The Ups...
As yesterday was the first day of our rail pass we got a fast train to Kutna Hora in the Bohemia region of the Czech Republic (which was only an hour from Prague).
Our first stop was in a little village, called Sedlec which was a five minute walk from the peculiarly located train station. We visited the Sedlec Ossuary or the "Bone Chapel" which is amazing! In the late 1800s a woodcarver purchased the Sedlec monastary and got creative with the bones of 40,000 people from the centuries old crypt...
We walked the searing hot 2km road into Kutna Hora town centre where we visited the main tourist attraction; the Silver Mine Museum. Following our Lonely Planets guidance we booked on the czech speaking "The Way of the Silver" tour.The first half an hour was t.e.d.i.o.u.s.... hot weather + no czech language skills makes for a very crabby Mary! However, we were soon equipped with a white hooded gown, hard leather helmet and miners torch ready for a trek down the pits.
Along with a Canadian lady, we had a threeman english tour down the mine which involved descending 169 steps and crawling through a shaft with walls lined with stalactites. The route was very 'slight' in parts with the narrowest section being 46cm wide and 110cm tall (Sam struggled hehehe!) But..we made it out alive with a new canadian friend and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
After tootling back to the train station and chatting with our canadian pal we were reinspired to give Czech food one last chance...
Back in Prague we visited a traditional Czech pub (which a Dubliner in an Irish Pub recommended to us) and were in culinary heaven! Garlic soup for starters, chicken skewers/tenderloin, dumplings and cranberry sauce followed by hot and spicy plums with ice cream.
With full bellies we were all set for the big adventure: the overnight sleeper train to Krakow, Poland...
The Downs
We arrived at Prague Station with plenty of time, fully loaded with everything you could possibly imagine on our backs! Having planned this for months, we were looking forward to our first night sleeping in a couchette cabin...
To our horror, the reservations we had received did not match what we had been sold, instead of a comfy bunk we were treated to a seat in a chicken coop shared with 6 other hens.
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| Sam's reaction to our surprise luxury accomodation for the next 9.5 hours. |
Although the cabin may appear spacious, rest assured, was far from it when filled with 1 x Sam, 1 x Mary, 2 x french student, 2 x irish student, 1 x angry bearded czech man (who had issues with staring) and 1 x smelly polish skater.
Alas we survived the night and are eager to get showered and 'Crack-on' with Krakow
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