I knew enough tourist Czech to respond to basic questions having memorized a few phrases before my trip so long as they were spoken to me s-l-o-w-l-y and repeatedly, but naturally got flustered when it came time to use them. Determined to be polite, I carried on with the conversation. Can you please repeat that? Despite a rather inauspicious beginning, my trip took a decided turn for the better the next morning. I was finally in Prague and I wanted to see as much of it as I could in the short amount of time I was here.
I wanted to indulge this need to travel back in timeβMarch , to be exactβa need brought on by having read and reread the All Souls Trilogy. Winter lent the sunlight a gleaming quality, and it was a very sunny day even if the temperature outside hovered between the 20s and the 30s throughout.
I saw my first proper view of the iconic Charles Bridge and felt that shiver of excitement that so often comes with the first day of exploring a new place. I was on my way to Josefov for a tour of the Jewish Quarter, eager to start my time travel. We found Rabbi Loew via a serpentine route that made me long for a bag of bread crumbs to be sure we could find our way back.
The residents slid cautious glances in our direction, but few dared to greet us. Navigating the narrow entrance and the short set of stairs, we made our careful way forward and down.
Although Hannah spoke in a conversational tone, I noticed that my fellow tourists and I kept our voices low out of respect for our surroundings.
