Gothics, Medieval Times and Bone Churches, OH MY!

Last week Iain and I visited Prague and had a lovely time. Prague is the center of Bohemian and Gothic culture, creating a perfect medieval feel that speaks loudly from every street corner in central Prague.

We were lucky enough to land on a weekend where an international marathon was running (mind the pun) and the streets were filled with entertainment and excited people.

There is a clock in the center of town where about 1000 people stand in front of every hour to see the devil ring a bell to the twelve apostates every hour on the hour. This clock was so meticulously made that the king poked the creator's eyes out with hot coal irons so he couldn't reproduce it.

This is also the town that two important town figures were thrown off the Charles Bridge because they displeased the king. One of them was a saint. As you walk across this bridge you can see 30 religious statues dating back to the 18th century, one of which gives you good luck if you rub the feet on the figure.

I didn't know which one it was at first but was quick to figure it out by the lineup of people waiting to get a photo and the two ridiculously shiny spots on the bottom of the figure where the dirt had been rubbed away.

The other attraction in this town that we really enjoyed was Prague Castle. At noon every day there is a changing of the guards that is quite the spectacle. I have it on video so will post it sometime. The two front entrance guards are changed and these guards are lead by the captain of the guards and about 30 military trumpets. It one of my favorite palace experiences.

However the highlight of our visit to Prague was our train ride out to the Czech country side to visit the Bone Church of Kunta Hora. This church had a cemetery that held 30,000 graves. When the church was later became private, the 30,000 preexisting graves had been dug up, bones cleaned, and now decorate the entire interior of the church.

When you walk in the front doors you can't help but be shocked by the hundreds of human skulls and skeletal pieces hanging around in artistic positions throughout the church. The best pieces were the chandelier in the centre of the church which has every singe bone in the human body at least once in it, and a shield of arms made for a noble family made entirely out of human bones.

Other than that, Iain and I just spent a lot of time wondering around town. We found some great restaurants and parks to relax in and I got to lie in a field of spring flowers. We even went out for dinner with two other like-minded couples we became friends with on our bus tour.