Half way done??!!!

I have been in Prague about three weeks already but I still feel like we've barley scratched the surface. There is still so much I want to do before I leave and I don't see how I am going to get all that done in time. I mean, I JUST found some jalapenos the other day, so I'm barley getting used to things here.

The past three days have been full of class, so I haven't done much else. However, this program is sooo cool that most of the places we've visited have been on my list anyways. The highlight has been our tour of the Jewish Quarter next to Prague's Old Town. The Jews have been part of Prague's history since the early 10th century, so they make up a huge part of the culture. Jews have always had a history full of prosecution, and the Czech Jews are no different. The Jewish Quarter was a ghetto for many centuries and it wasn't till after WWII that they completely demolished it and rebuilt the area. Today, it is one of the most sought-after location in Prague.

Despite its complete make-over, most of the synagogues were preserved and are now museums. We visited at least three in the same area and then went to visit the Old Jewish Cemetery. This place is kind of heart braking, especially when you hear its importance and history. Jews were not allowed to mingle with the rest of Prague, not even the dead ones. They were given a small piece of land to berry their dead and of course, it eventually filled up. Since they were not granted more land, they had to bury on top of the people who were already there! It is estimated that as many as 12 layers of bodies exist in this centuries old cemetery.

Walking through it is an extraordinary experience. Most of the stone slabs are unreadable and some are literally back-to-back to each other. During the Nazi occupation, the cemetery was the only place in Prague were Jews were allowed to 'hang out.' Meaning that this was their 'park' and 'entertainment.' Kids were raised playing in a creepy old cemetery.

One a lighter note, today the class went to a wine-tasting with Ladislav Venys, a guest lecturer over the Communist era. This was soo much fun, we got to just hang out with each other for a couple of hours and drink all this amazing wine. This is the most wine I have ever consumed in my life, so I was definitely feeling it. It was like 16 different wines and I made myself stay for all of them! Hey, I had to get my moneys worth.

Tomorrow we leave on our three-day excursion around the Czech Republic. We are scheduled to check out a couple of castles and breweries along with other smaller activities. I am supper excited to see what the rest of this country looks like. Hopefully these towns will be as charming and charismatic as Prague.

This weekend looks promising and I can't wait to milk this trip for all its worth!