Our Gate 1 Travel, 11-day Christmas Market River Cruise started with a few days in Prague.
While we met some people who did a shorter trip, flew into Germany, and boarded the cruise in Regensburg, quite a few added the Prague pre-trip. We’re so glad we chose the Prague portion, as it was fantastic. Neither of us had ever been to the Czech Republic, and we had the best time. We both mentioned that it was a city we’d like to revisit when the weather gets warmer.
Arriving in Prague
Our flights took us from Merida to Mexico City, then to Amsterdam, and finally to Prague, where we arrived late in the evening.
We always arrive at least a day early to relax, adjust to the time change, and explore a bit on our own.
This time, the travel really wore us out. Not to mention, we’re not used to the cold, so we relaxed at the hotel and enjoyed the peace.
The Art Deco Imperial Hotel
Na Poříčí 15
110 00 Praha, Czech Republic
We generally try to stay at the host hotel when we arrive early. It sometimes costs a bit more, but it keeps us from changing rooms and hauling luggage across the city to save a few dollars.
This time, the Art Deco Imperial Hotel was worth it because it was centrally located and quite impressive. Arriving late in the evening also made the location easy to reach.
There has been a building on this site since 1383. The building was burned during the Swedish siege of Prague at the end of the Thirty-Year War, and renovation on what became The Black Eagle Inn began in 1840.
The hotel has had a fascinating history over the years, with the likes of Czechoslovakia’s first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, writer Franz Kafka, and composer Leoš Janáček staying there.
In 2022, an extensive renovation brought this spectacular hotel back to its former glory. The deco details are just amazing, especially inside the hotel’s restaurant, the Cafe Imperial.
Our Room
The hotel was so much fun to explore. The hallways were like a step back in time with small art deco details, old wooden doors, and huge numbered plaques.
The room was a good size, and the bed was super comfortable, which was wonderful after a long trip. The bathroom was spacious, and we had great water pressure and plenty of hot water.
The Cafe Imperial
The restaurant was the most famous grand cafe house for nearly 100 years, and the restoration brought the Art Nouveau ceramic tiling back to its original 1914 glory.
The Celebrity TV Star Chef Zdenek Pohlreich manages Cafe Imperial. He’s sort of the “Gordon Ramsey” of the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, reservations for the restaurant featuring Czech cuisine with a modern twist are hard to come by. But we had all of our breakfasts there.
The breakfast buffet was delicious, offering plenty of options and a few a la carte items we could order.
Exploring Prague’s Jewish Quarter
With some of Prague’s major sites included in our tour package, we explored a bit on our own during our free day. We began by exploring Prague’s Jewish Quarter.
In the 1300s, Jewish people from across Prague were moved to one neighborhood. Later in the 1500s, Jewish people from Moravia, Germany, Austria, and Spain were relocated to the same area. At one point, Hitler planned to keep this neighborhood as a “Museum to an Extinct Race.”
To this end, many of the buildings were preserved, and numerous artifacts from other parts of the land were brought here. So, fortunately, a lot of history was preserved.
Remembrance Stones
Remembrance Stones, also known as Stolpersteine, or Stumbling Stones, can be found across Europe. These memorial stones are brass plates cast in a concrete block. They commemorate persecuted and murdered individuals. These include Jews, Sinti, Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals.
They are part of an art project by Gunter Demnig, who in 1993 published a piece on the concept for the project. As of 2024, over 107,000 of these stones have been laid in 1900 municipalities across Europe. We saw these in Prague and have seen them in several other cities on this and other trips.
You can find them in front of the last known home someone lived freely. They begin with “Here Lived” and usually contain the person’s name, birth year, deportation camp, and year of their death.
“A Person is only forgotten when their name is forgotten.” – The Talmud
The Old New Synagogue
We visited the Old-New Synagogue, which dates back to 1270 and was once known as the New Synagogue. However, as newer synagogues were built, the name was changed to differentiate it from others.
It was pretty simple, crowded, and challenging to get photos. But the memorials and historic relics made it worth the visit.
Legend has it that the foundation stones for the Old-New Synagogue were brought by angels from the destroyed Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, on the condition that they are returned when the temple is rebuilt.
Weird Random Stuff
Another legend tells us that the body of Golem, a creature made of clay brought to life by a local to protect the Jewish community, lies in the attic.
Mark bought a small Golem to add to our collection of religious iconography from around the world.
The Spanish Synagogue
The Spanish Synagogue is stunning! Built on the site of Prague’s oldest house of prayer, it is constructed in the Moorish Revival style and is said to be the most beautiful synagogue in Europe.
In addition to what we’ve shown, there is an incredible collection of Jewish religious items and historic displays.
There are six synagogues in Prague’s Jewish Quarter. But we had limited time, and this was a must-visit for us.
Old Jewish Cemetery
We also visited the Old Jewish Cemetery. Established in the 15th century, it is quite possibly one of the oldest surviving Jewish burial grounds in the world.
It’s a solemn place that evokes lots of emotions, especially for Mark, who is of Jewish ancestry.
In the Jewish faith, visitors to a cemetery often leave a small pebble on the grave stone of a loved one. It’s a more permanent reminder of a visit than flowers, which will die, and is thought to anchor the loved one to the site.
Random Weird Stuff
In this cemetery, some visitors left notes, folded and placed under a stone on a gravestone. Chuck was scolded by a tour guide for taking a photograph of the note. Mind you, he never unfolded it, moved it, or even touched it. We found this quite odd, as people were photographing graves everywhere around us. He was moved by the fact that people still left notes and wanted to capture it.
We’re so glad we took some time to visit this incredible part of Prague’s history. We would love to explore more on a future visit.
Our First Christmas Market
Just up the block from our hotel was a small Christmas market, a half dozen food stalls, and a few shops. We arrived on its opening night and walked up to grab a quick dinner.
We enjoyed Kolbasa, some Cabbage, and Fried Potatoes. It was the perfect way to start off our trip.
How amazing! Dave and I ate lunch at the Cafe Imperial and I sat facing that clock! It was delicious! I remember the entrance especially as it had all the books and bits about Celebrity TV Star Chef Zdenek Pohlreich.
The Jewish Quarter was amazing to see, but we were not able to go into the Old-New Synagogue for some reason, I can’t remember why now. I loved the time we spent in Prague. There was a cute little Italian restaurant in that area where we ate dinner one evening.
We only had breakfast there but they did an incredible job. To be completely honest the Old-New Synagogue allowed us only to enter the women’s side. We found it very simple,not at all ornate and just a few historical pieces.