Day 7: Prague

Day 7:  Prague

5a.m.  Seriously!?  Yes, we were up, packed and out of the hotel by 6a.m. making our way to the Budapest airport where we caught a Malev Airline flight to Prague.

We were greeted in Prague by Kamila, our tour guide for the next few days ... a woman who, like Anni in Prague had many surprises of her own.  But, before going there, I might also mention that, while Northridge was suffering through 100+ temperatures, we encountered temperatures in the high 40s and rain for our first day walking tour of the Castle district of Prague.

We boarded the bus for a brief ride to the Castle district where neither wind nor rain stopped us from our appointed tour!  Clearly dragging, Kamila guided us to a most welcome site: a cafe where we could grab some coffee and tasty treats.


Re-energized we headed to a small shopping area which contained a house in which Franz Kafka once lived.  There, while making our way through this quaint little shopping area, we ran into TAS teacher Jackie Kovar and family who are making their own pilgrimage to Slovakia, where Jackie's father was hidden and survived the Holocaust.  It is an amazing story that he has shared with many of our students.  What an amazing thing to return to visit the home where he was hidden and meet the daughter of the woman who hid him and saved his life all those years ago.  And how wonderful and unexpected to run into her and her family here in Prague.

Finally, through more wind and even heavier rain we made the 40 minute trek across Old Prague to our hotel for some much needed rest as we have a busy few days ahead of us as we culminate our trip with a visit to Kolin in just two days.

The evening started with wonderful dinner with some great Czech beer thanks to our night life specialist Samantha who guided a few of us after dinner to an even great jazz club.  Unbeknownst to me, Prague is known for it's jazz clubs.  In fact Bill Clinton played his sax once at the club we visited.  (no jokes please!). Finally after roaming lost around the city we finally made it back to our hotel to rest up for the Fourth of July.  

Tomorrow the Jewish quarter of Prague.