BLOG POST 5
February 3, 2010
Today I journeyed to Kutná Hora, home of the infamous Sedlec Bone Church and man! was it a boring day. Our tour guide was a total dud – he knew his facts but he presented them so bone-dry and in such a nonlinear fashion that in the end all that came out of his mouth was “blah blah blah.” I learned next to nothing… but at least the drive was beautiful, right?
Our first stop was an hour away from Prague at a castle called Ĉeský Ŝternberk. It was gorgeous from the outside, a large stone fortress surrounded by thick stone walls, all perched atop a hill bathed white in snow. When we first entered the courtyard we were greeted by the smell of grilling sausages and hot mulled wine (officially my favorite cold-weather alcoholic beverage of all time) and the beautiful view of a small village nestled in the valley below the hill.
The inside of the castle, however, was a letdown. The rooms, the art, and the furniture all showed their age, looking more beat-up than majestic. We explored from a bit and then continued our bus ride to the town of Kutná Hora, about 45-minutes away. Our tour guide took us on a walking tour of downtown but his confusing and circuitous speech pattern combined with his quiet voice and lack of microphone lulled the majority of us into a zoned-out (almost zombie-esque) stupor. He took us from one old building to another, but I couldn’t tell you anything he said.
Finally it was time for a lunch break. My group of 8 ended up at an absolutely empty pub where the language barrier was a definite issue. I thought I ordered one meal but ended up getting something unidentifiable. I recognized ham and cheese and what looked like uncooked chili but tasted like week-old sloppy joes. I ate because I was hungry, but it tasted downright funky.
The tour continued at St. Barbara’s Cathedral, famous for its flying buttresses and stained glass windows, and ended at the Sedlec Bone Church. This place is absolutely RIDICULOUS. All its decorations are made from the human bones collected from 40,000 plague victims. There are crosses, chandeliers, even pyramids of bones stacked artistically atop one another. I don’t think words alone can do justice to the mega-creepiness of this church, so I've attached some pictures to the top of this post. "Czech" them out!
February 3, 2010
Today I journeyed to Kutná Hora, home of the infamous Sedlec Bone Church and man! was it a boring day. Our tour guide was a total dud – he knew his facts but he presented them so bone-dry and in such a nonlinear fashion that in the end all that came out of his mouth was “blah blah blah.” I learned next to nothing… but at least the drive was beautiful, right?
Our first stop was an hour away from Prague at a castle called Ĉeský Ŝternberk. It was gorgeous from the outside, a large stone fortress surrounded by thick stone walls, all perched atop a hill bathed white in snow. When we first entered the courtyard we were greeted by the smell of grilling sausages and hot mulled wine (officially my favorite cold-weather alcoholic beverage of all time) and the beautiful view of a small village nestled in the valley below the hill.
The inside of the castle, however, was a letdown. The rooms, the art, and the furniture all showed their age, looking more beat-up than majestic. We explored from a bit and then continued our bus ride to the town of Kutná Hora, about 45-minutes away. Our tour guide took us on a walking tour of downtown but his confusing and circuitous speech pattern combined with his quiet voice and lack of microphone lulled the majority of us into a zoned-out (almost zombie-esque) stupor. He took us from one old building to another, but I couldn’t tell you anything he said.
Finally it was time for a lunch break. My group of 8 ended up at an absolutely empty pub where the language barrier was a definite issue. I thought I ordered one meal but ended up getting something unidentifiable. I recognized ham and cheese and what looked like uncooked chili but tasted like week-old sloppy joes. I ate because I was hungry, but it tasted downright funky.
The tour continued at St. Barbara’s Cathedral, famous for its flying buttresses and stained glass windows, and ended at the Sedlec Bone Church. This place is absolutely RIDICULOUS. All its decorations are made from the human bones collected from 40,000 plague victims. There are crosses, chandeliers, even pyramids of bones stacked artistically atop one another. I don’t think words alone can do justice to the mega-creepiness of this church, so I've attached some pictures to the top of this post. "Czech" them out!
WEIRD, right?! Anyway, after a long and somewhat tedious day, we drove back to Prague and arrived around 6pm. By then, I felt super nauseated. I’m not sure whether I was carsick or whether my stomach was rejecting the nasty ingredients in lunch, but I thought I was going to be sick. I went back to my room straightaway to take some Pepto and a short nap. I woke up hours later feeling MUCH better. By then it was already 11 o’clock, so I had to hurry to get ready for a night on the town. We ended up going to an awesome pub/dance club called Chapeau Rouge. Considering it was a Wednesday night, there were a TON of people there. Many of them were AIFS students, especially the ones on the dance floor, but there were also local Czechs and one creepy homeless man who just stood at the bar waiting for people to buy him drinks. I spent the whole night going bonkers on the dance floor grooving to the European techno beats, and it ended up being a crazy awesome night. Getting back to the dorm was a definite challenge because the metro was closed and none of us were all too familiar with the tram system, but tonight it was Jake to the rescue, single-handedly navigating four ladies home safe and sound. (That dude seriously rocks.)
I knew it’s only been one week since I left home, but already I can say with utter certainty that I LOVE Prague.
I knew it’s only been one week since I left home, but already I can say with utter certainty that I LOVE Prague.
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