I'm Praugenant

I'm in love with Prague. The preggos have a special place here in my heart. I'm Praguenant. The place is so diverse in people and architecture. This town's seen so much action between the Holy Wars, Nazis, and Communism.

I sat where the evilest Nazi used to play his violin. I walked around where 27 Elderman were beheaded for starting a revolution. I ate a Czech crepe where a leader of Prague announced they were now a communist country, the list goes on and on. It's fascinating to walk the same cobblestone streets where so much happened. Prague is a great place to write, inspiration is everywhere you look.

I'm so torn right now, I don't have enough time to go see a museum I wanted to see the whole time I've been here. It's called the Pinkas Synagogue in the Jewish part of Prague. During the beginning of the Holocaust, the Nazi's were having a hard time getting adults to work because their kids were so distressed with the brutal living conditions. To solve this, the Nazis brought in a famous Jewish artist to start an art therapy program for the kids. The kids drew everything which tormented them. From what I've heard, the interesting part is the kids drew pictures of happy times and their old homes before the concentration camp. It was their way of saying they missed what was taken away from them. Eventually, the Nazi's figured out a more efficient way of killing Jews with the gas chambers and everything so the Jewish artist was sent to a death camp along with all the kids. Before the artist was shipped off, she hid thousands of the drawings in a special place where it wasn't discovered until long after the war was over. These paintings are on display and they're all these kids ever were able to contribute to the world. Also, there's a room dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust from Moravia and Bohemia. Every name of the 80,000 who died is written on the wall. All the walls of the room are covered with the names. I've heard it's a powerful experience and I don't have enough time to find out for myself. Scheisse.

Ahh it's already 10:30 over here which gives me two hours. Two hours to get there, check it out, potentially get lost in the city (it's a nightmare to navigate), and make it back to the train station by 12:30. Scheisse. I don't have enough time.

I'm going to have to come back to Prague. I know where to stay for 5 Euro a night with a free breakfast included and I know where the cheapest beer is. Add on the concentration camp visit and the Pinkas museum and it's a worthwhile two day visit.

-Matt