Post by BigRay on Dec 9, 2003 13:36:36 GMT -5
Though I have not yet been to some of the main destinations in the Czech Republic, I have been to some places that people are likely never to go (and for good reason ;D).
Kutna Hora
My first excursion outside of Prague was to Kutna Hora. This is a small town not far ourside of Prague and is home to a nice Cathedral and a lot of abandoned mines. It used to be one of the richest towns in the Czech Republic because of its silver mines, and used to produce the coins of the realm. The town is pretty, and worth visiting as a day trip from Prague. Actually, a half-day trip is all you will need to see this place, as it is really small and everything is close together. One tourist attraction that I didn't do is to descend the mines. I wasn't too interested in this and skipped it. I will send some pictures to Kim for the photo album so you can see the cathedral. When visiting, it's most efficient to also visit Sedlec and the bone chapel (see below).
Sedlec
Immediately next to Kutna Hora is an even smaller town called Sedlec. This town's claim to fame is church built of human bones after the plague. Over 40,000 skeletons were used to create this chapel and its effects are haunting. There is absolutely nothing else in this town, and guidebooks will often just say the bone sanctuary, or ossuary, is in Kutna Hora. But this is definitely a worthwhile sight to see. I am not certain, but it may be on the UNESCO world heritage list. I got some good pictures in the chapel, and I will send some of them to Kim for the album.
Chomutov
Near the German border in the northwest of the Czech Republic is a town called Chomutov. This place will likely never make an entry in any guidebook and for good reason. Yet somehow I have found myself here three times now. Actually, I have a Czech friend who I took the teacher training course with who is from here, and he has invited me to visit a few times.
There really is not a lot here, though it is worth mentioning that Czechs and large numbers of gypsies seem to living together in harmony here, which is definitely not the case in most of the rest of the country. There is a pretty town square here. In the past, it's main industry was an aluminum mine, but the mine has long been abandoned. One good thing, though, is that where the mine used to be is now a large man-made lake. They have water skiing and sun bathing and barbecues and it's a pleasant way to relax and spend a warm Sunday afternoon. The water in the lake has a rusty tinge to it, though, from the mine, and supposedly this is supposed to be really good for your skin. Myth? Beats me.
Nove Hrady
This small village (population about 2,000) is a few hours south of Prague and is situated on the Austrian border. I came here, once again, because of my Czech friend from Chomutov. He plays in a band that tours around the Czech Republic and Germany on summer weekends and when he came to this town, I decided to check it out. In his band, he plays the medieval bagpipes. What kind of band is this, you ask? I don't know how to describe it except how he described it to me: we have a bunch of medieval instruments and play them really loud. The band gets all decked-out in medieval attire and tours various festivals in town squares and castles and blesses them with their noise. This particular weekend, the small castle of Nove Hrady was fortunate to hear their ruckus. It was actually a really good time. As with all festivals in this country, the beer was flowing and the town was out and about. In the castle courtyard, there was a stage for the band, medieval games for the kids, and lot of small vendors selling little knickknacks. There were also food vendors selling gingerbread cookies, fruity honey wine, popcorn, cotton candy and sausages. Though you will not see this town in any guidebook, you will find entries about the region and the Sumava mountains. I found it a worthwhile place to visit. The countryside here was beautiful, and it was really nice to see something authentically Czech, which can be hard in Prague. The people were extremely friendly and were very interested to talk to me, even though communication was very difficult, as my Czech is not that good and their English was non-existent, but we shared laughs and beers and I was made to feel very welcome. At one point I even joined in with the owner of the pension that I stayed at in a ZZ Top song. ;D
To be continued
Well, I am starving right now and about to get dinner, but promise to continue this when I get back. The other places in this country I have been:
Ceske Budejovice
Plzen (and Plzen Beer Festival 161)
Cheers,
Ray
Kutna Hora
My first excursion outside of Prague was to Kutna Hora. This is a small town not far ourside of Prague and is home to a nice Cathedral and a lot of abandoned mines. It used to be one of the richest towns in the Czech Republic because of its silver mines, and used to produce the coins of the realm. The town is pretty, and worth visiting as a day trip from Prague. Actually, a half-day trip is all you will need to see this place, as it is really small and everything is close together. One tourist attraction that I didn't do is to descend the mines. I wasn't too interested in this and skipped it. I will send some pictures to Kim for the photo album so you can see the cathedral. When visiting, it's most efficient to also visit Sedlec and the bone chapel (see below).
Sedlec
Immediately next to Kutna Hora is an even smaller town called Sedlec. This town's claim to fame is church built of human bones after the plague. Over 40,000 skeletons were used to create this chapel and its effects are haunting. There is absolutely nothing else in this town, and guidebooks will often just say the bone sanctuary, or ossuary, is in Kutna Hora. But this is definitely a worthwhile sight to see. I am not certain, but it may be on the UNESCO world heritage list. I got some good pictures in the chapel, and I will send some of them to Kim for the album.
Chomutov
Near the German border in the northwest of the Czech Republic is a town called Chomutov. This place will likely never make an entry in any guidebook and for good reason. Yet somehow I have found myself here three times now. Actually, I have a Czech friend who I took the teacher training course with who is from here, and he has invited me to visit a few times.
There really is not a lot here, though it is worth mentioning that Czechs and large numbers of gypsies seem to living together in harmony here, which is definitely not the case in most of the rest of the country. There is a pretty town square here. In the past, it's main industry was an aluminum mine, but the mine has long been abandoned. One good thing, though, is that where the mine used to be is now a large man-made lake. They have water skiing and sun bathing and barbecues and it's a pleasant way to relax and spend a warm Sunday afternoon. The water in the lake has a rusty tinge to it, though, from the mine, and supposedly this is supposed to be really good for your skin. Myth? Beats me.
Nove Hrady
This small village (population about 2,000) is a few hours south of Prague and is situated on the Austrian border. I came here, once again, because of my Czech friend from Chomutov. He plays in a band that tours around the Czech Republic and Germany on summer weekends and when he came to this town, I decided to check it out. In his band, he plays the medieval bagpipes. What kind of band is this, you ask? I don't know how to describe it except how he described it to me: we have a bunch of medieval instruments and play them really loud. The band gets all decked-out in medieval attire and tours various festivals in town squares and castles and blesses them with their noise. This particular weekend, the small castle of Nove Hrady was fortunate to hear their ruckus. It was actually a really good time. As with all festivals in this country, the beer was flowing and the town was out and about. In the castle courtyard, there was a stage for the band, medieval games for the kids, and lot of small vendors selling little knickknacks. There were also food vendors selling gingerbread cookies, fruity honey wine, popcorn, cotton candy and sausages. Though you will not see this town in any guidebook, you will find entries about the region and the Sumava mountains. I found it a worthwhile place to visit. The countryside here was beautiful, and it was really nice to see something authentically Czech, which can be hard in Prague. The people were extremely friendly and were very interested to talk to me, even though communication was very difficult, as my Czech is not that good and their English was non-existent, but we shared laughs and beers and I was made to feel very welcome. At one point I even joined in with the owner of the pension that I stayed at in a ZZ Top song. ;D
To be continued
Well, I am starving right now and about to get dinner, but promise to continue this when I get back. The other places in this country I have been:
Ceske Budejovice
Plzen (and Plzen Beer Festival 161)
Cheers,
Ray