Edition 9 - Nights Out and Nights In
These last few weeks have been filled with a mix of emotions. From extremely fun nights out in Prague to beautiful hikes, from meaningful conversation about religion to learning more about deep-rooted history, from a sudden and hard trip back home to tears of joy that I made it back when I did. It’s been nothing short of exhausting, but I am so thankful for the people I have in my life.
Czechia (Czech Republic)
February 20 - 26
Prague
I arrived in Prague after a pretty relaxing train ride on Wednesday, February 20th. For whatever reason, the train I took from Bratislava only had train cars with 6-person suites - not a problem for me at all! Somehow, I snagged a suite all to myself and enjoyed the 4-hour ride, attempted to video call a friend despite the lack of WiFi, and finished up the newsletter you read last. Throughout Europe, a large amount of history you will hear about revolves around WWII - it’s a large amount of what I’ve been writing about as well. This mainly stems from the ruin that came during the Nazi Regime, the Communist era, and everything in between. Despite the strong history of destruction throughout Europe for centuries, Prague did not sustain any serious damage. This is what makes the city so unique - it is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world. This allows for a stunning multi-century skyline and buildings with 12th-century basements coupled with 16th (or even 18th) century exteriors.
Prague is also well known for its Jewish Quarter (“Josefov”), home to many historical monuments including the oldest active synagogue in Europe - the Old New Synagogue. Since the 13th century, Jews were expelled from their homes and forced to settle in this area, creating what was the largest Jewish ghetto in Europe. During WWII when all the Jews in the area were deported to concentration camps, this deserted area became a storage place for all confiscated items - now, these items line the walls of the Prague Jewish Museum (the second biggest in the world). Prague is said to have had one of the longest Holocausts because it was the very last city in Europe to be liberated in 1945 - overall, the city had 5 years of weekly transports to Auschwitz.
Overall, here are some highlights from my time in Czechia:
A wonderful beginning to being 26 years old filled with a fun evening out with friends from my hostel, a beautiful hike, and a Shabbat dinner at the local Chabad.
Connecting with someone over Facebook and taking a private 4-hour tour of the Jewish Quarter with them the next day, diving into the very rich history encapsulated within the streets and behind the walls that have been torn down.
Meeting someone in my hostel one evening and spending the entire following day together talking, walking up to Prague Castle, accidentally seeing the changing of the guards, and eating Trdelniks while pretending they were suitable for lunch.
The Czech equivalent of the Secret Service marching into a dinner spot while protecting who we think was a politician of sorts - dinner and a show, if you will!
United States
February 26 - March 26
California
This was not a location that I had intended to fly back to so soon. But, these past 6-months have also been nothing like what I expected it would be like. After Shabbat on Saturday, February 24th, I had a Facetime call with my parents like I usually do. However, during this call, my parents told me that my Grandmother was in the ICU and wasn’t doing well - they asked if I could make it to an airport by Monday to come home. We booked a flight right then and there.
After a 21-hour travel day, I made it to LAX just an hour after my brother arrived from Colorado. The four of us spent the evening together and prepared to spend the entire following day at the hospital - and that’s exactly what we did. We spent the whole day in the hospital with my Grandmother and alongside my cousins, aunts, and uncles. I told everyone about my most recent travels and my Grandma would move her eyebrows in response, to show that she was listening (if you know me, you know that I am very proud of the control I have over my eyebrows and facial expressions so I guess it’s genetic!). My Grandma, the matriarch of this family, passed away that evening surrounded by her incredibly loving family.
Words cannot describe how blessed I feel to have been able to have that final day with her surrounded by the support of the rest of my family. The fact that I was able to fly across the world, have those moments with her, and be present with my family while we mourned together is astonishing. This past week has been heavy, we have spent many nights laughing and crying in each other’s arms. This is what I expect the next few weeks to be like too. Throughout this time I’ll be with my family, catching up with some close friends, telling stories about my amazing Grandma, and attending a memorial in honor of my Great-Uncle who passed away in October. It’ll be an emotionally full month, but it is one that I am happy to have.
Coming Up Next
After losing my Grandma, I thought about sticking around at home until May when we have a very exciting family wedding. I wondered if this was what I was meant to do, if this was a sign that I should pause for an extended period. But then I thought about my Grandma a little more and decided that I would do both - I will stay with my loved ones for the first month of mourning and then start adventuring in Europe again… and here is why:
She loved living through my adventures and hearing my stories - she was so proud and I know that she would want me to do exactly what I am doing. These next few months galavanting won’t be the same without these constant reminders that she is cheering me on. I know she still will be, just in a different way.
With all this being said, where am I off to next? Well, the next newsletter will be set somewhere:
known for pierogies
that has an especially deep and dark history when it comes to WWII
home to a salt mine that produced sodium chloride from the 13th century through 1996
See you in Poland (later this month)!