Floating on the Vltava River

I went on a river cruise on the Vltava River that went under Prague's 17 bridges and allowed me sights of bisected mainlands that forged "old" and "new" Prague. The Charles Bridge above was built by emperor Charles IV in 1357, and was the only bridge in Prague for many centuries. The boat ride was relaxing, and the gentle breezes were cooling in the unusually warm Spring day.

I Love My Sky to the Lar!

I can breathe easier. It's officially over. LoL. I tried to keep this year's birthday on the DL, but my rascally sister Pamela (Thx, Pam-Pam!) blogged it to the world yesterday with this precious pic of my nephew Skylar, a.k.a. Skybug, Sky dawg, Sky of my Heart... clutching his little sign. He's the baby of the family, and soooo darn cute! This pic was the BEST birthday prezzie ever!

The Jewish Quarter

After I left Old Town Square, I rounded the bend and walked several blocks to The Jewish Quarter. Jews have lived in Prague for over 1000 years. During the 17th century, Prague had the largest number of Ashkenasic Jews (descended Jews from the Rhineland of Germany) in the world estimating at 15,000. Ironically, the Jewish ghetto "Josefov" formed in the 19th century, but was cleared out as Jews were deported to Polish concentration camps during Nazi Germany occupation in WWII. At the turn of the 21st century, the Jewish Quarter community dwindled down to 1,600 but remains a well-visited tourist spot in Prague today.





The Old-New Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter is the oldest synagogue in Europe and is still used as a house of worship.



Small outdoor booths lined up to the gates of the Old Jewish Cemetary.

Rabbi Judah Loew Ben Bezalel, known as the Maharal of Prague, served as Prague's chief rabbi from 1597 - 1609. Considered as Prague's greatest Jewish scholar, he lies buried in the Old Jewish Cemetary below. The cemetary has 12,000 visible tombs, but is estimated to have as many as 100,000 tombs in all. Today, it serves as a pilgramage site for Jews worldwide.

Mazel tov!

Czech Out These Architectural Delights!

"Sun peeked out and smiled on Prague,

whilst I discovered Old Town Square....

n' fell in LoVe." ~gina

Glow In The Dark Cats

Tonight I attended the National Blacklight Theatre's musical production of "Cats".... and lemme tell ya, it was NOT an off-off-off Broadway version of "Cats" as we know it in the states. OH NO! [shaking head with emphasis].... It was the most BIZARRE show I've ever seen. TOTALLY avant garde! Performers wore glow in the dark leotard cat suits under black lighting, as they lip synced to weird cat lyric songs with eerie voices that were a cross between Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Munchkins of Oz. Frequently, performers meowed loudly with their own voices and did interpretive dancing.... and then manipulated cat finger puppets that continued singing chipmunk-munchkin melodies. I think this show was targeted for people who did acid, because for me the 1.5 hour show could not end fast enough! LoL.

Afterwards, I stopped for some authentic Czech cuisine at an outdoor bistro. I ordered up some Bohemian goulash. This is what it looked like when I got it. Basically, beef stew with slices of potato dumpling bread on the side, and sliced onions and a jalapeno on top for garnish..... um... I didn't finish it. It tasted good, but there were only 3 beef tips and the rest just gravy and dumpling.

I took a stroll after dinner around the square and captured these lovely pix. Isn't Prague gorgeous at twilight?