Prague

Our first visit of Prague was with public transportation, that was quite good (train and tram).

I found Prague on wikipedia.

I did not write on anything you can find on the net, or in Wikipedia, only about my own memories. I included only headings from the Wikipedia. If you want to read more, or see some pictures, follow the heading I included. I did a thorough research of the net for this.

(Prague (pron.: /ˈprɑːɡ/; Czech: Praha pronounced [ˈpraɦa] ( listen)) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is the fourteenth-largest city in the European Union. It is also the historical capital of Bohemia proper. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its larger urban zone is estimated to have a population of nearly 2 million. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with warm summers and chilly winters.

Prague has been a political, cultural, and economic centre of central Europe with waxing and waning fortunes during its 1,100-year existence. Founded during the Romanesque and flourishing by the Gothic and Renaissance eras, Prague was not only the capital of the Czech state, but also the seat of two Holy Roman Emperors and thus then also the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. It was an important city to the Habsburg Monarchy and its Austro-Hungarian Empire and after World War I became the capital ofCzechoslovakia. The city played major roles in the Protestant Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War, and in 20th-century history, during both World Wars and the post-war Communist era.

Prague is home to a number of famous cultural attractions, many of which survived the violence and destruction of twentieth century Europe. Main attractions include the Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter, the Lennon Wall, andPetřín hill. Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The city boasts more than ten major museums, along with numerous theatres, galleries, cinemas, and other historical exhibits. A modern public transportation system connects the city. Also, it is home to a wide range of public and private schools, including Charles University. Prague is classified as a Beta+ global city according to GaWC studies, comparable to Berlin, Rome, or Houston. Its rich history makes it a popular tourist destination, and the city receives more than 4.1 million international visitors annually, as of 2009. In 2011, Prague was the sixth-most-visited city in Europe.)

The special train from Vienna to Prague still exists today. You can find it if you follow the link:

czech-transport.com/index.php?id=460

(Train from Vienna to Prague (railway)

Information about train (railway) connections between Vienna and Prague.Routes, schedules, booking and buying tickets online.)

I made an album of our trip, from Budapest to Vienna and Prague. (I think the album was kept).

I made a lot of pictures of Prague. In our first visit, we stayed in a soviet-style hotel. It was far from city center, and we used mostly the tram to go there.

You can see a panoramic view of Prague , and other cities, if you follow the link:

http://www.360cities.net/prague-18-gigapixels

or the link, which also shows panoramic  images of the city:

http://www.360cities.net/area/prague-czech-republic

 (This links don’t mean you don’t need to keep old photos. That’s the advantage of analog pictures over digital pictures. Digital pictures are lost when you throw old computers or old hard disks. If you did not keep a backup on the web, it’s like throwing old albums. But you don’t throw old analog pictures, videos, or albums. I don’t know why. Maybe that’s why I started to write a Blog. To back-up my memory on the net. It’s like the disadvantage of adopting too early a new technology. And in this, size matters.)

I made a panoramic view of Prague, from an Eiffel-style radio-tower which I climbed, which I glued meticulously. It still hangs in our apartment. Today you can do a panoramic view with a smartphone or a computer, or find it on the net.

We drank good Czech Beer in a typical Czech restaurant.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Beer in the Czech Republic (Czech: pivo) has a long and storied history. The first brewery is known to have existed in 1118. The city of Brno had the right to brew beer from the 12th century, and the two cities most associated with Czech beer, Plzeň and České Budějovice (Pilsen and Budweis in German), had breweries in the 13th century. Hops have been grown in the region for a long time, and were used in beer making and exported from here since the twelfth century. The Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption per capita in the world.

The most famous Czech beer brands (and the most exported ones) are Pilsner Urquell, which was the world’s first pilsner and pale lagerbeer, and Budweiser Budvar (in some countries trademarked as Budějovický Budvar or Czechvar). Other well known brands include:Velkopopovický Kozel, Gambrinus, Radegast, Staropramen, Krušovice, Starobrno, Bernard and Svijany.)

We also ate a good brunch in a Czech jazz restaurant overlooking the valtava river and the Karl’s bridge. You can find a panoramic view of the bridge and the statues on it at:

Or a link to good restaurants in Prague, near the bridge:

 http://www.praguetoursdirect.com/restaurants/the-top-restaurants-in-prague.html

I also climbed the Petrin tower, which resembled a small Eiffel Tower (Nurit waited down, and I used to climb any high structure to make photos). We still have the Panoramic view of Prague which I took from the Tower and glued meticulously, hanging in our house (Today you can do panoramic views with a smartphone and a computer, or find them on the net).   

(Petřín Lookout Tower

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Petřín Lookout Tower (Czech: Petřínská rozhledna) is a 63.5 metre high steel framework tower in Prague, which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower. Although it is much shorter than the Eiffel Tower, it stands atop a sizable hill, Petřín, so the top is actually at a higher altitude than that of the Eiffel Tower. The Petřínská rozhledna was built in 1891 and was used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower. Today the Petřínská rozhledna is a major tourist attraction. If you go up the hard way, the hill is roughly a half-hour walk up paths that get quite slippery when it snows, and the tower is a shorter but fairly tiring climb; however, the hill is served by a frequent funicular and the tower has an elevator for disabled persons.

There is a gift shop and a small cafeteria on the main level. On the lowest level is a small museum of Jára Cimrman.)

I used to climb any high structure to take photos. Nurit got very upset by that. She usually waited for me downstairs. I also climbed the high tower in a church, in the old city and palace in the Prague Castle and made a photo from there, which is kept in the album I made after our trip.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

We also saw the Dancing house in the name of Famous Dancers, Fred and Ginger:

Link to the Dancing House:

http://www.prague-life.com/culture/culture_details/62-Dancing_House

The house was built between 1992-1996 by Czech architect Vlado Milunc and Canadian architect Frank Gehry. They initially named the building the “Fred and Ginger” after the legendary dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, but its curvy lines and and smooth forms led to its current nickname. Presently, The house is used as an office building and it is not open to public, but you can visit the restaurant La Perle de Prague, located on 7th floor, with a nice view of the river and the Prague Castle.

We also saw the old jewish quarter, the old synagoguues and the old Jewish cemetery.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (You can see a picture if you follow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_New_Synagogue)

The Old New Synagogue (Czech: Staronová synagoga; German: Altneu-Synagoge) situated in Josefov, Prague, is Europe’s oldest active synagogue. It is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin nave design.

Completed in 1270 in gothic style, it was one of Prague’s first gothic buildings. A still older Prague synagogue, known as the Old Synagogue, was demolished in 1867 and replaced by the Spanish Synagogue.

It is said that the body of Golem (created by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel) lies in the attic where the genizah of Prague’s community is kept. A legend is told of a Nazi agent during World War II broaching the genizah, but who perished instead. In the event, the Gestapo apparently did not enter the attic during the war, and the building was spared during the Nazis’ destruction of synagogues. The lowest three meters from the stairs leading to the attic from the outside have been removed and the attic is not open to the general public.

In Jewish folklore, a golem (pron.: /ˈɡoʊləm/ goh-ləm; Hebrew: גולם) is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing.

The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late-16th-century chief rabbi of Prague. )

The Golem of Prague was in fact, the first robot. He ate a parchment (which was like software) to come to life. We also saw the old Prague quarter, and the astronomical clock:

Prague Astronomical Clock link:

http://www.prague-life.com/gallery/photo-image/6-Prague_Astronomical_Clock

The second time we visited Prague was after our short trip to Poland for the

16th International Conference on Production Research (ICPR-16) Manufacturing-Service-People-Sustainable Systems

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00207540150208916#tandf_content

We stayed at a holiday Inn hotel ahich was built by the soviets to host Russian dignitaries, and today it’s run by a different chain. You may find it if you follow:

Crowne Plaza Prague 
CZ 160 45 Prague, Koulova 15

http://www.crowneplaza.com/hotels/gb/en/reservation/searchresult?destination=PRAGUE%2CCzech+Republic&sicreative=14472807827&dp=true&sicontent=0&sitrackingid=307832895&siclientid=6600

Choose the monumental Crowne Plaza Prague hotel for successful business and inspirational views over the city of Prague.

Step into the Art Deco, Lobby on the ground floor of the 15-storey Crowne Plaza Prague, where our Front Desk staff will be happy to welcome you. Climb the red-carpeted staircase to events in our main meeting area or upgrade to an elegant Suite for access to the top-floor Club Lounge, where you can network and admire amazing views 360°

It resembled a small version of the Science Palace in Warsaw. Maybe it was designed by the same architect. It was close to the Technical University in Prague (just a walking distance).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU, České vysoké učení technické v Praze – ČVUT in Czech) is one of the largest universities in the Czech Republic, and the oldest institute of technology in Central Europe.

It was established in 1707 by the Emperor Joseph I. According to the THES-QS World University Rankings for the year 2010, the CTU is the world’s 121st best university in technology, was the 171st in 2009  and 228th in 2008 and is the 1st in the Czech Republic.

The conference was in the Technical University of

The Bidanda’s stayed at a more  modern Hotel, closer to the city center.  Maya got very sick during our visit, and we went to see a Doctor which was located near to Waclaw square, downtown.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wenceslas Square (Czech:  Václavské náměstí (help·info) [ˈvaːt͡slafskɛː ˈnaːmɲɛsciː], colloquially Václavák [ˈvaːt͡slavaːk]) is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a traditional setting for demonstrations, celebrations, and other public gatherings. The square is named after Saint Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia. It is part of the historic centre of Prague, a World Heritage Site.

Letohrádek královny Anny (nazývaný též Belvedere, Belvedér, Belveder či Královský letohrádek, dříve též Matematický dům) jerenesanční stavba na Pražském hradě v Královské zahradě. Google translate: Queen Anne’s Summerhouse from the wikipedia in Czech

Summer Palace of Queen Anne (also called Belvedere, Belvedere, Belvedere or Royal Summer Palace, formerly also Math House) building at the Prague Castle at the Royal Garden.)

You can see a picture of the palace if you follow the link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bren/491415779/

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vyšehrad is a castle located in the city of Prague, Czech Republic. It was probably built in the 10th century, on a hill over the Vltava River. Situated within the castle is the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, as well as the Vyšehrad Cemetery, containing the remains of many famous people from Czech history, among them Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Karel Čapek, and Alphonse Mucha. It also contains Prague’s oldest surviving building, the Rotunda of St Martin from the 11th century.

Local legend holds that Vyšehrad was the location of the first settlement which later became Prague, though thus far this claim remains unsubstantiated.)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (You can see a picture if you follow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_New_Synagogue)

The Old New Synagogue (Czech: Staronová synagoga; German: Altneu-Synagoge) situated in Josefov, Prague, is Europe’s oldest active synagogue. It is also the oldest surviving medieval synagogue of twin nave design.

Completed in 1270 in gothic style, it was one of Prague’s first gothic buildings. A still older Prague synagogue, known as the Old Synagogue, was demolished in 1867 and replaced by the Spanish Synagogue.

It is said that the body of Golem (created by Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel) lies in the attic where the genizah of Prague’s community is kept. A legend is told of a Nazi agent during World War II broaching the genizah, but who perished instead. In the event, the Gestapo apparently did not enter the attic during the war, and the building was spared during the Nazis’ destruction of synagogues. The lowest three meters from the stairs leading to the attic from the outside have been removed and the attic is not open to the general public.

In Jewish folklore, a golem (pron.: /ˈɡoʊləm/ goh-ləm; Hebrew: גולם) is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing.

The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late-16th-century chief rabbi of Prague. )

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I refused to take taxis from the  Old Town. I  have read in the internet that czeh taxi drivers ceat in the fee. Besides, as conference attendants we had a free pass to the trams. Ofer was very upset with me when we had to wait for a tram, on our way back to the Hotel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_(Prague)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Old Town (Czech: Staré Město) is a medieval settlement of Prague, Czech Republic. It was separated from the outside by a semi-circular moat and wall, connected to the Vltava at both of its ends. The moat is now covered up by the streets (from north to south-west) Revolučni, Na Příkopě, and Národni—which remain the official boundary of the cadastral district of Old Town. It is now inPraha 1.

Soon after the city was expanded in the 14th century by Charles IV with the founding of the New Town, the moat and wall were dismantled.

Notable places in the Old Town include the Old New Synagogue, Old Town Square and Astronomical Clock. Across the river Vltava is the Lesser Quarter, called Malá Strana in Czech. These two parts of the town are connected byCharles Bridge. Josefov is located in the northwest corner of Old Town heading towards the Vltava.

Yocheved (she is 93 now) and Zvi (deceased) in their wedding.

Me as a child. I could not load my Father photo due to copyright problems.

Poland and some more old memories
I was born in Poland, in Lodz, on 6 of September 1947. I have spent the whole night (well, almost the whole night. I went home to Mishmar HaShivaa with my VW to sleep, but I kept my place in the queue) in front of the Polish embassy in Tel-Aviv, to put in my application for Polish citizenship. I even put in my application an old birth certificate (at this time I still kept old documents). When I put my application together, I found some old Polish Passports of my parents, with a permit (for one year) to go to Bolivia. The year of the permit was 1947, the year that I was born.
And my parents never went to South America.
We left Lodz with a train, to Warsaw and then to Vienna.
Both in Warsaw and Vienna we stayed for few days, and then we went with a train to Genua in Italy. I was 10 years at the time, but I still remember crying on the train, when we left Lodz.
Finally I got a letter from the Polish embassy. Although I paid a lot for the application, and also for translation of some Hebrew documents, they did not grant me a citizenship. I could visit the embassy, to ask for explanation why.
Arabs, pay attention. I have nowhere to return to. But I never visited the embassy to ask why. Maybe my parents renounced the Polish citizenship when they came to Israel. (But how could I also renounce it, I was only a 10 years kid at that time). But the application became irrelevant. I did it mainly for the children, and they were no longer interested, although Poland became a member of the European Union.
We came in what was later known as “Aliath Gomulka”.
(Władysław Gomułka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Władysław Gomułka (Polish pronunciation: [vwaˈdɨswaf ɡɔˈmuwka]; 6 February 1905, Krosno – 1 September 1982, Konstancin) was a PolishCommunist leader. He was the de facto leader of Poland from 1945 to 1948, and again from 1956 to 1970.)
At his regime, in 1957 Jews were allowed to leave Poland. Most of our family left at that time.
I still remember playing in Genua with a water gun, bought me by my parents. We went from Genua, after few days, in a ship (called Aliah or Jerusalem) to Haifa. I still remember seeing the city from the sea.
We were met in the port by Yocheved Flumenker and her (late) husband. They knew my parents from Russia, and persuaded them not to go to the place offered to them by the Sochnut, but to come to their apartment in Ramat Gan.
(We visited Yocheved recently, in her apartment in Tel-Aviv, with Nurit. She is 93 now. She was 7 years younger than my mother, but they were born in the same town of Lublin, and attended the same school, before they met again, during the war, in Russia. She is still very clear, although she lives with a help. She even told us she planned to visit Poland with her granddaughter, but at the end she did not go.)
When we lived with Yoheved, I went to live with some religious relatives of my mother, which lived in Tel-Aviv. I went to a summer camp for new immigrants. But most of the kids there were from Poland, and they spoke Polish, so I did not learn much Hebrew there.
My parents rented a room in Ramat Gan, in an apartment of some bachelor. We lived there with my brother, Yossi, who was a baby of 2 years then.
I remember watching Yossi, who was a baby then, and looking for 1/2 grush stamps. They were made as a donation to Magen David Adom (The Israeli red cross) and were thrown by most people. But you could buy a changing-color candy for 1/2 grush, which I did.
I also traded with gogoim. I discovered that they paid more for gogoim in a neighborhood near my school, so I bought them in my neighborhood and sold them there. (From Wikipedia in Hebrew:
”גוֹגוֹאִים”’ (גם אג’ואים (ב ירושלים), עג’מים (ברחובות), עג’וקים.) הם גלעיני פרי המשמש. משמעות המילה עַ’ג’וּ בערבית היא גלעין. הגוגואים קשיחים ועמידים, ניתן להפרידם מן הפרי בקלות ללא שיירי ציפה שתרקיב על פניהם, ולכן הם מתאימים למשחקים. עונת המשמש מתחילה זמן קצר בלבד לפני תחילת החופש הגדול. מכיוון שהמשחק בגוגואים מתרחש כיום בעיקר בחצר בית הספר היסודי, תקופת המשחק בגוגואים קצרה ביחס לעונת המשמשים.
צורות משחק בגוגואים
למשחק בגוגואים גרסאות שונות, שהמשותף לכולן הוא ערך הגוגו. מטרת השחקנים בכל משחקי הגוגואים הנה לצבור גוגואים. עקרונות המשחק בגוגואים דומים לעקרונות המשחק בגולות, אלא שהגולות עולות כסף בפני עצמן, לכן הגוגואים הם משחק נפוץ יותר בחברות עניות יותר…
Google translate: . Gogoaim (also Ag’oaim (Jerusalem), Ag’mim (Rehovot), Ag’okim.) Are fruit pits used for play. Meaning by Arabic is core. Hgogoaim hard and durable, can be easily separated from the fruit without residual expected Strip on their faces, making them suitable for games.
Season used to begin shortly before the beginning of summer vacation. Because the game takes place today Bgogoaim mainly elementary school yard, a brief period of relative Bgogoaim game season are used.)
So I looked for every way (as 10 years old kid) to make some money.
I finally learned Hebrew from some Tarzan booklets I found at the house of (then) my friend Moshe.
I then went to school, (Ha-Matmid in Ramat-Gan) to the fifth grade. I finally got to a class with kids of my age. This was so, since the beginning of school was not at the same age in Israel and in Poland, and in Poland I jumped immediately to the second grade, as I knew to read.
I visited all the gardens of Ramat-Gan during our class Friday activity. I was a kind of curiosity in the school, I was the only new immigrant in my class, and they gave me a special attention.
This was no longer the case when we moved , a year later, to Ramat-Aviv. In the Ilanot elementary school I went to the sixth grade. But I did not play with the kids that came from Poland, spoke Polish, and were a year older than me. They all came in “Aliath Gomulka”. Instead, I played with the Hebrew speaking kids, which formed “the brotherhood of the grass”. We spent a lot of time on the grass in Ramat Aviv. I recently found a song, which was composed much later (in 1978) by Shalom Hanoch, but it gives well the spirit of “the brotherhood of the grass”.
(
אגדת דשא – שלום חנוך בצוותא 1978
You can find the song on YouTube if you follow the link

)
That’s probably why I don’t have any Polish accent. But I still spoke Polish well with all the Taxi drivers in our tour, with Michal and Ofer, to Poland.
In a recent school reunion, to celebrate more than 50 years of our graduation, they still remembered I used to draw well. It’s probably in the genes, but Ofer draws much better than I ever did. However, also on Nurit’s side, Arieh Lamdan, her cousin, is a professional painter. We have a reproduction of a painting he did in 1999 in our living room (Savta Hava, Nurit’s mother, has the original, and she made the reproduction) and we still have the Avocado seed drawing he gave us for the inauguration of our (then new) house in Mishmar HaShivaa. So it must be genes from both sides.
We went to Poland again with Ofer and Michal, on a trip before the ICPR conference in Prague.
I was very happy when Ofer said he wants to join us.
I found most of the places we visited on the net, most of them in Wikipedia. If you follow the link, you can read more information and also see some pictures. We first went to Krakow. We visited the main square, and the market place there, where we saw some wooden figures of orthodox Jews.
I thought to myself that they were the only Jews still left in Poland.
(Kraków
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kraków (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkrakuf] ( listen)) also Cracow, or Krakow (English /ˈkrækaʊ/), is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła) in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life and is one of Poland’s most important economic hubs. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1569; the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1596; the Grand Duchy of Kraków from 1846 to 1918; and Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1999. It is now the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.)
(Kraków Old Town
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kraków Old Town is the historic central district of Kraków, Poland. It is one of the most famous old districts in Poland today and was the center of Poland’s political life from 1038 until King Sigismund III Vasa relocated his court to Warsaw in 1596. The entire medieval old town is among the first sites chosen for the UNESCO’s original World Heritage List, inscribed as Cracow’s Historic Centre)
(Main Square, Kraków
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Main Square (Polish: Rynek Główny w Krakowie) is the main market square of the Old Town in Kraków, Poland and a principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and – at roughly 40,000 m² (430,000 ft²) – it is the largest medieval town square in Europe.)
On the square, we sit on some coffee house, and also saw some store that had bike for rent.
But we did not rent a bike. Instead, we walked around town, saw the old walls, and also we went some distance, to the banks of Wistula river, to see the Jaggielionian Palace. We saw it only from outside, the way I remembered it from stamps when it served as the head-quarters of the Generalgubernement of Germans during the 2nd world war.
(Jagiellonian University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jagiellonian University (Polish: Uniwersytet Jagielloński, often shortened to UJ; historical names: Latin: Studium Generale, University of Kraków, Kraków Academy, The Main Crown School, Main School of Kraków) was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz(district of Kraków). It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world. It was positioned by QS World University Rankings as the best Polish university among the world’s top 500 and the ARWU as second-best Polish higher-level institution.)
We did not see the inside of the palace. It was already closed at the time we visited.
(Vistula
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Vistula ( /ˈvɪstʃələ/; Polish: Wisła [ˈvʲiswa], German: Weichsel) is the longest river in Poland, at 1,047 km (651 miles) in length. The watershed area of the Vistula is 194,424 km2 (75,068 sq mi), of which 168,699 km2 (65,135 sq mi) lies within Poland (splitting the country in half).)
We stayed in a Hotel in Krakow which was close to the city old market. From there we walked on our different tours of the city. They added a third bed in our room , and that way all three of us could stay in the same room. We visited (by foot) the old Jewish quarter, and saw all the old synagogues there.
(Synagogues of Kraków
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The synagogues of Kraków are an outstanding collection of monuments of Jewish sacred architecture unmatched anywhere in Poland. The seven main synagogues of the Jewish District of Kazimierz constitute the largest such complex in Europe next to Prague. It is a unique on the European scale religious complex prescribed on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites along with the entire city district in 1978, as the first ever.)
We visited the different Synagogues, which were most empty. In one synagogue, that was turned into a museum, we watched a movie about the deportation of Krakow Jews into the Ghetto. We walked in the same way, across a bridge on the Wistula river, to look for the old Ghetto. But we did not find any remains and took a taxi back to town, and our hotel. I did not want to go to Aushwitz /Birkenau. I considered the movie to be enough of a Holocaust experience. Instead, we took a special taxi from the Railway Station to the Salt Museum in Wieliczka. It was a kind of tourist attraction. We walked in ways of the miners, saw the church built from salt by the miners, and went up in the elevators( a frightening experience, not recommended for claustrophobic) the miners used to go up.
(Wieliczka Salt Mine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka), located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland, lies within the Kraków metropolitan area. The mine, built in the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world’s oldest salt mines still in operation. From its beginning and throughout its existence, the Royal mine was run by the Żupy krakowskie Salt Mines. Commercial mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding.)
On our way back from the stop of the special taxi on the train station, in a taxi we took to the Hotel, the driver told me that he had a Jewish Friend that immigrated to Israel in the 50′s. But probably some of the Polish taxi drivers all had a Jewish friend. Besides, the driver was confused and excited and even forgot to take the right money amount (which I corrected) because his father was hospitalized the same day…
We went from Kraków to Warsaw by the train. I bought tickets to the 2nd class, as I was advised to do. It was considered safer, altauugh the tickets were more expensive. In fact, it proved convenient as most of the time we had a compartment all to ourselves. In Warsaw we stayed at the Mariott Hotel, which was very close to the palace of culture.
You can find a link to the Hotel at:

http://www.galahotels.com/en/Hotel/POLAND_179/WARSAW_15552/MARRIOTT_WARSAW_14

The palace of culture was a very impressive building, that overlooked the city, and was given to the Polish people as a present from the former Soviet Union.
(In Prague we stayed in a HolidayInn Hotel, which was built by the same architect and looked as a small replica of the palace of culture. It was used during the Soviet regime to host important guests from the (then) USSR).
(Pałac Kultury i Nauki from the polish Wikipedia
Pałac Kultury i Nauki (PKiN, poprzednio Pałac Kultury i Nauki im. Józefa Stalina) – najwyższy budynek w Polsce, w centrum Warszawy na placu Defilad. Własność miasta stołecznego Warszawy. Obiektem zarządza miejska spółka „Zarząd Pałacu Kultury i Nauki” Sp. z o.o.
Google Translate: Palace of Culture and Science from the polish Wikipedia
Palace of Culture and Science (Palace of Culture, formerly the Palace of Culture and Science. Josef Stalin) – the tallest building in Poland, in the city center on the Parade Square. Intellectual capital city of Warsaw. The object manages the municipal company “Management of the Palace of Culture and Science” Sp. of o.o)
We went up an elevator to the palace of culture, which is supposed to be the highest building in Poland, and looked at the city. In a bank in the building I changed some $ to Polish zloty, which was then 4 zloty to a dollar (almost like a shekel). Then we went with a taxi to the statue built by Rapport on the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto, to commemorate the uprising. You can find it if you follow the link:

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Poland/WarsawGhetto/WarsawGhetto02.html

Nathan Rappaport Memorial to Heroes of Warsaw Ghetto
The date that the Nazis chose to destroy the Warsaw Ghetto was on Passover, April 19, 1943. The leader of the Jewish resistance movement, Mordechai Anielewicz, was determined not to give up without a fight. By this time, the Jews in the Ghetto knew that the daily trains to Treblinka were not transporting the Jews to resettlement camps in the East, but were taking them to a death camp to be killed in gas chambers. It was because the ghetto reisdents began refusing to get on the trains that the Nazis decided to liquidate the ghetto.
I have lit a candle on the statue, and we also saw the bunker on Mila st. of which the last survivors of the uprising escaped.
(Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Yiddish: אױפֿשטאַנד אין װאַרשעװער געטאָ; Polish: powstanie w getcie warszawskim; German: Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto) was the 1943 act of Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland duringWorld War II, and which opposed Nazi Germany’s final effort to transport the remaining Ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp. The most significant portion of the rebellion took place from 19 April, and ended when the poorly armed and supplied resistance was crushed by the Germans, who officially finished their operation to liquidate the Ghetto on 16 May. It was the largest single revolt by the Jews during World War II and also the first mass uprising in German-occupied Europe.)
We also sat on the old city square, which was completely rebuilt from the old city stones after the 2nd world war, and went to the Warsaw museum and palace which was rebuilt after the war.
(Warsaw Old Town
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Warsaw’s Old Town (Polish: Stare Miasto, colloquially: Starówka) is the oldest historic district of the city. It is bounded byWybrzeże Gdańskie, along the bank of the Vistula, and by Grodzka, Mostowa and Podwale Streets. It is one of Warsaw’s most prominent tourist attractions. After World War II, the Old Town was meticulously rebuilt. As many of the original bricks were reused as possible. The rubble was sifted for reusable decorative elements, which were reinserted into their original places. Bernardo Bellotto’s 18th-century vedute, as well as pre-World-War II architecture students’ drawings, were used as essential sources in the reconstruction effort.
Squares
The Old Town Market Place (Rynek Starego Miasta), which dates back to the end of the 13th century, is the true heart of the Old Town, and until the end of the 18th century it was the heart of all of Warsaw.)
We also visited the Royal Castle. It was completely rebuilt from destruction of the 2nd world war, using (as much as possible) the original stones. We left a bag with the mobile phone in the warderobe. Suddenly I heard the phone ringing. It was my aunt Jadzia that needed some help. I left my mobile telephone number, but she didn’t know I am abroad in Poland and cannot help…
(Royal Castle, Warsaw
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Castle in Warsaw (Polish: Zamek Królewski w Warszawie) is a castle residency and was the official residence of the Polish monarchs. It is located in the Castle Square, at the entrance to the Warsaw Old Town. The personal offices of the king and the administrative offices of the Royal Court of Poland were located there from the 16th century until the Partitions of Poland. In its long history the Royal Castle was repeatedly devastated and plundered by Swedish, Brandenburgian, German, and Russian armies. Zamek Królewski w Warszawie from the Polish Wikipedia:
Zamek Królewski w Warszawie – barokowo-klasycystyczny zamek królewski znajdujący się w Warszawie przy placu Zamkowym. Google translate: Royal Castle in Warsaw – baroque royal palace located in Warsaw Castle Square.

Pierwotnie była to rezydencja książąt mazowieckich, a od XVI wieku siedziba władz I Rzeczypospolitej: króla i Sejmu (Izby Poselskiej i Senatu). WXIX wieku, po upadku powstania listopadowego, przeznaczony na potrzeby administracji rosyjskiej. W okresie I wojny światowej rezydencja niemieckiego generalnego gubernatora. Od 1920 do 1922 siedziba Naczelnika Państwa; 1926–1939 rezydencja Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Spalony i ograbiony przez Niemców w 1939, niemal doszczętnie zniszczony w 1944. Po 1971 odbudowany i zrekonstruowany. Obecnie stanowi pomnik historii i kultury narodowej, pełni funkcje muzealne i reprezentacyjne. Wpisany jest do Państwowego Rejestru Muzeów. Google translate: Originally it was the residence of the dukes of Mazovia, and since the sixteenth century, the seat of government of the First Republic: the King and the Parliament (Chamber of Deputies and the Senate). WXIX century, after the fall of the November Uprising, designed for the Russian government. During World War I, the Governor General’s residence of the German. From 1920 to 1922 the seat of the Head of State, 1926-1939 residence of the President of the Polish Republic. Burned and looted by the Germans in 1939, almost completely destroyed in 1944. After 1971 it was rebuilt and reconstructed. Today is a historical and cultural monument of national museum functions and representation. Is entered in the National Register of Museums.
A link to the palace and museum: http://www.zamek-krolewski.pl/)
The mobile phone was very handy in ordering taxi’s everywhere we were. Today they probably even locate you, but then we still had to tell our location when we ordered a taxi. We also went to see the Łazienki Park and the Royal Castle in the Park.
(Łazienki Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Łazienki Park (Polish: Park Łazienkowski or Łazienki Królewskie, literally Baths Park or Royal Baths) is the largest park in Warsaw,Poland, occupying 76 hectares of the city center. The park-and-palace complex lies in Warsaw’s Downtown (Śródmieście), on Ujazdów Avenue(Aleje Ujazdowskie) on the “Royal Route” linking the Royal Castle with Wilanów palace to the south. North of Łazienki Park, on the other side of Agrykola Street, stands Ujazdów Castle.)
Near to our Hotel, we found an old Stereogram machine. Some people keep old things.
They even charge for it, and make money out of it.
Later, it was replaced by a smaller, hand-held device.
Ofer makes his living for several years in 3-D modeling on a computer.
But as a child I believed there are real puppets inside the machine which I saw in Lodz.
(Stereogram
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A stereogram is any image that, through one of several techniques, is able to convey the experience of depth perception to the viewer by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. Originally, stereogram referred to a pair of stereo images which could be viewed using a stereoscope. Nowadays, there are many other methods to display stereoscopic images.)
We also went to the swimming pool in the Mariott Hotel. It was small, but very nice.
Finally we took the train to stay one day in the town I was born, Łodz. We spent there one day.
We stayed at the Grand Hotel, the only hotel at Piotrkowska st. Its very close to the railway station, but the taxi driver took us around the city, to make his fee higher. Maybe he had to go this way because Piotrkowski st. (the main street in Łodz) is now only for pedestrians, and vehicles can not go there.
On our way, he complimented me for my Polish, which he said was better than that of Poles who went recently to Germany, made money and came back.
The hotel was a German command during the war. That I found from a booklet about the history of the Hotel, left in our room.
When I was a child some cousin of my mother came from France, and stayed at this Hotel. I still remember the Poles looking with amazement at his (then new) Peugeot car, that went at (then unbelievable) speed of 100 km/hour.
(You can find a link to the hotel at: http://www.staypoland.com/en/lodz/hotel/grand.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=Grand%20hotel%20Lodz&utm_content=H|%20%C5%81%C3%B3d%C5%BA%20|%20Grand&utm_campaign=English%20Non-Native&gclid=CP_HubXel7QCFYlb3godA00AGg
Grand Hotel in Łodz: This is the only hotel in Piotrkowska Street, so there is none better located! Such a location, close to literally everything of importance in Łodz such as the best shops, great nightlife, a sushi bar, and business and governmental offices means that this is definitely not a hide-away place. Take a ride by one of the many rickshaws available in front of the hotel instead of walking this very long street, or visit the nearby Manufaktura shopping & entertainment centre.
The Grand is unique and charming, and is also the only Łodz hotel with 120 years of history all written down in a book 120 pages long.)
I called Zygadlewich daughter (on the mobile phone) from the train and fixed to meet with her the next day.
You can find the Zygadlewich family on the net and read the incredible story of saving of my uncle Nahman during 2nd world war if you follow the link:

http://www.sprawiedliwi.org.pl/en/family/639,the-zygadlewicz-family/

I found an old photo of my father, Mieczysław, shaking the hand of Kazimierz Zygadlewicz on the link, and published it again in the Blog.
Ofer made a video of whole our day in Łodz. I think it still is kept somwhwere.
I also send photographs of our (heritage) visit to Ziutka. I know she kept them.
On the next day, we ate breakfast at the Hotel restaurant and began our tour.
We first walked on a street parallel to Pruchnika st., on which I was born.
Then we finally got to the house in which I was born, on Pruchnika 9 st. The round galleries in the inside yard were destroyed (We were told that later, when we visited the apartment in which I was born), but I still remember, being a 3 year child, standing on a round gallery and pretending to read from Tuwim Lokomotywa book (I knew it by heart) (we now have the book for my grandchildren, and you can find the words of the song on the net).
We then knocked on the apartment doors (Ofer filmed it all).
The Poles that lived inside now were initially worried that we own the apartment, but when they heard that my parents just rented it, they invited us to sit and even offered us a drink. I left them a Hamsa Key-holder, as a small present.
We did not go to Pruchnika 7 st., where my only Polish friend, Jurek Frydrych, used to live. When we came back to Israel, my parents told me that an Israeli couple called that he was their guide and driver in their tour of Poland. I wrote to him, but instead his wife replied me that he was killed in a car accident. I never wrote to her. He is survived by his wife and a daughter (she must be a grown women by now). I searched them on the net, but there are many people with the same name.
We went on Pruchnika st., on the way I went as kid to school. The old movie-house still worked and showed movies. The textile factory where my Father worked, was closed but still existing. On the way we met an old Pole that asked us to carry his bags.
We did not find my old elementary school. On the way, we met a Polish man that went to show his old high school to his daughter. It was on the same street as my old elementary school. Some Poles began a discussion where my elementary school was. Finally, a Polish young boy told us that the school was once in his building. We looked around, but I did not remember enough.
Finally, we ordered a taxi from the building where my school maybe was, to go to Limanowski 101 st., the house that once belonged to my grandfather.
We met there with the older daughter of Kazimierz Zygadlewicz who now owned the house. Also his younger daughter Jadwiga Płonka came with her daughter.
(She came to Jerusalem to receive the medal of righrous from Yad ve Shem in Jerusalem in 2010 She met there with Ewa and Uzi –I learned that from the family site on the Net. Ewa called me, but at that time I was already sick, and I already didn’t have the energy needed to meet with her. She also sent me a book about the Lodz Ghetto, which I read with great interest. But then I learned from the Internet that the author of the book, himself a survivor of the ghetto and a doctor, passed away in Lodz)
They showed us some old albums, and photos of me as a kid, that they kept. Ofer filmed on video the whole meeting.
At the end we looked a bit around, and ordered a taxi to go to the old Jewish cemetery, to find my grandfather grave. I had some notes my father did, and I thought they will help me. We just forgot it was Saturday, and the cemetery was closed.
It’s very sad to see a closed cemetery.
(You can find a link to the Jewish Cemetery:

http://www.jewishlodzcemetery.org/EN/CemeteryPlan/PersonId/58542/QuarterId/155/Default.aspx

link to the in the poznanski mausoleum in the cemetery:

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/lodz/tour5.htm

)
I did not find any family on the net link to the cemetery.
Maybe only to my uncle, Yonah, that died before the war. (if you look at the cemeter site, look for Rubinowicz)
I do not know if we could find the grave, even if the cemetery was open.
My uncle, Nahman, on his trip to Poland with Ewa and Katia, found the family graves. But he knew where to look.
Instead, we ordered a taxi, and went to see the Lodz museum. It was in a palace that once belonged to Poznanski, a Jewish textile magnet, and close to his old textile factory.
(Muzeum Miasta Łodzi from the polish wikipedia
Muzeum Miasta Łodzi – muzeum w Łodzi przy ulicy Ogrodowej 15 w Pałacu Izraela Poznańskiego. Do 2009 roku muzeum nosiło nazwę Muzeum Historii Miasta Łodz
Google translate: Museum of the City of Lodz from the polish wikipedia
Museum of the City of Lodz – Lodz museum Ogrodowa Street 15 in Israel Poznanski Palace. By 2009, the museum was named the Museum of the History of Łodz
Link to the Museum: http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/lodz/sightseeing/museums/Museum-of-the-City-of-Lodz_19152v
Museum of the City of Łódź [Muzeum Miasta Łodzi]
Inside the breathtaking Neo-Baroque former residence of Łódź manufacturer Izrael Kalmanowicz Poznański, this museum within a museum, dedicated to the relatively short life and times of Poland’s second city from the end of the 19th century to the outbreak of WWII, knocks you out from the moment you walk through the front door. Jammed full of exhibits tracing the history, people, culture and ups and downs of the city, find recreations of daily life from kitchen interiors to sections of streets. There are many fine examples of silverware and porcelain too, and rooms dedicated to many of the city’s former inhabitants, including Łódź’s unofficial Rubinstein museum (the only one in the world), giving over several rooms to the legendary Jewish pianist. Once this was the only section with English descriptions, but more and more sections are seeing translations added. The Jewish theme is admirably represented, and includes a tribute to Jan Karski, the envoy of Poland’s underground authorities who first alerted the West to the Holocaust. Thoroughly recommended. )
We wandered through the museum, and the various rooms that were dedicated to various famous people (most of them Jews) that were born in Lodz.
There was a room dedicated to Julian Tuwim, and also a special room dedicated to Arthur Rubinstain (the piano musician, probably only one in a museum in a world).
We sat a bit in rhe Museum garden, and saw the old textile factory of Poznanski. Later, the Factory was destroyed, (except for the nice entrance) to build a shopping mall.
One taxi driver told me about the plans to destroy the factory that these are ” historic bricks”.
(virtual trip in the Poznanski factory:

http://www.wirtualnafabryka.com/

and the new shopping mall)
link to A Virtual Tour of Jewish Lodz

http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/lodz/tour5.htm

We also went to the old Square, when my grandfather used to live during the 2nd world war.
We walked through a park.
But the Square was completely rebuilt after the war. There was some memorial stone there, but it was not to the habitants of the ghetto, but to the city of Lodz in 15 century. We saw the streets and buildings where the ghetto of Lodz used to be, and the church which my aunt remembered.
(Stary Rynek w Łodzi from Wikipedia the free encyclopedia in Polish
Stary Rynek, Rynek Starego Miasta, Rynek Staromiejski – plac w środkowo-północnej części Łodzi.
Stary Rynek ma formę dużego placu o kształcie zbliżonym do prostokątu o wymiarach ok. 105 na 85 m. Z 3 stron – od północy, ze wschodu i z zachodu otaczają go charakterystyczne kamienice z podcieniami, przy czym budynki po zachodniej stronie placu oddzielone są od niego przebiegającą wzdłuż Rynku ulicą Zgierską. Od południa do Placu przylega Park Staromiejski.
Google translate:
Old Market Square, Old Town Square, Old Town Square – square in the central-northern part of Lodz.
The Old Market is in the form of a large square shape similar to a rectangle measuring about 105 to 85 m from 3 sides – from the north, east and west is surrounded by typical houses with arcades, and the buildings on the west side of the square are separated from him, extending along Market street Zgierska. From the south to the Old Town Square, adjacent park.)
Finally, we went thru the Square of Independence (Lodz square of Tahrir) back to Piotrkowska st. On the way, I stopped in a bookstore and bought a book by Reymont (2 volumes) about the roots of textile Lodz (mostly Jewish, partly German). I only survived half of the first volume. Later I learned it was a mandatory reading in the secondary school. We then stopped in some coffee-restaurant on Piotrkowska st.
On the way, we saw a lot of Poles riding a bike rikchas. But they were out of work and just rode around, tourist like us just walked in the street, which was now only for pedestrians.
I still remember, when the tram run through the street, I took it as a kid to the swimming-pool.
We did not go to see any swimming-pool, although I had a map of Lodz some Polish women sent me once.
Swimming must be in our family genes.
(Ziemia obiecana (powieść)
Ziemia obiecana – powieść Władysława Reymonta, po Chłopach najczęściej tłumaczona na języki obce i filmowana. Ziemia obiecana była drukowana w łódzkim Kurierze Codziennym w latach 1897-1898. Drukiem ukazała się w 1899 r. w Warszawie.
Google translate: The Promised Land (novel)
The Promised Land – a novel by Władysław Reymont, the peasants usually translated into foreign languages and filmed. The Promised Land was printed in the Daily Courier in Lodz in 1897-1898. Appeared in print in 1899 in Warsaw.
Lodz, Freedom Square
Kosciuszko Statue in the background
You can see panoramic view of the square if you follow the link:

http://www.worldcam.eu/5331,7,32,webcam.html

)
We took a taxi from the hotel, to take us to the train station. This time he did not ride through the town. He was a bit disappointed with the low fee . I also did not leave any tip (because the fee was low).
We took the train (in 2nd class) back to Warsaw. This time for one night at the Marriot, they put us in a suite of rooms (because they could not find a third bed, which we ordered before, for our regular room).
We took a taxi, from the hotel, to a small restaurant. It was close to the hotel.
On our way back, we walked.
In these days I was very stubborn on walking. (besides, I had enough Polish money for a taxi next day. This way I did not need to change any more $ ).
Ofer got very upset with me walking, and he run away, back to the hotel.
The next day, we took a taxi to the airport, to go to the ICPR conference in Prague.

מנחם שלום

 פרשתי מהטכניון פרישה מוקדמת ב 2005 עקב מחלה אך אני מרגיש טוב. גמרתי את  הטכניון קצת לפניך. אני חושב שאני זוכר אותך מעבודתך באלקו יעקב 

IRB6  robot

At our wedding

ASEA IRB6 Welding Robot and other memories from the past

We had the ASEA IRB6 Welding Robot  (1974: The world’s first microcomputer controlled electric industrial robot, IRB 6 from ASEA, was delivered to a small mechanical engineering company in southern Sweden. The design of this robot had been patented already 1972.)

( ASEA IRB

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The ASEA IRB is an industrial robot series for material handling, packing, transportation, polishing, welding, and grading. Built in 1975, the robot allowed movement in 5 axes with a lift capacity of 6 kg. It was the world’s first fully electrically driven and microprocessor-controlled robot, using Intel’s first chipset.)

in our Lab  at Penn State we had an ASEA IRB6 and on it I did my doctorate. 

When we came back to Israel in 1988, I counted the robots in the country and in our Lab.

It was the same.

Simon Raban, who was at the time my student of Robotics, wrote an interface from the Robot to a PC.

(You can read Simon’s blog at  http://simonraban.blogspot.co.il/  I read  parts of his Blog and liked it.)

I visited Simon when he worked as a plant manager and an Industrial Engineer in a plant in Pennsylvania.

I kept the Nittany Lion welded by the robot in my office at the Technion for as long as I worked there. They also had an ASEA IRB6 robot at the Mechanical Engineering Robotics Lab at the Technion, but I never installed the software developed for the welding robot there.

In Poland they now develop the controller for IRB6. You can find some videos of it on YouTube if you follow the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPe33ln3CAI

I taught my class of Robotics in Penn State on the IRB6 and they all made a welding of a star of David (Magen David) on it.

Finally they broke the Teach Pendant (it was a class of 50 students) that costed me more than 5000$ to replace.

Some students of Rick Wysk at Penn State once wrote to me.

They were required to make IRB6 to work.

But I never found the old software we developed, and I did not reply them.

Bopaya said  ( He is  now the head of IE in Pittsburgh and you can find him on the net if you follow the link: www.pitt.edu/~bidanda/) on his visit to Israel I once told my students it took us one day to correct an error when we worked at the old computers in Mamram.

(Mamram

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mamram unit

Mamram (Hebrew: ממר”ם‎), abbreviation for Center of Computing and Information Systems (Hebrew: מרכז מחשבים ומערכות מידע‎ Merkaz Mahshevim UMa’arahot Meida), originally Center of Computing and Mechanized Registration (Hebrew: מרכז מחשבים ורישום ממוכן‎ Merkaz Mahshevim VeRishum Memukhan) is the Israel Defense Forces’ central computing system unit, providing data processing services for all arms and the general staff of the IDF. As of April 2010, Mamram is under the command of Colonel Noam Rozenfeld.) 

At my old time Mamram was headed by Romemia-HaLevi Segal.

 (Romemia-HaLevi Segal

  from the Hebrew wikipedia

רוממיה הלוי-סגל

רוממיה הלוי-סגל (1935 - 17 באפריל 2008), מפקד ממר”ם בשנים 1973–1978, ראש המועצה המקומית סביון משנת 1999 ועד לפטירתו.

)

That’s why my programs always worked the first time. But we could run several times the programs we developed for the IRB6 on a PC. 

At Mamram I’ve met Nurit. She worked there as a dispatcher.

I still remember her talking to a girlfriend that served in the Air Force.

Nurit once said that she knew she will marry me on the moment she saw me.

She had a boyfriend at the time but she canceled the wedding.

Her father bought her an apartment in Holon, on Tamatav st., in which we lived and where Ofer was born.  Sagi and Michal were already born in Mishmar Hashiva, in our old house (36 years old, now it’s all nostalgia an real-estate value).

The rest is old history now.

I found an old picture from our wedding, which I posted in the Blog. My father and the Rabbi are seen in the background. 

Ezey Dar-El passed away three years ago. The IE faculty made a page in his memory.

You can find it if you follow: 

http://ie.technion.ac.il/Home/Deceased/Ezey_DarEl.php

Ezey came to our house in Ramat Aviv when we sat shivaa ( 7 days mourning) for my mother, and taught my father some exercises for lower back pain.

I also consulted with Ezey when I went for a doctorate, first at Virginia tech.

He helped me to find Rick Wysk who became my doctoral advisor, but left Virginia Tech for Penn State before we came. (You can find his page on the net if you follow:

http://www.ise.ncsu.edu/people/faculty/wysk.php)

I once visited Rick at Texas A&M, when he left Penn State and before he came back.

At that time I was already at the Technion.

Jasmin once told me she had an exam on Java. It’s probably a good software developing toll, but I never learned the language. 

I wrote most of my programs in Cobol, Basic or Pascal.

Byron once gave me a book he wrote on C (you can find his book if you follow:

http://www.filecrop.com/byron-gottfried-programming-with-c.html), but I never learned the language.

I wrote my master thesis in PL 1 (A language developed by IBM in the 70’s) because it handled well bit-strings.

Nurit learned to type to type my master thesis (she typed it all in Hebrew).

I run my master’s thesis on a large IBM360 computer at the Technion.

You still had to wait for a long time if you made a mistake.

Nowadays you don’t keep old things anymore. You can find almost everything on a Computer.

 But you cannot throw old memories.

You can publish nowadays anything on a Computer and maybe that why I started to write a blog.

Michal kept some old pictures of mine.

Jesus de Vera (he is my helper from the Philippines) also throws old things at her orders.

But he gets very upset if I talk about it.

Recently he throwed some old hard disks with some old videos from my old computer.

But he is a very good photographer.

And he helps me a lot.

Eli once said he read an interesting article on monogamy, and he does not think its works for humans.

But it worked well for me.

I still adore Nurit, after more than 40 years. But she stayed with me all the years I have been sick.

I think monogamy can work if you leave your partner enough freedom.

If you write a blog of old memories, or publish an encyclopedia page about yourself, it’s like you are ready to pack.

But I still have a lot of memories to write about, and I will write for as long I remember and can.

Sagi once said I have enough memories for the next 60 years.

It’s probably wishful thinking, and I will lick the daisies from below many years earlier (as EzeyDar-El used to say), but I will write for as long as I can.

Nurit’s grandmother wrote a book of memories.

I think she took a writer, and from it I learned about the family heritage in Russia.

But I think she also throwed this one as many old things.

I still get upset about throwing old things.

But there are more important things.

Ofer and Galit are getting divorced.

There is a war going on outside.

People get older and they die.

It’s a Blog of old memories, driven by associations.

Me with a folding mobile phone

An old rotary telephone