Day 44. Thursday 14 May.

Put in some time this morning to make travel and accomodation bookings for the next stage. Decided to take in a few nights in Bratislava (breaking the journey to Budapest). All set.

Into Prague on the train – on RegioJet, the other provider – a bit uncertain whether our free travel still applied. The ticket inspector accepted the proffered passports, again without checking, and roared with laughter when D said, ‘but thanks for asking.’ She said she had to because with foreigners their age was hard to pick! 60? 65? 70? All look the same’.

At the station a young boy – early teens – was just finishing playing on the public piano. He was very competent and was asked by a group of young men, who looked like a bucks’ party, to play a tune to which they sang – very badly. But everyone was happy.

We were headed for the Decorative Arts Museum Prague, but couldn’t pass by the Jerusalem Synagogue, so named because of the street it was built on. One lone security guard who seemed completely relaxed: we went through a scanner but kept our day bags.

There was a permanent exhibition and a temporary one. The temporary one was Patchwork of Czech Synagogal Windows that presents a selection of 18 patchwork works inspired by synagogue windows. Each of them is an encounter between two worlds: precise architecture and soft matter, glass and textiles, memory and contemporary craftsmanship. T learned of a new technique: Japanese meshing…a bit like raw edge weaving.

The other is titled “The Jewish Community in Prague from 1945 to the Present,” presenting the post-war history of the Jewish community in Prague using unique photographs, documents, and documentary films, capturing key moments of the Jewish population from the end of World War II to the present day. It was confronting and eerily reflective of recent events at home. A final sentence as we exited resonated: ‘….That however often ran up against what are today incomprehensible difficulties with the authorities.’ History rhyming?

There was also an exhibition about restored synagogues around the Czech Republic. Many of these are now in the local town ownership (rather than belonging to the Jewish community), but each town preserving the history and the heritage for future generation. By now we were overloaded, so it was a cursory walk through.

A much-needed coffee was next, and then the by now familiar walk towards the river through the Old Town.

By the time we’d reached Charles’ Bridge we knew there was no time for the Decorative arts so decided to get tickets for a 5:30 PM concert, and in the meantime get a beer or something equivalent somewhere quiet. Tickets bought, Charles Burger Bar provided the other ingredient, although it was no longer quiet by the time we left! Timing perfect – back to Church of St. Salvador to take our pews ready for the performance.

The musicians – six violinists, a viola, a cellist and a bass player – are from the Czech Symphony Orchestra, so were as good as you’d expect. And the organist was superb. The program was sort of a compilation of well-known classical favourites…our toes could tap along. For T the standout was the mezzo…Handel & Schubert & the Bach on the organ. T had to ‘block out’ the camera holders in the row in front!!!!

By the end, we were done (again); T suggested that we could have dinner at home (she had a pork thing in mind & needed only a leek & another potato, that Billa would have…actually 3 potatoes, 2 carrots & big bunch of parsley bought) so headed for home by train.. The vagaries of the train system hadn’t finished with us just yet! Checked the Departures board to see that a train that should suit us departed soon on what we thought was Platform 5. We became a bit suspicious when the train on Platform 4 loaded and departed, at the same time as ‘our’ train was supposed to & there was no one else on Platform 5. D went into the ticket office to check, and after eventually getting the staff to hear ‘Klanovice’ in an Australian accent, was advised it was S1 – which we already knew. What platform? S1. By this time there was only one train, arriving, at Platform 1, which was crowded, and it had S1 on its electronic display. That’ll do, and it did.

Home by 2000 & pork delicious served by 2100. We’ll sort the next concert tomorrow.