Day Two in Prague: Kutna Hora
We started our day this morning rather lazily with a long breakfast in our hotel lobby and trip to the main train station, Hlavni Nadrazi. Sadly, the weather was nothing like the first days. The skies were overcast and the weather was drizzly and cold. We decided to spend our morning in Kutna Hora, a neighboring town with some creepily astounding architecture.
We hopped on a 12:00PM train to Kutna Hora and spent an hour seeing the Czech Republic from Prague to Bohemia. We also added a fourth person onto our group: our newfound friend, Chris, a fellow American living in Spain and traveling in Prague. After an hour of chatting and countryside viewing, we arrived. First stop: Kostnice in Kutna Hora.
The inside of Kostnice in Kutna Hora is decorated with the bones of 40,000 people. Creepy, yes, but bizarrely intriguing. Though that had been our only must-see when we planned our day trip, Chris mentioned St. Barbara, a UNESCO heritage site in Kutna Hora with stained glass that was supposed to rival that of St. Vitus in Old Town Prague.
After a long walk in the rain and slush, we made it up to St. Barbara. For $1.50, we were not disappointed.
The outside of the church was amazingly brilliant, an ornate building in the middle of nowhere. If the outside was mesmerizing, though, the inside was beyond brilliant. The stained glass was phenomenal (a common theme in CZ) and the statues and structures were incredible.
After a long day, a long bus ride back we made our way to the Old Town once again for dinner and evening drinks. Our new friend joined us for the evening and we enjoyed a delicious drawn out dinner at a nearby hotel restaurant. The view was storybook, facing the Astronomical Clock and the Old Town Center with views of Tyn Church. The menu was intimidating at first; a small bound book with nearly 100 pages of Czech fare, all reasonably priced. Compared with Western European countries, the Czech Republic generally offers more affordable accommodations, dining and experiences, which makes it an excellent destination for budget travelers looking to break up more expensive destinations.
After our dinner, we meandered the markets and Chris treated my dad to an after dinner drink. Apparently he hadn’t learned his lesson from the night before; they both ended up with hearty pours of grog to finish out the night, pure rum for an evening warm up.
After our rendezvous, we headed back home to end our day and prepare for day three in Prague and our flight to the City of Lights. We’re sad to say goodbye to Prague, but excited to say hello to Paris!
Goodnight from Prague,
