June 5th, Prague. The weather continues to cooperate and it's been warm, but not very humid. A nice change from just a couple of days ago. I went into the downtown area for a bit, and I decided to visit the Jewish section during the morning. While waiting for a tram, there was a enjoyable and colorful parade coming down one of the main streets. I wasn't able to determine the purpose of the parade, but one of the people I spoke to said it represents an early historical period of the city.

I then went into the Jewish section of Prague for a few hours. This area of town is what is left after World War II. Now, there are 1600 Jews living here, where as before the war, upwards of 60,000 lived here. This amazing area exhibits the traditions, customs and legends of the Jewish people in Prague from their early settlements in the 10th century. The remains of the community include what were 5 synagogues. These are now museums with artifacts dating back to the inception of the community in the 1300's. The Jewish community in Prague is considered one of the oldest in Europe. I spent around 3 hours going through the various museums, had a bit of lunch found my back to the tram.

I had a 3 p.m. appointment at the observatory in Prague with a Mr. Martin Fuchs. I found my way to the cable car that takes tourists and residents up the steep hill into a beautiful park area. The park has a variety of activities, including a "hall of mirrors", rose garden, a replica of the Eiffel Tower (about 1/3 size) and the observatory.

I met Martin Fuchs and he was gracious enough to spend around 1 1/2 hours with me. We toured the observatory, talked about telescopes and discussed the instruments. Afterwards, we went to Martin's office where I showed him my website and we talked about telescope making. All in all, it was a very enjoyable visit, and one that I will not soon forget.

Tomorrow I'll be "on the road" a bit, heading for Budapest. I've also decided to add Auschwitz to my iternary, so I'll be going to Krakow before heading to Berlin and Then Amsterdam.

Oh yes, andJennifer will be joining me in Amsterdam? What a great way to end this adventure!. Don't ya think?

Later