After many hours of flying, a lot of waiting, and some really awful meals, we arrived in Prague this afternoon: 8 tired, hungry, and sleep-deprived people, badly in need of a shower and a lie-down.
The drive into the city is stunning. You drive past Prague castle and descend down a winding, cobbled road into the heart of the city, which is beautiful with its red rooftops and ornate architecture. It definitely has a fairytale-like quality about it.
I had my first Pilsner Urquell and a sandwich at the hotel, caught a couple of hours sleep, and then it was time to meet up in the lobby for our first night out. Including our family from London, we are 12 - all we need is a little flag, and a bus, and we'd be a bona fide tour group.
Walking into the main section of the city allowed us to see some of the buildings up close.
We attended Friday night services at the Old-New Synagog
ue, in the heart of the Jewish ghetto. Built in the 13th century, this is the oldest existing synagogue in Europe. What I could see of the Gothic Architecture was amazing. It is highly guarded by security and everyone who enters has to be checked. They practice the old tradition of not allowing women into the acutal synagogue - women must go through a separate door to a surrounding chamber and can only look at the service through small rectangular cut-outs in the wall. Looking through that limited opening almost feels as though you are wearing a burkka. I have heard several expanations for practice: women are unclean, women are a distraction to the men - but the one I actually like is that women are believed to be closer to God, and therefore not in need of such rigid study. It has something to do with being able to give birth. Still, it's unsettling to be separated like that. In our chamber, we are allowed to talk, sit, read, whatever we want. It's a strange mixture of restriction and freedom.
