Prag-ker

Prague was quite fine. We spent four days in the city, attending two concerts and two tours. 

On the first day in Prague we were given a tour of the Terezin camp, fantastically guided by Pavel Batel. It was a haunting experience, filled with much reflection on history and humanity. We ended the day with a good-humored dinner at the Czech Folklore Garden, where I was selected to dance with a broom.

For the second day we had an incredible historical tour with our guide, Eva. We visited the Strahov library, which was established in the 12th century, and viewed two of its marvelous Baroque halls. We learned that the library was the first to store its books vertically rather than horizontally. We also spent much time around the Prague castle, which was, of course, fantastic.

The third day brought with it a visit to the music instrument museum; I most enjoyed viewing the pianos with stunning keys of abalone shell. The concert that evening was by the Czech Philharmonic, and the program of Czech composers, including Dvorak’s three Slavonic Rhapsodies, was quite engaging. The next day we attended Kate and the Devil, an opera of three acts by Dvorak. It was staged very colorfully and was a pleasure to both hear and see.