Prague Highlights Day 2

Day 2 of Prague was spent enjoying the sunshine, doing loads of walking, visiting the Jewish sites (traveler tip- lines at the bookstore are much, much shorter than the museum. I bought a pass that allowed access to the Jewish museum, cemetery and Pinkas synagogue), soaking in the beautiful atmosphere and ending the trip with a FaceTime lunch at cafe with my sister, some goulash and some Czech beer. It was a beautiful day!

Luck is universal

Music man

A tribute to those who lost their lives in the Terrezine concentration camps

It is said the Jewish history in Prague was perfectly preserved because Hitler planned on using it as documentation of an "extinct race".

The cemetery

When the Jewish citizens of Prague ran out of space to bury their dead, and purchasing more land was not allowed to them, they placed layers of soil on the existing graves and placed the tombstones upon the new layers of soil as Jewish custom does not permit the destruction of graves or tombstones. This is why the tombstones are placed so closely together, to account for the number of graves in the cemetery. It is estimated that there are approximately 100,000 people buried in the cemetery (only 12,000 or so tombstones are visible) which has 12 layers of graves.

Easter decorations in full effect

Technology makes distances seem so small :)

Looks WAY better than it tasted, unfortunately.

Ahoj! (Goodbye in Czech)

Book review- Water for Elephants

From the Jacket Cover:

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out—orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive "ship of fools." It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act—in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My Review:

Unlike my previous post, Water for Elephants is a book littered with characters that you can't help falling in love with. Both Jacob and Marlena are extremely relatable by being people living in less than perfect circumstances, making questionable decisions but still having a moral compass even when their situations disallow it. But more than that, Gruen has created a masterpiece out of Rosie using real life instances of elephant behavior and building a character that stays with you long after you've finished reading. Even though this book is somewhat melancholy, I highly recommend it for an entertaining read.

Book Review - Gone Girl

From the jacket cover:

Marriage can be a real killer.
 On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?
  

My review:

I find it really hard to relate to books where I despise every single one of the characters. I found it hard to even latch on to one person in this book as a source of moral redemption.

That said, I read this book cover to cover without putting it down. The writing style and the plot line is so frenetic it sucks you in and doesn't let go until you are finished, even if it does leave you feeling a little hollow and a lot unfulfilled.  Time for a palate cleanser in the form of Bridget Jones' Diary ;)