Kutna Hora

Hello all

Weather hot as ever here, had a small thunderstorm last night (which is apparently quite common in the evenings in summertime) which cleared the air slightly but it's still muggy and close.

We're getting the hang of the tram system now - had to pay 280Kc each (about 7 pounds) for a 7 day pass for the metro/tram/bus system, which is very good value. The hostel is quite far from town so we get the number 3 of a morning and trundle into the 'centrum' like a local..

Caught the train to a small town called Kutna Hora, which is about 70km from Prague. It has a small chapel, called the Ossuary Chapel, which houses about 40,000 human skeletons, all arranged to form the interior decorations. Skulls are laid on top of each other, to form columns from the ground to the roof, a chandelier provides the main decoration, made from all the bones within the human body... There is a coat of arms, made from various hip-bones and limbs, the size of a human being. Also thousands of bones piled on top of one another to form pyramids in four separate alcoves around the church. It's an amazing, weird sight, and takes your breath away as soon as you step inside. So many people, so many lives, the remains of which provide the most macabre sense of interior design!

After the church was built, it was sprinkled with soil taken from the Holy Land and people then wished to be buried on the consecrated ground - when the cemetary filled, the only place left was within the church itself and the ossuary chapel was born...

Saw a man on a park bench on our way back from the train station - wizened, thin, so old that his skin was like dark brown leather, he seemed to live on the bench and had nothing to his name. It's so sad that people have to live this way. There are lots of 'homeless' on the streets, living in parks, sleeping on benches. They ask people for cigarettes, and surprisingly, unlike British society, every single person gives a cigarette. There seems to be a sense of acceptance and is regarded as the 'norm'.

A little bit of info for you - 'Skoda' means 'damage' in Czech - how ironic!!

Anyway, we're having an early night tonight, have another busy day planned in Prague town centre tomorrow (going to put photos on a CD so will hopefully upload some in the next few days).

Hope you're all doing well, glad you're still enjoying the blog!

Lots of love
from Us xxx

La Praha

Hello!

Thanks for all your comments, there were so many when we logged on today! It's great to have positive feedback from family and friends and lovely to know we're in your thoughts.

James, we're being James cautious, don't worry. Keeping an eye out for shady characters and pickpockets, apparently it's a big problem in this city in particular. And we're never out after dark - at this hostel at least, there's a bar downstairs to chill out in, and we're so tired after a day's wanderings that we just want to go and sleep!

Prague is an enormous city, it sprawls for miles, with hundreds of little alleyways (rather like Venice) and shops to spend your hard earned cash in. Lots and lots of crystal for sale, swarovski shops a go-go, glassware is obviously very popular here, probably with tourists and the like. The architecture is absolutely amazing - gothic spires, towers and churches, an imposing castle on the hill, 15th century facades, taking you back in time to when the streets would have been full of wagons and beggars.

The only downside is the obvious tourism boost to the city - thousands of people from all nationalities, which makes it hard to absorb the true atmosphere of the place. Only the Jewish Quarter and the outskirts seem to be free from the central rush. We wandered from building to building this morning, craning our necks to look up at the buildings - they're all on such a large scale that people are dwarfed.

The Old Town Hall is a magnificent building - it houses the world-famous astronomical clock which was built in 1410 and shows the revolutions of the sun, moon and stars in the sky and figures of the 12 apostles appear on the hour, every hour of the day. The original mechanics have been working nonstop for 6 centuries, which is pretty amazing. We went to the top of the Hall tower, about 8 stories, and had a panoramic view of Prague over the rooftops.

The weather was so hot (mid-30s) that we had to cut the day short and return to the hostel and read in the garden. The garden is a lovely escape from the hectic city - the tables are old singer sewing machines, and ashtrays are metal tins from the 1950s. In the mornings, a full breakfast is served for about 2 pounds in a little cellar next to a chapel, and 40's music is played low from the speakers. The place is a gem, and we're so lucky to have found it.

Tomorrow, we will be going to Kutna Hora to visit the Bone Church (a church decked out with the bones of hundreds of people who chose to be buried within the grounds). Going to be a fantastic/macabre sight!

Just to say:
Mina & Philip - Have you decided anything about Italy? That goes for you too, Lydia! Let me know...
Zegna, Chris & boys - When are you off on holiday, can't remember? Let me know before you go, have a really great time. Hope you all had a really good time at Nathan's birthday party, sorry I wasn't there.
James - Hope work is going ok, missing the tea and chats, looking forward to seeing you when we get back
Sue, Alan, Gran & Cats - Well done for posting a comment! Very interested in speaking to Michael, will call him when I'm back. Moving on to dragon country soon so will keep an eye on the skies! Lots of love
Gpa & Gma - Great to see your comment, hope you're both doing well!
Sallie & Tim - Thanks for posting, its good to know this is being read all the way across the Atlantic! Hope you're both doing well

Thanks again everyone for posting, it really means a lot to us to read your comments - its nice to be reminded of home!

Will post again tomorrow

Lots of love
H&M (A for Lydia, to keep the confusion at bay) xxx

Prague

Hello

Got up early. Backpacks VERY heavy. Sat on a train for 9 hours. Was very hot. Got very tired. Have arrived in Praha. Nice hostel, very comfy. Ate dinner. Still very tired. Going to bed soon.

Will post more tomorrow. Exploring Prague in the morning. When we're not so tired.

Lots of love, night night

H&M xxx

Think this is the most informative post so far, promise it will be better tomorrow!!!

Krakow/Birkenau

Had another busy couple of days - spent yesterday exploring the South of Krakow, walking through the old streets of Kazimierz (the Jewish quarter). The buildings are beautiful, with old antique shops and tiny bistros tucked away.

At the moment, the Jewish Culture Festival is in progress, which is based in Kazimierz but has events taking place all over the city. There are heavy metal bands (!) playing in the Old Town Square, men on stilts blowing bubbles and hundreds of accordion/violin/trumpet players serenading the tourists on the streets. It's a great atmosphere to be around.

We were determined to find Oskar Schindler's factory yesterday, so wandered over the Wisla river which separates the main city from the outskirts, as we had read 'somewhere' that it was in that direction. All we had was a road name. So after making our way through a strange Polish industrial estate, we spotted a bistro which had nice food, so decided on lunch. Before going in, glanced next door and there was the factory gate! The buildings are currently being restored to become a museum next year, but we were lucky enough to come across a lovely gentleman who gave us a brief history and showed us Schindler's office.

We spent the afternoon sitting, reading, in the tree-lined park which surrounds the Old Town (which has been planted on the remains of the Old Town fortifications) and is amusingly called 'Planty'. Everything here ends in a 'y'. Komputery, laptopy, notebooky, monety, telephony.. It keeps us amused.

Watched a very awful DVD last night at the hostel - a guy staying here wanted to watch Hannibal, so the lights were turned off and the projector screen set up - but it was subtitled in both Japanese and another unknown language (looked like Urdu) and every few minutes the screen froze. All the way through a 2 hour film. Eventually, the original watchee wandered off in frustration, and we were left watching a film we didn't really want to watch. But then it froze one too many times and stopped itself. So we were saved. And on a plus side (Marli's plus side, not Helen's), Italy won the match.

Today, we made the 72km trip back to Auschwitz, to visit Birkenau. The original Auschwitz site is called Auschwitz I, Birkenau is Auschwitz II and Monowitz is Auschwitz III. Birkenau is the 'extermination camp', and the end of the line for Jews and Nazi prisoners. The famous 'death gate' is the first thing you see, with the train tracks leading right up to it. Inside, it is far larger than Auschwitz one, maybe 5 times bigger. There are many blocks, which housed prisoners, with bare wooden bunks made of rough slats of wood. The buildings have been generally untouched since the liberation of the camp, and the living conditions are a stark reminder of the pain these people went through. There were 4 gas chambers on site, all of which were destroyed with dynamite by the SS to remove evidence when the war was coming to an end. All that remains is a pile of rubble and twisted metal. The Birkenau site is less a museum and more an indication as to the scale of the genocide. The place was just as moving as Auschwitz I, and such an important place to visit. It really puts life into perspective.

One positive thing about our first visit which we forgot - in the gas chamber, there was a nest of swallows just above the entrance, which flew in and out over our heads. An indication to new life and new beginnings, I guess..

However, the myth that birds don't fly over Auschwitz, and that birdsong is never heard, is true of Birkenau. There are no birds. There is no sound, the place is silent.

We are going to Prague tomorrow, getting the train at 8.30am and arriving in Czech Republic at 4.45pm, so a long day travelling. We're hoping it's not going to be as hot as today, 29 degrees, with no wind! It felt a lot hotter than that, and the bus we travelled back to Krakow in was a typical town bus with few windows and no air conditioning.

Oh and we splashed out and had a lovely evening meal in a restaurant on the square, felt very posh, with all the rich people! And it cost a total of.. 3 pounds each. We love this country!!!

Anyway, ta ra for now, will post when we get to Prague! And keep the comments coming, it's so nice to hear from all of you.

Lots of love H&M xxx

Krakow - Auschwitz

Hi guys

Thanks for all your comments, miss you all very much, feel very far from home! And we are being careful, very careful...
Been an eventful couple of days since last post - on Sunday we walked around Krakow for MILES (and had the muscle aches to prove it). The Old Town is beautiful, everything surrounds the main square, so you can't get lost, all roads lead there. We met a character when we first entered the square - a man in his 70s, with a beard and cap and very dirty nails, carrying his life in his bags. He came up to us hesitantly and whispered "English?", we nodded and he started patting us on the arms, repeating "English, english..". I took a photo of him and his chin started to wobble (not as a result of my photo I hope..) and his eyes filled with tears. He kept repeating "English, english.." with other Polish mumblings, all the while looking as if he was about to burst into tears. Then he hugged each of us, very emotionally, and wandered off! Very friendly people, these Poles!
The rest of the day was spent walking the streets (and spending 1.5 hours trying to decide on where to have lunch..) and looking at the attractions, including a real fire-breathing dragon (MumSue, if you're reading, it was a REAL dragon). We were very tired and read books in the evening.

Yesterday was a difficult one. We mustered up the courage to go to Oswiecim, or Auschwitz. The camp is in the form of a museum, which feels quite touristy, with a hot dog stand and tourist shops. But once inside, it feels like another world. You have the choice whether to walk with a group, or go individually, and we just bought a guide book and made our own way round. There are many blocks, which housed the prisoners, some of which have exhibitions. We were most moved by a particular exhibition which displayed the belongings which were plundered from the men, women and children as they arrived into the camp. There was a room full of men and women's shoes, piled to the ceiling, thousands of them. Next door was a smaller room with just children's shoes, and it brought home the atrocities which we aren't really exposed to in our easy Western way of life. There was a shiny red girl's shoe, sitting on it's own on the pile, and it brought images of the owner, perhaps excited when she received the shiny new red shoes, as a present. It's so hard to see.
I think most people expect the gas chamber to bring the most emotion, but seeing these belongings and photographs of prisoners with the date they were brought in, and consequent fate (fate unknown was the worst..) really hits home. The gas chamber itself was small, dark and claustrophobic, but in essence, felt like just a room. In a way, we felt separated from what had actually happened there, almost desensitised, so it was surreal to imagine the acts that were carried out only 60 years ago on that very spot.

It was harrowing, but there was another part of Auschwitz that we didn't get time to visit, called Birkenau, 3km along the road. This is where 4 new gas chambers were built, at the end of the train line, and people were led straight from the train into the chambers, being told that they were having a 'disinfectant bath'. It's impossible to comprehend the evil. We will be visiting Birkenau on Wednesday, our last full day in Krakow.

Phew..
But on a lighter note, the weather's good! It's been very hot since Sunday, with a bit of a chilly wind, but we're still tanning! Plans for today are.. to visit Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter of Krakow. Also to find Oscar Schindler's factory and the subsequent set for Schindler's list, and to have some true Polish dumplings.
Hope all at home is good, and the weather is nice. Will post more tomorrow... xxx

Morning from Krakow!

We arrived yesterday in Krakow, after a 3am start - ugh. The weather was appalling, heavy rain, cloudy, not a good start! After a break-neck taxi ride from the airport, we arrived at the hostel called 'Stranger Hostel', a cute little place with projection tv and x-box games galore! It's full of Americans but hey, guess that's not the hostel's fault..
Went to watch the England game last night in a bar down the road, which was full of English and Irish guys on stag do's - lots and lots of beer was consumed and they all turned into lager louts - but nice lager louts, there was no trouble. English guys swapped shirts with Polish girls, which made for interesting outfits!
Highly disappointed with the result (I mean, England should NEVER have to take penalties, we're useless), we made our way dejectedly back to the hostel, stopping on the way to have a 15p bagel to share - everything is so cheap! A good pint of beer is a pound, a burger is about 80p...
There's a couch in the hostel lounge which also serves as a bed, it's big and round and everyone piles on to it, with a good view of the projection screen for DVD's - pure luxury. We read for a bit then made our way to bed as it was a very long day.
Today, we will mostly be exploring what Krakow has to offer, make our way to the Old Town and find some Polish fare for lunch.
Met a guy here who is travelling round the world on his motorbike, a la Ewan and Charley in the Long Way Round - he has some cool stories to tell, and a very nice bike. He's been on the road about 10 months already and is making his way to the Arctic Circle - all at the age of 52! So it's never too late...
Anyway, Krakow awaits. Will post again soon...