A visit from a friend!

This is a picture of a stained glass window inside St. Vitus Cathedral on the Prague Castle grounds.  These windows are phenomenally intricate and amazingly beautiful.  I think that Uncle John would enjoy the craftsmanship of these windows.

This is one of many photographs I have of the Jewish Cemetery.  This photo is just a glimpse of what this small, but vast, area looked like.

This is just a picture overlooking the Vltava River, Prague Castle, and St. Vitus Cathedral

Hello-

Well another week has flown by in Prague and I have been here for almost a full month.  This week was full of celebrations, reminiscing about the past, and new experiences.  Two friends had 21st birthdays this week in Prague and the festivities of lent began all around the city.  On Fat Tuesday we celebrated a birthday by going to a club with a masquerade theme.  On the way home my roommates and I noticed that something was being set-up in the Old Town Square.  The next morning, Ash Wednesday, we realized that lent festivities had taken over Prague.  Old Town Square had been turned into a mini-medieval town.  There are semi-permanent vendors and almost a constant array of bands, dancers, and performers hanging out in the street.  Everyday since Wednesday the square has been filled with people eating, drinking, and celebrating.  We don't know when it ends but we are assuming it last through Easter Monday.

A friend from home, Sarah Johnson, came to visit for the weekend.  On friday we went to dinner with some friends and then out to an underground pub.  Saturday we spent seeing the sites.  I took her to the John Lennon Wall, the Bridge, the Square, the Castle, and everywhere in between.  Saturday night we attempted to find U Fleku, one of the most famous beer halls in Prague, but upon arrival we were saddened to find it closed.  Instead, we went to the cocktail lounge called Nebe across the way.  

The following morning we woke up and headed for the Jewish Quarter.  A group of us toured the synagogues and the Jewish Cemetery.  This was one of the most emotional sites I have ever seen.  This cemetery was established in the 15th century and burials took place until 1787.  Today, the cemetery contains 12,000 headstones, but the number of people buried their is up to 100,000.  The size of the cemetery was not large enough so earth was brought in to make room for more graves, so while I walked the path I was truly walking over thousands of tombs buried below the surface.  The experience, was to say the least, humbling.  It is a site that I hope all people get to see one day.

As the weekend ended and the cold I was developing got stronger, a nap and hot chocolate was the cure I needed.  I woke up this morning, endured 6 hours of history class and I am now ready for a box of kleenax and my bed.  I hope you are not freezing or drowning in the snow but I have an inkling you are. Love. Anna