The saga of Thursday September 12, 2024 in Prague, Czechia
Overnight, the temperature dropped thirty degrees. Just like that we went from profusely sweating all day and night to shivering our tushes off. Apparently, cold and rainy is much more typical for Prague than the sunny, cloudless, hot days we had experienced during our first two weeks here. We had two events scheduled for the day: The Prague Zoo and a tour of our Airbnb host’s recording studio. Even though the weather had changed, we were determined to visit the Prague Zoo. Michaela, our tour guide from the previous day’s tour of Jewish Prague, highly recommended a visit. According to her, the Prague Zoo is world famous as one of the leaders in animal conservation and rehabilitation work. The rest of the forecast predicted more rain and impending floods. The boys promised the temperature change and rain didn’t bother them so off to the zoo we went.
According to Google Maps we would need to take a tram, walk five minutes to a train, walk another five minutes to a bus. No biggy. We’ve done this kind of thing before. Feeling confident, we boarded the tram and waited for our stop. My map must have had a hiccup because we were kicked off the tram at its last stop, which Google Maps did not recognize. After shaking my phone vigorously, the app caught up to us and we continued to walk to the train. We had expected the train to be more like a subway, which is what our other trains in Prague were like. Instead, we arrived at an above ground train station for local railways that looked like it was straight out of a 1960s movie, except that the arrival screen was from the 1980s or 90s. We were the only ones at the station, which made us wonder if we were in the right place. The boys doubted my navigation skills - well, really they had grown accustomed to Google Maps pointing us in the wrong direction until I would shake my phone to recalibrate it, leading to a distrust of Google Maps.
The local train arrived a few minutes late, which added to our concerns about being in the right place. After confirming with the train conductor that we were on the correct train, we boarded the train and sat down in a compartment. Amichai instantly remarked, “This is just like the Hogwarts Express!” Indeed. The boys wondered if someone was going to bring candy or if the dementors were going to show up. Thankfully, neither arrived. A few minutes later we disembarked at another local train station and attempted to find our way to the bus station. No matter how much shaking I did, Google Maps could not figure out where I was. It kept trying to send us into the river nearby. I love swimming, but walking through a river on a cold, drizzly, day wasn’t in my plans. After ten minutes of walking back and forth like a chicken without a head, I found someone who was able to point us in the right direction.
An hour and change later we arrived at the zoo. It did not disappoint. The Prague Zoo covers 140 acres with 120 acres of exhibits for visitors to explore. It is well kept, with beautiful grounds, and includes exhibits with animals from all over the world. There were several that we had never seen before, and we’ve been to many zoos. Many of the exhibits showcased how the zoo’s team was playing a lead role in bringing several species back from the brink of extinction, such as the Gharial, a species of crocodile found in India. The boys enjoyed all of the exhibits, especially the monkeys who were extremely animated and kept throwing food at each other and swinging all around. Other favorite moments included when a tiger raised its leg and peed directly onto the window right where Shai was watching it. Shai exclaimed, “I learned how a tiger pees!” We also had the opportunity to watch a polar bear feeding. Truthfully, feeding is too nice a word. A more apt description would be “tearing apart or shredding its meat with its enormous claws and teeth.” Throughout our visit, Eitan, who aspires to be a zoologist (as well as a NBA player and olympic swimmer), regaled us with his knowledge of many of the animals. We learned so much from him.
We must have walked miles all over the zoo. By 2:00PM the boys were wiped out and ready to go home. We were also in need of food. No complaints from me, my feet were hurting from all of the walking. We chose a less complicated journey home with only a bus and a tram, even though it would take longer. As the boys read on their kindles, I observed the crowd. Up until this point, I had felt very safe in Prague. We even permitted the boys to wear their kippot around Prague, something we did not feel comfortable doing in any of the other cities we had visited. However, on the tram home a young woman wearing a keffiyeh boarded the tram. In that moment, I was grateful none of my boys had chosen to wear their kippot. And then I was ashamed and saddened that I had reached a point where I was so worried about my children’s safety. An otherwise perfect outing had been marred just because a stranger chose to wear a piece of clothing that has become equated with anti-semitism.
We returned just before 6:00PM with just enough time to use the restroom before heading to the basement floor where Richard, our Airbnb host, and his colleague were waiting to show the boys their music studio. Richard, a mild mannered man, was so kind and completely bemused by how the boys zoomed about exploring every instrument they were allowed to touch and wishing aloud how they could press all of the buttons. Every few minutes he would chuckle and tell me, “I didn’t realize how curious and energetic your boys are!” At one point, he created a drum circle with several percussion instruments for the boys to play. He played with them for at least thirty minutes, each boy getting a turn on a different instrument. Richard was a fantastic percussionist himself, and hoped that our time in the studio would inspire the boys to pursue their own music. It was such a kind and simple act that we will always remember.
We capped off the day with dinner and Shai as our guest DJ for the night.
