Saturday, July 5, 2014

Independence Day in Prague!

This morning the Singers had a great breakfast at the hotel before heading out to Prague Castle. En route, we explored the St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Palace, Golden Lane, and St. George's Basilica with a tour guide.After lunch inside the castle grounds, Youth Chorale headed to the Charles Bridge for shopping and views of the city. Then the Singers visited the Old Jewish Quarter's synagogue - now a Holocaust memorial, containing the names of all known Czech victims of the genocide as well as the drawings of the children from Terezin (where Youth Chorale will be stopping tomorrow). Then, a walk through one of the many Jewish cemeteries - including tombstones dating back to the 14th century. According to Jewish tradition, the remains of the dead are not allowed to be moved after they have been laid to rest, so gravediggers created layers of land on top of one another (about 10 in all) and place all of the tombstones on the top layer to show the names of the deceased. There are about 12,000 tombstones in this relatively small cemetery but believed to be the remains about 85,000 people.

Following the Old Jewish Quarter, the Choir walked to the Old Town Square which contains the Astronomical Clock Tower and numerous musicians playing for change. The group dined at a traditional Czech restaurant where Singers got a taste of New Cuisine!

Finally, the Singers rehearsed for their upcoming concert in Dresden on Sunday. Today, Youth Chorale is off to Terezin concentration camp (about an hour away from Prague) and then to Dresden for a home stay.


Back of St. Vitus Cathedral


Inside St. George's Basilica


View of Prague while descending from the castle (it was on a huge hill!)


Wedding pictures taken next to the Charles Bridge


View from the Charles Bridge


Tyn Church from Old Town Square



Panorama shot from Old Gothic portion of St. Vitus Cathedral

3 comments:

  1. Hope everyone is having fun!! Please tell the kids who are using their phones for photos (Sara Cox!!) that they must have their phones powered up when returning to the United States. You may not have heard that the TSA has a new rule, which will be in force when you return in a week. Any electronics that cannot be powered "on" in security may not be allowed on the flight. I would hate for all those photos/souvenirs to be lost! Hope all is well!! Jennifer and Grace

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  2. here's the link to the tsa article:
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2014/07/06/tsa-enhanced-screening-for-electronic-devices/

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  3. Hello Everyone and Sara!
    Hope you all have arrived safely in Riga and the accommodations you were hoping for are the ones you received (in town rather than out-of-town, right?!?!!) I am sure all of YC and their fearless leaders need a good night's rest and a good time with friends!! Hope TCC arrives safely! Good luck with the competition!! Let us know how things are going!!
    Love You Sara!! Mom and Grace

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