Prague in Two Days – 20-21 September 2022 – Fred’n’Sue’s Peregrinations

Written on the bus en route Prague to Budapest . . . .

No photos, but an observation – wind turbines dotting the countryside through Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary – literally hundreds of them – one way to wean off Putin’s gas!!

Prague is definitely a city best seen on foot with sturdy footwear – all the streets are paved in stone. We partook of a couple of guided tours courtesy of Viking and our credit card – the first with a couple of lovely ladies from Las Vegas and Austin, Texas with Ivana, and the second was just the two of us and guide, Marketa.

Day 1: Tourist hotspots of the Lesser Town (mostly Prague Castle) and the Old City (Stare Mesto) followed by lunch at Ivana’s recommendation at Restaurace Minkovna on the old town square

Schawarzenbersky Palace – now a museum – the intaglio facade caught our eye – some more elaborate examples later

Cast iron candelabra – still gas lit (at 10am?)

Changing the guard – woe betide any tourists standing on their designated march path!

St Vitus Cathedral inside the grounds of Prague Castle

At the foot of Charles Bridge a memorial to 9/11 first responders – why here? No-one seemed to know

Everywhere we went from Prague to Budapest to Vienna the locals are very anti-Putin

Very lucky to have only 4 of us on our guided walk with Ivana this morning – 20 Sept.

You cannot visit Prague without a stop at the famed astronomical clock

Twelve of these guys show their images on the hour

To the waiting hordes and this is shoulder season

Followed by lunch and the beer of the day at Restaurace Mincovna – who says that you cannot survive on a liquid diet?

Day 2: 21 September – just the two of us for walking tour with Marketa of the old Jewish quarter (ghetto) in the old town – little did we know what we were in for – highlight of our travels so far!

First stop – Staronova (OldNew) synagogue dating from 13th – oldest still in Europe – a real privilege to be allowed inside with yours truly balancing a kippah on top

The king of the day allowed the Jewish population to engage in one occupation – money lending – and these are the “safes” within the walls of the synagogue

“Stumbling stones” set into the cobblestone pavement in front of former residences

This next visit to Pinkas synagogue brought tears to our eyes – the names of 80,000 people of Jewish faith from Prague, victims of the Shoah, are written on the walls . . . .