I never really thought about the Jewish population of Prague. Obviously, there is/was one, but the Budapest population seems to attract much more attention so Prague’s Jewish history was new for me. In Old Town, there is an old Jewish quarter with a few sights so we started the day there.

Some of the synagogues were relatively new looking and were built on the foundations of very old synagogues.

The Old-New Synagogue had a strong gothic cathedral resemblance, although on a smaller scale. Classic gothic arches stretched across the ceilings, ornate iron chandeliers illuminated the place, and it even had the wooden seats lining the edge that I associate with cloisters or church choirs. Unlike a church, however, the synagogue had only a modest ark at the front rather than an ornate pulpit.

The Spanish Synagogue reminded me a lot of the great synagogue in Budapest, but much smaller (and more modest). It had the high ceilings with balconies for the women, the ornate ceiling, and the gold gilding all over.

Lastly, the Maisel Synagogue, which was the most contemporary and honestly, least interesting.

Since it was a nice day, we turned our sights on the Charles Bridge and Prague Castle. I have no idea what story the statuary on the Charles Bridge is trying to tell, but it must be quite the saga given the broad range of imagery.

I know we walked up to Prague Castle last time we were here, but for some reason, we didn’t go in, so we decided to go see what the castle complex had to offer. The Castle itself is more interesting from the exterior than the interior – it’s just a large, cold, mostly empty stone castle – but the church buildings around it were gorgeous.

At the end of the 15th century, the castle constructed new fortifying walls which included a row of tiny, colorful houses initially meant for castle security but later becoming homes to alchemists, goldsmiths, artists, and writes, including Franz Kafka.

We wrapped up the day with a hike over to a hilltop beer garden. Amazing views of the city, good beer, and great company.

The next day was rainy, and so we planned to do some thrift and vintage shopping with kiddo. Prague has a good number of such shops and so we trekked all over the city finding some cute things and some, well, let’s just say some interesting things.

We stopped for lunch at an outside food vendor. When Luke and I were here forever ago, there were food stalls all over Wenceslas Square but they have been eliminated. I really wanted to try one of Prague’s famous street food items – a giant potato pancake – and so we put our pride aside and went to one of the vendors on Old Town Square. Your menu options here are potato pancakes or ham, cut off the giant ham on the charcoal smoker out front. That’s it, and you don’t need anything else.

At this point, we kind of felt like we’d done about as much of the city as we wanted – Prague isn’t that big – and so I researched day trips. There’s a town about an hour away that is famous for having a church made of bones (I have so many questions), and so we boarded the early train into the Czech countryside toward the town of Kutná Hora to see what this is all about.

The Sedlec Ossuary isn’t technically made of bones – it is decorated with bones. I still have questions and they will apparently remain unanswered as there were paltry infographics in the church. They also don’t allow pictures, so I only have a few illicit ones.

Well, I am glad this trip didn’t end without at least one weird sight. As Anna-Sophia noted, we do the strangest things on our trips (shark cage diving, sleeping under the starts on the Botswana salt pan, going to the DMZ in Korea, and so on). Well, I think that just makes the experiences all the more memorable! I’ll take a weird experience over a boring one any day!

We got back to the city and went to a jazz performance. Luke and I went to a tiny underground jazz venue when we were here last, and while I highly doubted we would find the place again (or if it would even still exist), I am pleased to report that we DID find it! In fact, when they took us to the table I reserved, we discovered it was the exact same table. Hah!

It’s been over 23 years since we were last in Prague. I don’t feel old enough to be celebrating my 25th anniversary or to have gone 23+ years between visits to a city, but the calendar doesn’t lie!

We crammed our stuff (and ourselves) onto the flight from Barcelona to Prague. I’m not the tallest person in the world, but I now see what they go through – these seats were TINY!

After arriving at our hotel, we ditched our bags and went to dinner at a super fancy place that specialized in deer meat (venison). I had fabulous mushroom risotto (Czechs seem to love mushroom!), Luke had venison medallions, and kiddo had a venison burger. Desserts looked spectacular and artistic, so we planned ahead and got two to share. Kid got a golden egg, complete with a passion fruit “yolk” that was tasty and visually impressive.

We walked around a bit after dinner. Our hotel is in Old Town, the part of the city with most of the historical buildings. Like elsewhere in Europe, some buildings lean, some are elaborately painted, and all have a quaint historical feel to them. Around every other corner is a church, castle, monastery, or other stunning building to punctuate the city’s visual appeal. Prague reminds me of Budapest in some ways, but it is so much cleaner and generally has wider streets, and it is quieter. Prague has plenty of people who come here to party, but it feels like the city has worked hard to keep things under control and I think that resulted in Prague feeling less like a giant bachelor party and more like a city with just a lot of tourists. Budapest is the adolescent and Prague is the adult.

Before heading off to bed, we stopped to watch the astronomical clock perform. This clock has been around for over 800 years in one form or another, and it continues to draw a crowd to this day.

Anna-Sophia noted that we are much more chill when in Europe. I’m sure the lack of work and the mid-day beer help that, but I do also think she’s on to something. I just love being here!

We spent the morning meandering through some of the architectural wonders of the city before sending Melissa and Sue off to see La Sagrada Familia. While we waited for Rich and Rissa, we sat on the rooftop deck of the hotel and enjoyed the sunshine (I am truly a cold-blooded creature and need the sun to feel alive).

Our anniversary dinner was at El Glop. It isn’t the absolute best restaurant in the city, but it’s comfortable, reliable, and a place that we’ve been to every single time we’ve been in the city.

The next morning we had breakfast at a corgi cafe. Food was great, as was the company. 🙂

After we ate, we headed up to Tibidabo, the hilltop at the edge of the city that we’ve seen a million times but never been to. After a train to a funicular to a bus, we finally made it!

The main attraction here is Sagrat Cor de Jesús del Tibidabo (Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Tibidabo). This architectural masterpiece is a contemporary of La Sagrada Familia’s groundbreaking, but its construction lasted only from 1902 to 1961 so it won that race easily.

This is effectively two chapels in one. At the first floor, the mosaic tile work was certainly unique. Scenes of ships and what we could only guess was a scene of railroad tycoons meeting Jesus…it was all oddly contemporary, yet mixed with traditional Catholic symbolism, to give off the weirdest vibes.

From the first chapel, we took an elevator up to the mid-level deck. From that height, you can see everything in the city laid out before you. I’m not a fan of heights, but it was impossible not to appreciate how spectacular this view was.

Lucky for me, there was even more height to go! A spiral staircase later, and we reached the tippy top of the church. It felt like on a clear day, you could see France from this vantage point!

After several late nights, we had a light dinner on the rooftop, packed our bags, and then turned in for a modestly early night.

Truly, there is little about the US way of life that works for me. Europe (and specifically the Iberian peninsula) has so many things going for it that suit my style:

• Universal healthcare
• Beer and a sandwich for €3.95
• Outdoor cafes, everywhere
• Coffee and beer are fine, but water is suspect
• Cheeese!!!
• Walking everywhere
• Dinner starts at 8:30pm (and even then, just barely)
• Good wine at $7/bottle
• Most days between 50 and 80 degrees

I will admit, not all of Europe is knocking it out of the park, but Spain and Portugal certainly do for me. This is a lifestyle I could get used to with little difficulty. I’m excited to try living in Portugal next month – obviously, the vacation mindset will have a luster that might wear off after several weeks in a row, but I do truly think that the Iberian peninsula is the ideal place for Luke and I to live when we retire (and sooner if the US becomes a true fascist authoritarian state and we need to escape).

Melissa and her aunt are here with us, so we did a grand walking tour. Barri Gotic, Casa Battlo, and Barceloneta. It’s been a delight to show first-timers around the city.

There is something wonderful about returning to a city time and time again. We know where we are, where things are, what’s worth seeing, and what isn’t. We have a favorite restaurant (Taverna El Glop), and we know the city’s customs and rhythms.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 25 years since the first time we came here, but also it’s amazing that we’ve been coming here for 25 years. La Sagrada Família had no roof when we first saw it, and now it is nearly done. I remember seeing the cathedral for the first time and Luke and I making a vow to come see it when it was done in 2020. Well, 2020 came and went and the cathedral still isn’t quite done, but we are still coming here, together, and that beats out any architectural achievement in my mind.

May 20, 2000

Our wedding

Luke and I have never done things the way others expect us to. Our wedding was in a park, the reception in a brewery. Unusual, yes, but also consistently rated as the most fun wedding either of our families attended. We do our own thing, and we do it our way.

We are off to Barcelona, where we went (along with Madrid) on our honeymoon. At that point in my life, I’d never left North America, so going to Spain was exotic, exciting, and totally new. I’m a seasoned traveler now and while Barcelona isn’t what I’d now call exotic, there’s a special place in my heart for it. Similarly, we went to Prague in 2003, back when we were younger and poorer and more willing to wing things. We loved it but haven’t been back since and it’s about time we remedied that!

When we went to Barcelona the first time (and to Prague!), we booked nothing but the airfare there. I’m a better planner now so we have hotels, but I have to admit, I’ve booked nothing else and have absolutely no itinerary beyond dinner one night. There’s something nice about knowing a city well enough to be able to show up and wing it.

But first, we have to take off, and that’s proving to be more of a challenge than expected. Here’s to a quick maintenance visit and a subsequent takeoff!