getting caught up

i woke up this morning to the sound of rain dancing on the window. what a beautiful way to greet the day. it was late considering the last few days i have been waking up, of my own volition, around 4:30am. i got up and instantly enjoyed the silence. my flat mates are on an excursion today. why did i not partake you ask? well, first and foremost they were going hiking, and if you know me at all, i do not like hiking. walking, meandering, wandering; yes. hiking no. plus, i have that pulled groin muscle and it's just starting to feel better.

with rain i figured i would get caught up on this blog thingy. i am pretty sure i can't insert pictures wherever i want so i will write the blog and then post the pictures pertaining to that blog directly after. hope that's ok ;-)

i drank my instant coffee (don't judge, it's all i can get) with tons of sugar and MARESI, which is some kind of milk/creamer that czechs put in their coffee and began typing.

i think i left off on monday...

day 5 (tuesday 16th june)

today my jewish communities class ventured to the JEWISH QUARTER. i saw the oldest synagogue in prague KLAUSOVA SYNAGOGA (photo). you can feel the pride and pain in this area of the city, it resonates here. it was awe inspiring to go through the synagogues and see how they began and what became of them during WWII. i was unable to take photographs inside, but don't think any photograph can do it justice. the craftsmanship of the woodwork is incredible and the detail of the paintings on the wood and walls are immaculate. there is every color imaginable, and gold was in common use. i got so close that i could see the artist's brushstrokes and when i closed my eyes, i could envision the curve of the artist's hand and the love that was put into each individual scene. here is a link to a photograph of the interior of the SPANESLKA SYNAGOGA

http://www.bmart.cz/userfiles/image/spanelska_synagoga/spanelska_synagoga_interier.jpg

the interior of this synagogue is completed hand-painted. inside of this particular synagogue there was a box full of tallits and tefillins (prayer shawls). they were confiscated by the nazis when the jews were taken from the ghettos to Terezin and Auchswitz. a simple wooden box with hundreds of them behind a thick piece of glass. even now writing this i have a feeling of pain and anger in the pit of my stomach.

class finished and i made a promise to myself to go back and REALLY experience this part of town.

this is also the part of town where the statue of FRANZ KAFKA sitting on his own shoulders stands (photo). I will be going back to the museums that house his works. photos to follow.

i think i'll post this part and the photos and then continue the rest of this day on a new post...