Hi I know many of you have used Pavel Batel as a guide for Terezin and highly recommend him. Which is why I booked him a few months ago for my visit in June. But I just got an email saying they have to either switch day of my tour, or if I keep original date, it will be led by “Jan,” not Pavel.
Has anyone used Jan as guide? The new date of tour with Pavel is on my birthday … and I’m just not sure that 9 hours touring/discussing a concentration camp is a good way for me to celebrate my birthday.
Any input welcome. Thank you!
Posted by
near San Francisco
4601 posts
Well, it's a very moving day with Pavel, that's for sure. To me, it wasn't quite as hard to visit as, say, Auschwitz. Still, it is definitely an emotional visit.
I can't imagine that Pavel would let just anyone give tours under his company name. But when I went, I only wanted to go with him as the guide.
Tough call.
Posted by
OP
Charlotte, NC, USA
380 posts
So … I decided to go ahead on tour with Pavel’s replacement, Jan.
Except now I just received an email saying they will now not be doing a tour at all on the new date with Jan and that the new tour with Pavel has been canceled/replaced by one with Jan.
VERY disappointed with this company that has received so many great reviews here — tour manager offers no explanation for this 2nd shakeup, just a couple days before originally booked tour.
Posted by
Amsterdam
7 posts
I started to help and support this unique group of passionate and enthusiastic historians. Several professors let me already know how grateful they are for the recommendation. I have never met a group of friends like this in any other country I traveled through. They are not skillful business people but rather elite researchers and historians.
You don't say a full story, Shelly. At first, you let them know you can join their tour on two different dates. I saw the request email. Then later you announced you have a birthday so you are available only one particular day. They explained to you why nobody can go to Terezin on the date you wanted. Why do so many people think that everything has to be the way only they want and desire?
Posted by
Madison, WI, USA
13 posts
I am bummed my husband and I can't remember the name of the articulate, passionate and captivating graduate student that lead us and 2 other couples on a three hour private tour of the synagogues and cemetery in Prague but her tour might have been the best of many tours we took over 10 days. She is part of the Terezin group and that's how I found the tour. We are not Jewish but that didn't make a difference. History is history and she had a great way of explaining traditions without taking away from the other Jewish couple on the tour. I highly recommend this group of passionate historians.
Posted by
6 posts
Dear Shelly, I was reading your commentary and couldn't help to reply. I did a Terezin tour with Mr. Batel earlier this year, send three optional dates to the request, and got confirmed one of them. After a while, I was kindly asked by Petra (the tour manager) if I would be open to going to Terezin with Mr. Batel on one of the other dates I noted. I understand he is working on many projects regarding holocaust research. I happily agreed so I could experience one of his lectures. As others noted here, they are a small group of academics and researchers, not a mass travel agency to be "very disappointed" with. I understand you wanted to celebrate your birthday but if it was me, I wouldn't hesitate to take the opportunity. We did several tours with this group and had Jan for a general walking tour. He was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot from him. We also did a Jewish Quarter tour with their colleague Yvonne who displayed a wide knowledge of Jewish history in Prague. It seems to me that Jane here is talking about Yvonne as well. Recommending this team 100/100.