Pro-Israel Vienna-Prague TR

[Proisrael]

Decided on a last minute trip to central Europe.
The basic plan was to land in Budapest Sunday Afternoon get some food and head off to Vienna by train(little under 3 hours) stay in Vienna until Monday late afternoon and take a train to Prague until Wednesday afternoon where I would go back to Budapest for the flight home.


Found myself some relatively cheap tickets with Wizz Air got permission from DW and asked a cousin of mine if he would like to go away for a few days. Flight was into and out of Budapest for around 130$ I paid for priority and an extra hand bag (Tallis Tiffilin take up too much room). Left by train to the Airport for my morning flight. Arrived no problem bus to terminal 1 and through security pretty quick. No check in luggage so smooth sailing.



After landing in Budapest we got introduced to the horrible security situation in Europe. We waited over 90 minutes to clear passport control. The place was a zoo. People had waited for 90 minutes and the decided to change the lane to EU passports and they forced everyone to the back of the lanes.
Due to this delay we decided to go straight to the train station as there was no time for food. Budapest has 2 main stations Keleti and Nyugati. Trains to Vienna leave from Keleti. It is a huge old station with a ton of unsavory people and unsanitary bathrooms but it has such a unique feeling to it that it's a must see.

20180506_153214 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr

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After getting on the train we settled in economy for the 3 hour journey to Vienna. Seats were really not so comfortable and I swore the next trains were all going to be first class. This picture is one good reason to go First:

20180506_164539 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr

Getting into Vienna we walked from the station to Aleph Aleph for some food. Now I do not know if it was because I was so hungry but I thought the food was absolutely amazing. We started with the hummos mushroom and falafal plate and then we each had the veal cutlet which I highly recommend!!!! Being in Vienna we had to taste the Strudel which my cousin thought was good but i am not a fan of them in general so no opinion from me. (4/5)

20180506_200032 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr

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After Dinner we went to get our AirBnB for the night. We paid 65$ and got a one bedroom 2 bed apartment. It was very clean and worked amazing for us as it was a quick 3-4 minute walk to the main Shul there and Aleph Aleph.

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In the morning we went to daven at the Stadttempl which is officially the oldest continuous shul, in operation, in Europe. It was a little interesting going through security to daven with 3 soldiers posted outside and security inside. They daven shachris in the small room not the main Shul. After davening we asked if we can get a little private tour along with a few other guests and they gave us no problem. The Shul was absolutely amazing! It is Grand and beautiful and takes your breath away. Outside the main entrance they have the names of all the Jews who dies in the Holocaust engraved on tablets. It is very moving and helps put things in perspective.

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Very odd yet beautiful skylight

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Each of these lines have hundreds of names on them.

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After davening we walked about 20 minutes to the other Jewish area for breakfast at the kosher bakery. We both got coffee and an egg sandwich plus some pastries for the day.(3/5)

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As a side note I was always terrified to go to Europe after hearing all the stories. But walking through Vienna and seeing the Chasidim and more Dati people all walking with hats or kippa seruga I definitely felt more comfortable. I wore a cap all the time but my cousin walked with his kippa most of the time. We then walked back to our apartment, walking along the waterfront which is very nice, to go check out of the AirBnB. After getting our stuff we took an Uber to the Schonbron Palace. When we got to the desk they only had openings for the tour in an hour's time so we explored the grounds. It was mind blowing. We walked the gardens and the fields with statues everywhere.

20180507_085819 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr

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We paid for the 44 room tour of the palace. I guess the best way to say it, is it's a must do but never something I would pay to see again. Half the rooms see like duplicates (how many bedrooms and tearooms can someone have??). They are extremely strict about no pictures so sadly all I have is a small video with my phone in my pocket which came out as bad as it sounds.

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The grounds of the palace:

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After the Palace we went back to Vienna to check out the Jewish museum which turned out to be all about the Jews and communism (not much to be proud of) but they did have an amazing artifact collection on the 4th floor.

Canes they gave the Jews to use in Nazi Germany:
20180507_142508 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr

 After the tour we went to eat at Novellino but they were closing and shut the kitchen already. They mentioned to us there is another place called Mean Shearim that opened around 6 months ago. After going inside they told us that they did not have all options available that day but they had sushi available if we wanted. Boy what an amazing place!!!! The Sushi was absolutely the best and freshest sushi I ever ate. We got the combination platter and each and every type was delicious!
We were going to order pizza at the pizza store for supper in Prague but they told us they could make schnitzel if we wanted. We decided on the schnitzel instead of running to the pizza store. (Rating 5/5)

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Small portion of the big menu
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We took another Uber to the train station and got on the 4 hour train to Prague.

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 First class is an absolute must when traveling! Seats are spacious they move back usually empty and you get free water . The ride passed really quick BH, with only some slight issues with a mentally disturbed individual taking drugs in the bathroom....hey it's Europe.

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Arriving in Prague we walked again to the apartment we rented with AirBnB. This time it was a disaster. We had messaged the host the day before what time we would be there and she told us to give her a 10 minute warning. We gave her a 30 minute warning a 20 minute warning and 10 minute warning. Of course they showed up 30 minutes late. The apartment was a disaster. Garbage left on the floor toilet seat broken floor caving in....it was too late to change and because it was Europe day everything was very expensive. ( I have since received a 50% refund)

Prague Train station
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In the morning I walked over to a shul a saw on Go Daven but apparently they closed years ago...I walked past the Spanish Synagogue

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 and the Old-New Shul

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Jewish City Hall
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before finally heading to chabad for shachris. After davening I went back to the apartment to put the tefillin back and then went to eat breakfast at the chabad milchig restaurant. Food was ok, we had the omelette and Coffee and split a tuna melt. (Rated 2.75/5)
We had decided to take a river tour or rent a boat. As we were walking along the waterfront we passed this sign about walking on water. After checking it out I decided my cousin was going to be the guinea pig to check it out. The idea is you go into this massive balloon that they blew up with Air. After it's full (you are already inside) they seal it up completely. The only air you have is in the balloon. Then they push you into the water and you need to try to walk on the water. They set a timer for 10 minutes before they pull you back in. My cousin loved it. I was too chicken to try.

Charles Bridge:
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Torture museum (I feel most are torture)
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Walking on water:
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So we left and took an Uber to the Kings Palace known as Prague Palace. The Uber drops you off at the bottom and you need to walk, what looks like a million steps, up the mountain to the castle.

View from the top of the steps:
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Entrance to the Castle. If someone can explain the statue...
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 After getting to the top we entered but decided against paying for anything as most of what there is to do is churches and cathedrals. As we were walking through the grounds we passed a sign for a matenee for some classical music. Being in Prague we had to do this. The musical took place in the palace which was really cool. The musical was absolutely amazing. They had someone playing the Piano,flute and violin. It was for one hour and it was amazing. They played from some of the most famous pieces of Mozart and Beethoven who may have played in the same room hundreds of years before for the king and palace.

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More views:
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Not sure why there was smoke...tried to google it but google failed me ;(
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After the Palace we headed over to the Tv Tower 2 which is where the Noda Beyehuda is buried. We decided to go up the observation tower before heading to the Kever. The views are amazing from up there and it cost about $10 so if you like views it is worth it otherwise skip.

Alien like tower:
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Cemetery of the Noda Beyhuda below:
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Going into the cemetery was an amazing experience, now living in Israel and having har hazeisim and all the other cemeteries you would think its no big deal but these cemeteries just have such an old look to it and the history is just felt so much more here then in Israel.

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[mmgfarb]

Nice TR! Thanks for sharing!

[shmuels2]

Getting into Vienna we walked from the station to Aleph Aleph for some food. Now I do not know if it was because I was so hungry but I thought the food was absolutely amazing. We started with the hummos mushroom and falafal plate and then we each had the veal cutlet which I highly recommend!!!! Being in Vienna we had to taste the Strudel which my cousin thought was good but i am not a fan of them in general so no opinion from me. (4/5)

20180506_203300 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr

Is shnitzel in Vienna always Wienerschnitzel, even if not made out of veal?

Great TR!

[US]

Great TR! It actually reminds me of when I was there.. both are beautiful places to visit.

[Proisrael]

Sorry about the pictures being so big....gonna make the next short segment with the smaller pictures

[Proisrael]

After davening at the Noda Beyhuda we ubered back to Prague to check out Wenceslas Square which is just a huge promenade wit shops some cool statues and buildings.

20180508_154749 by ProIsrael Israel, on Flickr

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After that we decided to go eat at Dinmitz the food was decent we got the pargiot sandwhich and the steak sandwhich as well as the hummos platter (3.75/5).

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After supper we headed to daven inside the Old-New Shul of the Maharal. Like it is written in the Prague Wiki there is a minyan there for Mincha-Maariv at 19:30 and you can see the shul for free. When we arrived there were already a couple of people there waiting. We waited and waited but nobody came to open the doors and we were stuck. We decided to daven in the street. We were about 15-20 people all davening in the middle of the street....not sure the last time that might have happened in Prague....

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For our second and last day of Prague we went to Breakfast again at the Chabad restaurant this time got the Pancakes which were pretty good.

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We had checked out of the AirBnB already and left our stuff at the restaurant so we can tour a little without shlepping the luggage with us. We headed straight from the restaurant to the kever of the Maharal. Now don't get me wrong but I think it is disgusting that they have turned it into a tourist location. In order to go daven at OUR Rabonim I should have to pay 20-30$!! I do not care for the history or to go into the million shuls all I needed to do was daven but I need to wait on a line for 20 minutes to pay, wait while all the tour groups slowly make their way around the cemetery in order to daven (rant over). We went to the MAharal which is along the back wall of the cemetery and then headed to the Klei Yakor also along the back wall.

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Maharal:

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Klei Yakor:

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After davening we figured since we paid for the pass we might as well check out the different shuls in the area. After the 2 shuls next to the cemetery we headed over to the Maharal shul to check it out. There are some really interesting parts to the shul and I guess its a must visit but its a visit for maximum 30 minutes. My cousin was really dissapointed the Golem didn't come to visit or invite us into his home. So he tried to figure a way into the attic but they have blocked any kind of attempt....

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Maharal Shul:

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Public oven (for Shabbos) in the shul??

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After that we headed over to the Chabad meat restaurant which is located in the Chabad house. The food was great, we ordered food for the VERY long train ride back to Budapest, I believe I got a steak skewers and he got beef and for the train he got a hamburger and I got Schnitzel. Chabad also has a tiny little makolet where they sell basic items, mostly nosh.

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We took another Uber to the train station and boarded our First Class trip for 7 hours to Budapest. The train passes through Czechoslovakia and a little of Slovakia and then into Hungary. The ride is mostly boring scenery, however there was a point we passed through some flower fields which were stunning! You do pass through Bratislavia and had we left on the slightly earlier train I would have made the stop there for an hour to go see the Chasam Sofer but alas that was not meant to be. We got into Budapest at around 10pm we hiked the streets to get to the apartment (around 30 minutes). The next morning at around 330 we had a taxi to the airport for our 6am flight back to Israel.

Vienna Train Station:

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Flower fields:

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First Class Cabin almost like Etihad apartments...

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Overall I would recommend Vienna over Prague but if you have the time Prague is a must see.