The Longest Day on Record

Yesterday (Tuesday), I woke at 4:30 am in NJ, and as I sit here writing this it is after 9 pm in Prague. It has been an extremely long “day”…but at the same time, it has been a truly wonderful day.

We had a smooth departure from Newark airport (after a bit of delay—likely due to the rain showers), and despite a bit of turbulence, the 6+ hour flight was pretty pleasant. I was able to experience a student’s first flight (since he was 4 years old), so I took on the role of counselor a bit. I also stuck to the back of the line as we went through our “hurry and wait” travels. This led to my “momma duck” nickname as I was constantly urging them from behind.

Upon arrival in Dusseldorf, we were all exhausted, but mustered the energy to get on a much shorter flight to Prague. We landed in Prague at about 8:30 am local time, and our guide Gabriella was there to meet us. Gabriella has done a fine job leading us through Prague today. We encountered rain showers today, but she did her best to keep us dry and moving along.

After dropping off our luggage at Modra Ruze (Blu3e Rose), we headed to the Jewish quarter of the city where we went through the Jewish cemetery, the oldest Jewish synagogue still in operation (in Europe – I believe), and the Spanish synagogue famous for its architecture and design.

Despite being dead on our feet, the group hung together and managed to make it through the walking tour and lunch. After lunch, we checked in to the hotel. We discovered that some of our ladies and gents are living like princes and princesses while others a residing a bit more like the average peon. But in all sincerity, the rooms are all lovely – some just have vaulted ceilings or raised platforms (like my room).

In desperate need to shower and rest, we stayed at the hotel until 5:30 when we went to dinner in the “Old” section of town off of the city’s historic main square. All of our meals include three courses, so we’re glad for all of the walking to balance it out!

Tomorrow, we’re headed outside of the city in the morning as we travel to Terezin and the Lidice.

Despite over-exhaustion and exertion, the trip is going well so far, and everyone seems to be enjoying it!