It's funny, when you arrive somewhere for a few days you think you can take it easy and pace yourself to see everything. Then it's your last day and you realise that you have to cull the list. So I didn't climb to the top of the town hall tower, but we did go to the Mucha Museum and find out that Mucha was not limited to the Bernhardt posters and some biscuit tins but was an extraordinarily profilic very commercial artist, set and costume designer, jewellery designer, shop fitter and more. I had expected much less and was very pleased we went.
Next on my list was the Museum of Communism, which is housed alongside a casino on one of the main shopping streets. McDonald's is almost directly below. Weird. It was fascinating, thoroughly describing the history of Communism in the Czech State from the turn of the century, through the wars and up to the fall and the rise of the Czech Republic. However interesting the museum information and artifacts are the most interesting work there was in the temporary exhibition of secret photographs and information but current conditions in North Korea. Very anti the regime, very disturbing photographs, very worthwhile.
When you know exactly where you are and what's around you its easy to go directly to the Cafe or cuisine of your choice. In a strange place and you don't know what you want you (or at least I) incline towards Meandering and hoping for inspiration. Today it came in the form of an Asian restaurant with the name Zebra. We scoffed the dumplings and skewered chicken and thoroughly enjoyed them then headed into the square to buy Trednelki from the recommended street stall. This is a spiral doughnut, rolled in sugar and nuts then cooked on a roller over heat. The outer caramelise and the inner cooks, but only just. Very yeasty. Often eaten with plum jam or chocolate sauce these had neither. Next time jam. Hang the kilojoules.
One last listed thing, a look around the Jewish quarter which included a visit to the old Jewish cemetery. It differs enormously from Western cemeteries, very higgeldy piggeldy tombstones leaning towards and on each other. The area was very crowded so our visits to the synagogues were briefer than they might have been. In one all the names of Jews from Prague and some other areas who died during the Holocaust are listed. It is always shocking to see such a stark reminder of the numbers. Our final stop here was the Spanish synagogue which is a beautiful building, showing the influence of Moorish architecture with arches and a high dome. A contrast to the sombre tones of the other buildings.
We had almost all booked into a beer and tapas tour, no something I would heartily recommend you undertake the night before you have to get up and leave at 7, but do heartily recommend at any other time. Our guide, Travis, is an American living in Prague who loves brewing, dried king and sharing beer. Prague has breweries everywhere. We travelled out by train to our first pub, enjoyed our first beer with delicious pork belly slow cooked. I won't bore you with the details of the next four beers and food. Suffice to say that we had a great night, walked back through Wenceslas Square pausing to watch the last few minutes of Sweden defeat the Czech ice hockey team. The crowd moved off in a relatively orderly fashion. I don't think that would have been the case with a different result.
In some ways it will be a relief to leave the crowds of Prague, but at the same time there is still more to see. Oh well, save it for another time.
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