Friday, December 21, 2007
Paris 26
Hi Guys. I just came back from Prague. It is a very beautiful place. -5 degrees Celsius. Freezing. Some of the buildings were left intact as they were not damaged during WW2. Modern and full of history at the same time. Swarmed with tourists. Things there are cheaper compared to other parts of Europe I have been to. Most of the time, people carried smiles on their faces and are willing to help. Very nice place. Recommended for honeymoons haha. Traveling alone was quite exciting, and I'm glad that I'm back in one piece. It wasn't too difficult because of everything Prague has to offer. Probably one more day would have been better, as it would have allowed me to cover more grounds, but I am satisfied nonetheless. Sometimes I do get lost but no major problems other than that. I took part in the 'Best of Prague Walking Tour' and the 'Jewish Quarters Tour' which was fantastic.
St Vitus Cathedral with the Prague Castle beneath
St Vitus Cathedral again. It is one of the most important cathedrals in Central Europe. It was snowing a little when I got there
Monument to commemorate those who sacrificed in WW1
The white part on the right is the castle, which kings previously lived in. Now it is the President's office. The middle compartment links the castle to the cathedral on the left. Our guide said this allowed the king who wakes up the latest to enter the cathedral first. Haha convenient eh?
Great Wall of China! Kidding la. This is the balcony of the castle, with a hill filled with lights behind. Very sceneric
Prague's mini 'Eiffel Tower' on the right. Night view of the New Town.
This is taken atop the Town Hall, with the Prague Castle in the rear. My fingers were so cold it was numb and I could not move them
The Town Hall. The lively Christmas market is beneath it. There is a performance stage, and the Czech's clap and cheer after every performance. Lively bunch
The most comprehensible Christmas market I have been to. It has EVERYTHING I like. Like food, food and more food.
Bread with potato and butter. I did not try this though.
BBQ sausage and meat platter. Shiok!
I had wanted to eat some Prague cuisine for dinner before eating the meat platter but felt full after it. My dinner for the first night. OK still got sausage baguette and Coke Light haha
Piping hot roasted pork. I did not have the 'stomach space' to try it. Quite a waste
Live Salmon. Fishmonger at work. Using a stick on the fish to knock it dizzy and then using a knife to cut out the eyeballs. Not for the weakhearted
Not just food. Plenty of other stuff as well
They have donkeys and sheeps too!
After the Christmas market, I took a walk to the famous Charles Bridge. The view there was fantastic, and I'm not exaggerating one bit. The landscape was wide and vast, with the hills where the tower was situated on the left and the Prague Castle on the right of the bridge. Very magnificient. I stayed there quite a while to take in everything
On the Charle's Bridge, with the Castle behind
One of the statues on the bridge. This is the Joan of some place I forgot and he was drowned in the river. Legend has it that if you touch the place I'm touching now on the statue you will never be drowned in the river. Fact or fiction? Believe it or not!
New Town, just outside my hostel. The location is pretty good
This photo was taken at the toilet of the shopping centre in New Town. Hilarious
Old Town. The most famous place in Prague, where most of the things take plce
The very famous Astronomical Clock. Every hour tourists will gather below it and watch the 12 Apostles appear from the clock and hear the golden rooster croak and clap and cheer. Haha. This is also the time when pickpockets become active
And now the highlight of the trip, the 'Jewish Quarter's Tour' I did not take history but I was really interested about the stories my guide told us. The Jews are seriously the most suffered race in the world. In 1215, Pope Innocent the Third passed out a law stating that the Jews were responsible for Jesus's death, and this was when the prejudices and suffering began. I asked the guide what was the Pope's agenda against the Jews and he offered his personal opinion, saying that there were 3 Popes at that time, and hence there was some sort of 'power struggle', which of course is not uncommon. Everyone tried to do something to outdo the other, and this was probably one of the reasons why the Pope passed out this law. Jews were then sent to Ghettos with poor living conditions. It was not until Emperor Joseph the second, who was a magnanimous and tolerant ruler, who abolished this rule that the Jews begin to see some light.
The 2nd wave, was of course, caused by Hitler and the Germans, who blamed the Jews for causing the losses of Germany during WW1 and held them responsible for controling the world's economy as there were some very rich Jews bankers around, who dealt in the lending and arms business and made huge profits. Hitler passed out the 'Final Solution', which made it legal for Jew Extermination. I believe there are other reasons for Jews discrimination as well.
There were many heroes during this dark period, and one of them is Sir Nicholas Winston. He was actually having his skiing holiday at Czech and learnt of the story that Jews were facing an imminent catastrophe. He organised concerts and functions to raise funds and managed to save 700 Jews children. He had to pay the Queen of Britain 100 pounds for each children's Visa, which was very considerable in those periods. He was very quiet and humble after this incident, and it was his wife who discovered these documents in their attic. A show was made about him afterwards, and during the end of the show, Sir Nicholas Winston made an appearance. When asked by the host who were saved by him during the war, everyone in the theatre stood up. There was silence in the theatre and many had tears in their eyes. A very moving scene
The only functioning Ghetto in Europe
On the walls are names of the Jews who died. There was music sung by 2 famous Czech artists about the names of the Jews which goes on and on and on in a very sad melody, stressing to the modern Jew what they forefathers went through in the past. Some of the modern Jews often found names they recognise on the walls and start to cry
Handwritten for years. Yellow represents the hometown, red represents the surname, and black the name and date of birth, date sent to concentration camp and date of death. One of the key reasons why so many Jews died was that the institution who passed out the law to exterminate the Jews was very wealthy, and it actually offered money for each Jew killed. It was like a human transaction 'business'
Kids were asked to draw their impressions of the period. Many grew to have weird and skeptical behaviours
A list of concentration camps in Europe. The real list is at least 3-4 times this amount. The camp in Czech (top left) was meant for propaganda reasons. During that time, there were Red Cross Missionaries. The Germans in Czech told them that the Jews were treated nicely and brought them to the camp. They said it was more like an 'educational camp', where Jews were made to learn how to 'integrate' better into the society. There were better hygiene, children were 'even' offered milk and education. In fact, the propaganda was so nicely done that the Jews in other countries bought tickets to enter this 'education camp'. But all this was a pretext, as the amount of medical and proper sewage system is very low, and many people were dying from illness, starvation, mental illness and stress. The concentration camp in Poland is the most notorious (top right). Zhibin recommended me to visit that place and it is also one of the reasons why Lola and I want to vist Warsaw, Poland as well
The Old Jewish Cemetery. The reason why the headstones are so haphazardly arranged is because there are 120,000 bodies buried under this small plot of land. They do so by burying the bodies in 12 layers, one atop the other. They are not buried 6 feet under, but on ground level, to be covered with stone and mud before the other layer of bodies are 'buried' on top of the below layer and so on and so forth. Only the granite and stone headstones survived while the others made of wood were eroded over time
Stones are left behind by Jews on headstones instead of flowers with messages stuck underneath to represent their faith and memory for the dead are as solid as rock. These rocks are usually brought from their homeland like Israel. If they do not have rocks, they can substitute it by placing a coin from their currency
My very interesting guide, Roman, standing beside of the most famous headstone belonging to Rabbi Low. The rich Jew's headstones are made in the shape of a crib, so that no other bodies can be buried on it. Only the very very very wealthy or powerful Jews can do it. I only saw 3 in the whole graveyard
A normal clock on top and the Jewish clock below. It is read anti-clockwise, relating to the Jew's way of reading from right to left. It is situated next to the chuch's clock, signifying co-existence and harmony
And now for some happy parts, food haha. When you order something to eat at Frague, they will make you sit down and then cook the food and serve it to you, even at fastfood restaurants (Not American ones like Mac) or breakfast baguette. I like
Czech cuisine. Not bad. Cost 10 Euros. Main course and desert. Appetizer was this sour soup I did not like
And this sums up an enriching and fulfilling trip to Prague!
St Vitus Cathedral with the Prague Castle beneath
St Vitus Cathedral again. It is one of the most important cathedrals in Central Europe. It was snowing a little when I got there
Monument to commemorate those who sacrificed in WW1
The white part on the right is the castle, which kings previously lived in. Now it is the President's office. The middle compartment links the castle to the cathedral on the left. Our guide said this allowed the king who wakes up the latest to enter the cathedral first. Haha convenient eh?
Great Wall of China! Kidding la. This is the balcony of the castle, with a hill filled with lights behind. Very sceneric
Prague's mini 'Eiffel Tower' on the right. Night view of the New Town.
This is taken atop the Town Hall, with the Prague Castle in the rear. My fingers were so cold it was numb and I could not move them
The Town Hall. The lively Christmas market is beneath it. There is a performance stage, and the Czech's clap and cheer after every performance. Lively bunch
The most comprehensible Christmas market I have been to. It has EVERYTHING I like. Like food, food and more food.
Bread with potato and butter. I did not try this though.
BBQ sausage and meat platter. Shiok!
I had wanted to eat some Prague cuisine for dinner before eating the meat platter but felt full after it. My dinner for the first night. OK still got sausage baguette and Coke Light haha
Piping hot roasted pork. I did not have the 'stomach space' to try it. Quite a waste
Live Salmon. Fishmonger at work. Using a stick on the fish to knock it dizzy and then using a knife to cut out the eyeballs. Not for the weakhearted
Not just food. Plenty of other stuff as well
They have donkeys and sheeps too!
After the Christmas market, I took a walk to the famous Charles Bridge. The view there was fantastic, and I'm not exaggerating one bit. The landscape was wide and vast, with the hills where the tower was situated on the left and the Prague Castle on the right of the bridge. Very magnificient. I stayed there quite a while to take in everything
On the Charle's Bridge, with the Castle behind
One of the statues on the bridge. This is the Joan of some place I forgot and he was drowned in the river. Legend has it that if you touch the place I'm touching now on the statue you will never be drowned in the river. Fact or fiction? Believe it or not!
New Town, just outside my hostel. The location is pretty good
This photo was taken at the toilet of the shopping centre in New Town. Hilarious
Old Town. The most famous place in Prague, where most of the things take plce
The very famous Astronomical Clock. Every hour tourists will gather below it and watch the 12 Apostles appear from the clock and hear the golden rooster croak and clap and cheer. Haha. This is also the time when pickpockets become active
And now the highlight of the trip, the 'Jewish Quarter's Tour' I did not take history but I was really interested about the stories my guide told us. The Jews are seriously the most suffered race in the world. In 1215, Pope Innocent the Third passed out a law stating that the Jews were responsible for Jesus's death, and this was when the prejudices and suffering began. I asked the guide what was the Pope's agenda against the Jews and he offered his personal opinion, saying that there were 3 Popes at that time, and hence there was some sort of 'power struggle', which of course is not uncommon. Everyone tried to do something to outdo the other, and this was probably one of the reasons why the Pope passed out this law. Jews were then sent to Ghettos with poor living conditions. It was not until Emperor Joseph the second, who was a magnanimous and tolerant ruler, who abolished this rule that the Jews begin to see some light.
The 2nd wave, was of course, caused by Hitler and the Germans, who blamed the Jews for causing the losses of Germany during WW1 and held them responsible for controling the world's economy as there were some very rich Jews bankers around, who dealt in the lending and arms business and made huge profits. Hitler passed out the 'Final Solution', which made it legal for Jew Extermination. I believe there are other reasons for Jews discrimination as well.
There were many heroes during this dark period, and one of them is Sir Nicholas Winston. He was actually having his skiing holiday at Czech and learnt of the story that Jews were facing an imminent catastrophe. He organised concerts and functions to raise funds and managed to save 700 Jews children. He had to pay the Queen of Britain 100 pounds for each children's Visa, which was very considerable in those periods. He was very quiet and humble after this incident, and it was his wife who discovered these documents in their attic. A show was made about him afterwards, and during the end of the show, Sir Nicholas Winston made an appearance. When asked by the host who were saved by him during the war, everyone in the theatre stood up. There was silence in the theatre and many had tears in their eyes. A very moving scene
The only functioning Ghetto in Europe
On the walls are names of the Jews who died. There was music sung by 2 famous Czech artists about the names of the Jews which goes on and on and on in a very sad melody, stressing to the modern Jew what they forefathers went through in the past. Some of the modern Jews often found names they recognise on the walls and start to cry
Handwritten for years. Yellow represents the hometown, red represents the surname, and black the name and date of birth, date sent to concentration camp and date of death. One of the key reasons why so many Jews died was that the institution who passed out the law to exterminate the Jews was very wealthy, and it actually offered money for each Jew killed. It was like a human transaction 'business'
Kids were asked to draw their impressions of the period. Many grew to have weird and skeptical behaviours
A list of concentration camps in Europe. The real list is at least 3-4 times this amount. The camp in Czech (top left) was meant for propaganda reasons. During that time, there were Red Cross Missionaries. The Germans in Czech told them that the Jews were treated nicely and brought them to the camp. They said it was more like an 'educational camp', where Jews were made to learn how to 'integrate' better into the society. There were better hygiene, children were 'even' offered milk and education. In fact, the propaganda was so nicely done that the Jews in other countries bought tickets to enter this 'education camp'. But all this was a pretext, as the amount of medical and proper sewage system is very low, and many people were dying from illness, starvation, mental illness and stress. The concentration camp in Poland is the most notorious (top right). Zhibin recommended me to visit that place and it is also one of the reasons why Lola and I want to vist Warsaw, Poland as well
The Old Jewish Cemetery. The reason why the headstones are so haphazardly arranged is because there are 120,000 bodies buried under this small plot of land. They do so by burying the bodies in 12 layers, one atop the other. They are not buried 6 feet under, but on ground level, to be covered with stone and mud before the other layer of bodies are 'buried' on top of the below layer and so on and so forth. Only the granite and stone headstones survived while the others made of wood were eroded over time
Stones are left behind by Jews on headstones instead of flowers with messages stuck underneath to represent their faith and memory for the dead are as solid as rock. These rocks are usually brought from their homeland like Israel. If they do not have rocks, they can substitute it by placing a coin from their currency
My very interesting guide, Roman, standing beside of the most famous headstone belonging to Rabbi Low. The rich Jew's headstones are made in the shape of a crib, so that no other bodies can be buried on it. Only the very very very wealthy or powerful Jews can do it. I only saw 3 in the whole graveyard
A normal clock on top and the Jewish clock below. It is read anti-clockwise, relating to the Jew's way of reading from right to left. It is situated next to the chuch's clock, signifying co-existence and harmony
And now for some happy parts, food haha. When you order something to eat at Frague, they will make you sit down and then cook the food and serve it to you, even at fastfood restaurants (Not American ones like Mac) or breakfast baguette. I like
Czech cuisine. Not bad. Cost 10 Euros. Main course and desert. Appetizer was this sour soup I did not like
And this sums up an enriching and fulfilling trip to Prague!
# posted by eastsidebackstreet : 6:16 am
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