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Advantages: Touching and powerful memorial Disadvantages: Queues to get in
I was quite surprised that I am the first to review the Pinkas Synagogue as I believed it was one of the big attractions in Prague which is itself a highly visited city. If this isn't the case then I have one thing to say; it should be!
Originally founded in 1497 by Rabbi Pinkas (hence the name!) and variously rebuilt, restored and altered since then, the Pinkas Synagogue is now a moving Holocaust memorial. Like most eastern cities, Prague had had a large Jewish population and it is estimated that less than 10% survived the second World War. The synagogue is situated beside the old Jewish Cemetery in the Jewish Quarter of the city.
The idea and design of the memorial were that of the painters Václav Bostík (b. 1913) and Jiří John (1923-1972) who created it between 1954 and 1959. The interior of the synagogue was filled ...
Advantages: Cheap, good restaurants Disadvantages:
Mikulov in the wine growing region of Moravia is an easy journey away from Vienna, just over the Czech border. Amongst things to be recommended to see are the remains of the synagogue destoryed by the Nazis, and there are a lot of renaissance townhouses, which until recently were falling into disrepair but have started to be restored now. The hill town has the castle and it used to be a real centre of commerce. For a great restaurant and hotel just outside Mikulov, try Hotel Drnholec, run by an Englishman, and offering great road at great prices. Alternatively in the town itself, there are a great selection of wine cellars around the market square to take your pick of. ...
Advantages: beautiful beawch, laid back, the medina Disadvantages: not enough there for a week,
wood but only bought a few bits and pieces to take back home.
I found Essaouira to be a very bohemian artistic town. Everywhere you turned there were little art galleries, which were free to wander round. I enjoyed watching the artists in residence working hard on their latest masterpiece whilst admiring their previous works. Again it was nice to be able to browse without any hassle .
Essaouira is cosmopolitan and Europeans were encouraged to settle in the port alongside a small Jewish community harboured there during the Second World War. This community has dwindled down to a handful of families but there are reminders of them including some signs in Hebrew and a small active Synagogue. It is difficult to find, as it is hidden away in a little alleyway in the area of the town furthest away from the port and beach. I would ...
