The Prague conference was my second international conference. International conferences are my favorite because the conference program tends to have a nice portion of entertainment/fun, in addition to the main scholarly events. Above is my new favorite accordion player in the world, who was playing in the “Czech Pub” of the Municipal House where the conference party was held on Thursday night. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
On Monday, I landed and went on the food tour. I stayed at the Hotel Carlo IV, which was beautiful and in a nice location on the boundary of the Old Town. The immediate area didn’t feel too tourist-y and there was a tram stop steps away. I recommend it! That evening, I went out to Naše Maso, which I’ve already written about.
Tuesday was the first day of the conference. I attended the conference all day and that evening, I took a walk to a beautiful overlook, Pražsky metronom. After the sunset, I walked down the hill and came upon what I think is an even better overlook: Vyhlídka na Letné- not quite as high but with a slightly better view of the bridges lined up along the river.
If I had another evening free, this is where I would go again! I’ve placed a map above showing the two viewpoints as well as the Letna Lookout beer garden where I would like to go on a nice day when I return to Prague :).
That evening, I went to a pizza restaurant because my stomach felt a little off from jetlag. It did the trick, although I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it. They had a really nice wait staff though, so if you need some pizza or pasta near the St. Charles bridge, it’s worth a go.
The next day was another full conference day. It was my favorite because it had the most sessions related to health policy and applying guidelines, which is my main area of interest. So, that was a fulfilling day. That evening, I went to Kantyna, which was absolutely spectacular. I went back for lunch on my last day and if I was in town longer, I would have gone again another evening. It was a lot of fun and such a unique set-up with terrific food and drinks.
Thursday was the third conference day and by that point, I certainly felt very well-educated on the methodology of systematic reviews! After the conference, I did the first half of the Rick Steves’ walk under cloudy skies before heading back to the hotel to get ready for the conference party.
The party was amazing. It was held in the Obecní Dům (Municipal House), a beautiful Art Deco building. When I got there, the organist was giving a recital. Then, the course director, a Czech academic, sang a song, beautifully!
I met up with a CRNA/PhD and we hung out for most of the evening. We also met a young women from Cochrane South Korean as well as a super dynamic Brazilian couple. I hung out with the couple for a bit and ended up dancing with the Brazilian group once the main room’s music switched from organ music to club music.
After a bit of dancing, I wandered off through the rooms of the Municipal Hall. It was beautiful. I felt very lucky that the event was there and we had such great access to the building.
The next day, I had already decided to skip the conference and make it a tourist day. I packed up, checked out, and left my bags at the hotel. I finished the second half of the Rick Steves’ walk, which ended on the St. Charles bridge. I walked along the riverfront in Lesser Town, through some parks, and accidentally found the Lennon wall. It was cool, but I wasn’t specifically seeking it out.
I was trying to get to the Střelecký ostrov (Shooter’s Island?!) because the food tour guide Leona had said it was a nice atmosphere to walk along the paths of the middle-of-the-river islands. It was nice! It was also drizzly and windy, so I’ll have to go again on a nicer day.
I walked back to Lennon Wall side of the bridge and caught the tram to St Nicholas Church in Lesser Town, which Leona said was prettier than St. Nicholas Church/Cathedral in Old Town. It’s the most famous Baroque church in Prague (this is lifted straight from Google, so it must be true) and it’s very elaborate. There’s a small entrance fee and then I was free to wander around. It’s a very impressive place.
Then, I walked back towards Old Town and passed the Memorial to the Victims and Winners of the Second Resistance in Klarov Park. Across the bridge, I snuck into the university library to use the bathroom. At that point, I had to make a decision. I had heard about the Moorish-style interior of the Spanish synagogue and I had to decide if I wanted to go. I was almost put off by having to buy a multi-site Jewish Quarter ticket when I just wanted to go to one site but then I gave myself a little mental shake to get over it! When would I be in Prague again? I mean, I hope to be but you never know.
I am so glad I went to the Jewish Quarter! I bought my ticket outside the Pinkas Synagogue. It was an unexpectedly moving experience because inside the synagogue is a memorial to the 80,000 Czech Jews who died during the Holocaust. The names fill up several rooms in a legible, but small, font. It is so sad and the magnitude of loss feels so immense and heavy. It made me think of a small example of an opposite effect, when Sir Nicholas Winton was surprised on BBC’s That’s Life program by many of the middle-aged adults in the audience actually having been children that he saved. So to see so many, many more names on the interior walls of the Pinkas Synagogue was a very sad memorial of how much life and potential was lost.
Immediately outside the PInkas Synagogue is the Jewish Cemetery, which is a very small burial ground with generations of the dead literally buried on top of one another. The oldest tombstone dates back to 1439.
Next, I headed over to the Spanish Synagogue. The tilework was very Moorish, as were some of the light fixtures. It was very beautiful and I’m glad I went. But I’m even more happy that I saw the Pinkas Synagogue, which I never would have seen if it hadn’t been for the multi-site ticket and my love of Moorish tilework and design that made me want to see the Spanish Synagogue, even though I didn’t have a lot of time.
I had a quick lunch of beef tartare at Kantyna before heading to the airport. I took the bus to the airport. This was a mistake. On the rainy afternoon, the expected 30-45 minute trip turned into 90 minutes. I slept through most of the bus ride but when I woke up, the tension among some of the passengers was high. I don’t think anyone expected the trip to take that long. I was worried, but fortunately my flight was delayed and I made it. I am tempted to make up some rule like, “Always take the rails” but in bad weather, sometimes that doesn’t work either. I remember when my brother, sister, and college friends almost missed their flight when the Narita Express was delayed by winds while the bus probably would have been the better option.
Anyway, it worked out, my flight took off, and I was on my way to the next city/adventure: Vienna!