Today is the last day in Prague. We visited the Jewish Quarter in town and walked through three synagogues and several museums. There is a rich Jewish history in this town, but all of it is darkened by the anti-semitism that has existed here for centuries. There are memorials for World War II everywhere, but there are also new, temporary reminders of the current conflict in Gaza. They have photographs of the current Israeli hostages and victims attached to the wall in the district. It is quite profound.
One of the synagogs has all of its walls covered with the names of victims of The Holocaust, and the names are audibly read continuously. Another museum that we visited displayed artwork from children in the Terezin Concentration camp, where most of the Jews from Prague were transferred. There are memorials set into the sidewalk marking the homes of Jews who lost their lives in The Shoah (the Hebrew word for catastrophe.)
There is also a monument to Franz Kafka, born in this section of Prague to a middle-class Jewish family.
“He who seeks does not find, but he who does not seek will be found. So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being. You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.” – Franz Kafka
On our tour last night, we walked by many foreign embassies with their flags out front. We didn’t know many of them, but I knew who would. I took pictures and sent them to Sierra to show to Jameson. He didn’t have to consult his map: Ukraine, Estonia and Belgium. When Sierra asked where Estonia was, he said right next to Latvia and corrected her pronunciation. That kid is going places.
In the afternoon, we transferred from Prague to Decin (still in the Czech Republic) to board the boat. It should have taken about 90 minutes, but it took almost two hours. There is lots of traffic in this area of the country. (Just like at home.)
We were so excited to finally board our ship, the Viking Beyla, sailing on the Elba River. We were shown our room and invited for snacks and cocktails before the welcome meeting and dinner. We’re all unpacked and ready to begin the next adventure.
