The Old Jewish Cemetery It was in use from the
early 15th century (the oldest preserved tombstone, the one of Avigdor Kara, dates back to 1439) until 1787. The numbers of grave stones and numbers of people buried there are uncertain, because there are layers
of tombs. However, it has been estimated that there are approximately 12,000 tombstones presently visible and have been catalogued,
and there may be as many as 100,000 burials in all.
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So what did we think of Prague? On the plus
side it has some beautiful monuments, sculptures, buildings and cathedrals. On the minus side, it is extremely crowded with
tourists. We were there in mid-September. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like during the Summer.
The locals do not like tourists. Very unfriendly unless you are spending money, then they are really friendly until
they have the cash in hand, then its go away, we don't have time for you and no we do not wish to carry on a conversation
with you. The old lady collecting entrance fees at the Jewish cemetery was a real מכשפה
(witch), hiding behind one-way glass so all you could see were hands and speaking in an unfriendly voice. One
local, a business man judging by his dress, actually grabbed Ms Skunk by the shoulders and shoved her out of his way while
walking down the street. (And yes, the Skunk verbally sprayed him!) Other than the one police lady at the train station,
the police are definitely not your friends. Ask one for directions and you will be dismissed by a flick of the hand
and turning their back to you. I am glad we went but I will never go back. For an Eastern European city visit,
Budapest has Prague beat hands down!
This concludes our European tour. It was up at 3:00 AM to catch the
connecting flight to Amsterdam and home.
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