Jewish quarter. The Jews in Prague had good and bad times, all of them visible in the synagogues and other sites around the area. The tour started with a memorial for those killed in the Holocaust, followed by an old cemetery. The cemetery had limited space, so the graves were stacked tightly, so the whole cemetery was full of headstones packed together. We also visited the oldest synagogue, which was a very cool medieval building pictured below. There was also an ornate private synagogue from one of the financiers of the Habsburg dynasty and a large Moorish style synagogue as well. After seeing those sites, we visited the modern Wenceslas square and headed back for the night.
Tuesday was our last day. We had lunch at a nice Czech restaurant in the little quarter. Emily had some goulash soup, which was delicious. We made a quick stop to see the Infant of Prague. Adam's grandma is a lifelong Catholic, and the Infant is an important symbol for Catholics. We thought she would be very happy that we stopped to see it. We then ride a funicular up the hill and sat in the top station to wait for a storm to pass. We walked back over to Prague castle one more time, but unfortunately, the sites inside were closing earlier than expected. So we decided to make our way back down to pay a quick visit to an interesting art deco building and turned in for the night.
We've really enjoyed Prague. Despite our inability to pronounce any of the words correctly, we've survived! We wish we had more time, but we're learning that we can't get as much done in a day as past trips. So now it's on to Salzburg for the next leg of the trip
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