Celebrating My Birthday in Prague (Day 2)

On Monday, September 15, 2014 I turned 32 ... and I woke up in Prague! Not too shabby :)

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Cafe New York in the Boscolo (it was even more decadent than the breakfasts on the River Ambassador—I didn't think that was possible) and then met our tour guide in the lobby. We'd signed up for yet another "choice" tour - Jewish Prague. I was more interested in this tour than the standard city tour, because it included every part of the Jewish Museum and didn't involve getting on a bus. Photography wasn't allowed in the Jewish Museum.

Jewish Prague Tour

The first hour of the tour was a standard overview of Old Town, New Town, and Wenceslas Square. Then we went to the Jewish Quarter and started learning about the Jewish history of Prague. Most of this history is not related to WWII, which I didn't realize before taking this tour. It goes back to medieval times; the Old New Synagogue was completed in 1270 and is still used for services today. It was our first stop, and we learned about the window that faced the East and would signal when to begin daily prayers as the sunlight came through the window (it no longer functions in this way because tall buildings have been built).

Our next stop was Pinkas Synagogue. Wow. Its walls are inscribed with the names, birth dates, and date of death/disappearance of almost 80,000 Czech Jews that were murdered in the holocaust. These people have no headstones, so Pinkas serves as their grave marker. The upper level houses an exhibit of drawings from children that lived in Terezin.

Adjacent to the Pinkas Synagogue is the Old Jewish Cemetery, which was the final resting place for thousands of Prague's Jews. It ran out of room many times over the years, and the ground was raised and bodies were buried on top of other graves. The headstones (most of which are so weathered they can't be read) are stacked right next to each other, indicating that in some places 6 bodies are under the tombstones.

After the cemetery we quickly visited Klaus Synagogue and Ceremonial Hall. There were very interesting exhibits here about Jewish life and customs. We only had 10-15 minutes in each building; I wish we could have stayed longer. At each exhibit I thought about the circumstances under which the museum existed. It started in 1906 and was closed during WWII. As Hitler's Nazis raided Jewish homes and places of worship throughout Europe, they shipped all of their possessions to Prague. He intended to use the Jewish Museum as an exhibit of an extinct race. The possessions that could not be returned are now part of the collections of the Jewish Museum and made up many of the exhibits I saw.

Our last visit was the Spanish Synagogue, which was a beautiful building built in a Moorish style (which I was familiar with after visiting Spain last year).

At this point we left the tour to grab lunch. Our tour guide actually recommended a pizza place in Old Town—Giovanni's—so we gave it a try. It was a great recommendation! So great, I forgot to take a picture until I'd eaten a piece.

Royal Gardens Visit

At this point in the day, Dad walked back to the hotel, and Aaron, Mom and I took a train to the castle district to visit the royal gardens. I had read about a lot of different gardens in my guidebook, and I mistakenly thought there was a beer garden here. Oops! What there we got was a workout climbing the stairs of the terraced gardens, and an excellent view of Prague.

The first set of stairs

More stairs

Rewarded with a view!

I love the red roofs

Perspective of the terraced gardens

Beautiful detailed ceiling from one of the courtyards

A panoramic view of Prague

Aaron and I at the gardens

Prague red roof birthday selfie!

Birthday Dinner at Terasa

After the gardens, we went back to the hotel so we could change into our dinner clothes. It was time to go out and celebrate! I'd made reservations weeks earlier at Terasa, one of the most highly rated restaurants in Prague that offers outdoor dining on a terrace overlooking the city. Imagine my surprise when I realized the restaurant was literally right next to the garden we had climbed a few years earlier—we didn't have to work so hard for that view!

We arrived early for our reservation, and we were the only people in the restaurant for at least 30 minutes. We all opted for the tasting menu, so we had eight delicious courses over the course of 3 hours.

First course: scallop ceviche with avocado, fresh coriander and citrus dressing

Second course: lobster marinated in lemon scented oil, served with tiger prawns carpaccio and "Ossetra" caviar 

Third course: duck liver terrine and praliné "foie gras" with marinated duck breast and pear jelly 

Fourth course: traditional french bouillabaisse with grilled tiger prawns

Fifth course: pan fried sea bass with porcini mushroom-kale ragout with potatoes "La Ratte" and butter-cumin glaze

Sixth course: roasted rack of fallow deer

adorned with golden caramelized peaches, wild oyster mushrooms and grand veneur sauce

This one was so good, I forgot to take a picture before digging in!

Seventh course: pavlova with black currant curd garnished with wild berries and basil sorbet

The eight course was a lavender chocolate. The meal was excellent. Unfortunately, we waited almost 45 minutes to get our check and settle it. At least we had this view!

By the time we finished dinner and got a cab, it was 9:30. It probably took about 5 minutes to get back to our hotel, because our driver thought he was in a Formula One race or something. The ride back was 100 czk cheaper than the ride there because we drove so much faster. Yikes!!

Another great day in Prague came to a close, and we were off to bed. The next day would be the first of DIY travel, leaving as our Uniworld vacation officially ended at breakfast.

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