Day 3: Astrology, Jewish Quarter & Eating Saturn?

Jewish Quarter 

The Jewish Quarter, also termed as Jewish Ghetto (Ghetto usually has a negative conotation in America, but in Europe it is not case), was eye opening to see. It is an important historical site that reminds us sometimes of the cruelty of mankind. Jewish people came to Prague in the 10th century where they prospered until the 13th century. Many Jewish people were forced out of their homes and condensed in this area. Even confined to these spaces, they were still at the whim of the emperor at the time who could destroy their houses, flatten them or remove them entirely. 

Thankful, not all the buildings were torn down and there are many syngogues that are still standing to this day! The six Synagogue include: Spanish Synagogue, Maisel Synagogue and the Old-New Synagogue; the Jewish Ceremonial Hall; and the remarkable Old Jewish Cemetery. Make sure to take your time and be respectful when stepping inside the Synagogue. 

Eating Planet Saturn 🪐

After visiting the Jewish Quarter Max and I took our separate journey and had the chance to visit a fancy cafe called ČERNÁ MADONA CELETNÁ. They had fanciful desserts with one of them being Saturn! They did not just look good but tasted great as well. They had many flavors and we wanted to try them all but we were pretty full after 3 desserts!

It was here where I attempted to speak Czech! Czech is very difficult language, even for someone like me who has learned English, Hindi, Odiya (a local dialect in the state of Orissa, India) and Spanish! There are unique sounds that are had to learn without listening to it a few times. 

I tried my hardest to learn how to say these sounds and it paid off for a little bit! When I started ordering, they spoke back to me in fluent Czech, and I thought I almost had them...until they asked me if I wanted it to go or dine in. The jig was up as I had not learned up to that point yet, but I was pretty proud of how much progress I made. Below are some phrases you should probably learn to make your trip a little easier. 

YES - ANO (ano)

NO - NE (ne)

PLEASE - PROSÍM (proseem)

THANK YOU - DEvKUJI VAM (dyekooyi vam)

GOOD MORNING - DOBRÉ RÁNO (dobrye rano)

GOOD AFTERNOON - DOBRÉ ODPOLEDNE (dobrye odpoledne)

GOOD NIGHT - DOBROU NOC (dobroh nots)

HELLO - DOBRY' DEN (dobree den)

GOOD-BYE - NA SHLEDANOU (nas-khledanow)

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? - JAK SE JMENUJETE? (yak se menooyete)

MY NAME IS... - JMENUJI SE... (menooyi se)

HOW ARE YOU? - JAK SE MÁTE? (jak se mahte )

FINE THANKS, AND YOU? - DEvKUJI DOBRvE, A VY? (dyekooyi dobrzhe, a vi)

I UNDERSTAND - ROZUMÍM (rozoomeem)

I DON'T UNDERSTAND - NEROZUMÍM. (nerozoomeem)

DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH? - MLUVÍTE ANGLICKY? (mlooveete anglitskee)

I DON'T SPEAK CZECH - NEMLUVÍM CvESKY. (nemlooveem chehskee)

NICE TO MEET YOU - Těší mě. (tyeh-sheee mnyeh)

Beyond the orchestra rooms were other rooms where guests can roam around. Each room was unique with specific purposes. Every room had was decorated with Art Nouveau style. I really loved how detailed paintings are, it felt like I was walking amongst the characters within the in the same room. The lights added an extra touch of delicacy that made the room feel surreal and ethereal. 

Some rooms contained chairs, tables and cabinets that were made with special wood that we could not even touch them! 

This panorama featured most of the other people on our trip!