My Czech is making Prague-gress.

On Monday, I went to the Jewish Quarter after class. The synagogues
in Prague are outstanding, so I purchased a ticket that I could see
all of them in one day. I started in the Old-New Synagogue. It is the
oldest remaining synagogue in Europe, built around 1270 and is the
center of the Jewish Quarter. It was very beautiful and small, with
Gothic peaks and architecture. As one of the oldest structures in
Prague, it is amazing that it is still in such good condition. Next,
I went to the Pinkas Synagogue, the second oldest synagogue in
Prague. However, this synagogue has been converted into a memorial
for the Czech and Moravian people killed in the Holocaust. The names
were written on every vertical space in the synagogue...It was very
haunting to see the names keep going and going. Upstairs was a
collection of children's drawings from Terezin, a concentration camp
north of Prague. I studied Terezin last year in my Music and Politics
class so I really wanted to see this exhibit. I didn't count on the
exhibit being so hard to get through. It was hard to see the
children's drawings along with their photos and birth and death dates.
I went to the Jewish Cemetery next. For hundreds of years, Jewish
people could only be buried in this 1 and a half acre plot of land in
the center of Prague. My book said that over 100,000 people are
buried there. All of the gravestones are slanted or at odd angles. It
was moving and beautiful.
The next day, we went to the Museum of Decorative Arts to go to the
Artel exhibit. This commune of sorts from the turn of the 20th
century dedicated themselves to making practical, usable art. My
favorite was a Cubist tea set. Google it. It's pretty cool.
Last night, we went to the "Amerika Restaurace" for some American
food. Yeah, that was an epic fail. The menu had no english, and only
a few of the words were in our little guide books. So, we guessed. A
guy got "Mexike buritos". Unfortunately, this did not mean "Mexican
burritos" but rather rye bread with ketchup, beans, and onions.
Excellent! I stuck to "spagety" and fared better. We got "palcinky"/
crepes for dessert. Yum!
Yesterday was Mardi Gras, or here Carnival. There was a Carnival
celebration last night near the penzion. This was a slightly tamer
version of Mardi Gras [no beads] ... super fun! Cough...PLD...cough.
Whoopsies!
I am getting ready for Spring Break! I'm leaving for Vienna on
Friday morning and get back on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, I'll be
meeting Katherine in London for four days! So excited! I'll have my
computer with me, so I'll keep in touch.