Prague

Sara and I had a "weekend escape" to Prague this past weekend to celebrate her birthday. This is part of our plan to spend all our money and visit as many European cities as possible. So what if we cant afford a house on Long Island when we get back home???

So Prague, as anyone who has been there can attest, is really one of the quintesential "European" cities. It escaped being a major part of any of the 20th century wars, and as a result has kept its historical character. It is without a doubt a beautiful place to visit, and all the locals are super friendly and English-speaking. Its not as cheap as it used to be though - meals were on average around 1000-1500 koruna, and beers or coffee typically 150-200 koruna. For our visit, the relevant exchange rates were 16:1 for USD, 25:1 for EUR and 30:1 for GBP. It used to be MUCH cheaper.

Most people will tell you that there are three "must-do's" in Prague: the Castle, the Bridge, and the Clock. To that list, for anyone with even a remote interest in history and culture, the Jewish Museum must be added. Aside from perhaps the concentration camps themselves (which we have yet to visit), there is nowhere else in Europe where the tragedy of the holocaust is so "alive", since you are literally walking in the day to day footsteps of people who lived relatively ordinary lives before the Nazi's came along. To be honest, it is more "real" than even Yad Vashem or the various Holocaust museums in the US, because the exhibits are real places where real people lived. Especially for non-Jews, the museum is a tasteful and comprehensive exhibit to Jewish culture and history in Europe, and one that should be part of any visit to Prague.