If you haven't read the first and second part of this post, you can read them on the following links:
CONNECTING WITH NATURE, OUR FUEL FOR CREATIVITY (EUROPE 2024) part 1 of 4
CONNECTING WITH NATURE, OUR FUEL FOR CREATIVITY (EUROPE 2024) part 2 of 4
At this point in our trip, we were already feeling exhausted from more than a month of waking up early almost every day, lacking sleep and from the countless mountain hikes we did. But we were determined to proceed with our trip as we initially planned.
On the rainy morning of September 15, 2024, our train from Bratislava, Slovakia to Prague, Czech Republic was delayed for more than 4 hours. The huge storm which devastated Eastern Europe for a few days which caused rivers to swell and caused significant flooding and damage in Czech Republic, Poland and Austria resulted to significant delays to the schedule of trains.
As our train approached the South Eastern border of Czech Republic (between Lanžhot to Brno) in the afternoon, we saw a lot of damaged houses along the river and although it was no longer raining and the sun slowly started to show, the river's water level still hasn't receded.
CZECH REPUBLIC
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (City of a hundred spires)
When we arrived in Prague, it was already dark. The following day, it was raining once again so we decided to just visit just the Altstadt Old Town (EAST) and briefly familiarize ourselves with their local transport system. On some tourist attractions, we had to walk for 10-20 mins but other than that, their local transport network system is very effective.
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| While we were waiting for our connecting tram to the Altstadt Old Town, it just so happened that another attraction called the "Dancing House" was nearby. This curved modern office building was designed by Architect Frank Gehry and is one of the many iconic buildings in Prague. |
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| St. Nicolas Church interior near the Astronomical clock |
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| St. Nicolas Church facade taken from the Staroměstské náměstí/Old Town square |
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| Early Baroque style Church of St. Ignatius (1655-1677 by Carlo Lurago) located in Karlovo náměstí/Charles square. This church was dedicated to their patron saint and founder of the Jesuit Order, St. Ignatius of Loyola. It was built as part of the new Nove Mesto residence of the city's Jesuits, the third largest Jesuit complex in Europe.
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On our way back to our hotel, we passed by and appreciated these neo-Gothic style row of buildings (1865-1875, by Czech architect and builder Josef Hlavka) which currently houses the maternity hospital and the obstetrics and gynecology clinic of the 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University.
On our second day, we woke up early to view the sunrise at the famous Karlův most/Charles bridge. It's a famous and most photographed stone bridge connecting the Altstadt Old town (EAST) and the Lesser Town (WEST). |
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| view of Charles bridge from our tram stop in Legion bridge |
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| Elegant 14th century arched gateway with Gothic ornaments on the eastern end of Charles bridge |
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| Charles bridge is 516 meters across the Vltava River. It’s an iconic landmark, built in 1357, that almost every visitor will walk across if they are to visit Lesser/New Town. |
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| View of Lesser Town which includes Pražský hrad/Prague Castle (largest castle complex in the world), St. Vitus Cathedral, St. George's Basilica, Lobkowicz Palace and the Golden Lane. |
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| Among the 30 gothic statues on the Charles Bridge, it is above all the statue of St. John of Nepomuk which stands out. It is believed by the locals that if you stroke the bronze relief work at the base, you take a little bit of Prague luck away with you. It was precisely from the Charles Bridge that St. John was thrown into the Vltava river and legend tells that it was because he did not want to divulge the queen’s secret to the king and was later on martyred for it. |
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If you noticed, the bronze relief already discolored which is likely a result of countless, maybe millions of visitors who stroked it over the years for good luck.
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| The other end of the bridge ends with twin Gothic bridge towers which serves as entryway to the Lesser Quarter. |
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| One of the buildings adjacent to the twin Gothic bridge towers |
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Twin Gothic bridge towers which serve as entrance to the Lesser Town (West)
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view of St. Nicholas Baroque Church along Mostecka Street near the twin Gothic bridge towers entrance
Lesser Town is not only a residential neighborhood, it is also home to their government offices, embassies and foreign diplomats. The diversity of the Baroque façades makes it a good place to stroll and there are a lot to discover. The ascent towards Prague Caste is lined with cafes, stylish restaurants, luxury hotels, churches, museums, steep streets and stairways and beautiful palace gardens. |
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| St. Vitus Cathedral inside the very large Pražský hrad/Prague Castle complex |
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| St. Vitus Cathedral which houses tombs of important Saints (St. Wenceslas & St. John of Nepomuk) and Czech rulers (emperor Charles IV and Rudolf II). |
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| St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| St. Vitus Cathedral |
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| St. George's Basilica on the right |
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| view from Paradise Garden observation deck |
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| view from Paradise Garden observation deck |
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| view from Paradise Garden observation deck |
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| It was already late in the afternoon so we decided to go back towards the direction of our hotel (on the East side). We strolled along Ke Hradu street and on the far end of this street (behind the orange truck) you'll see the Socha sv. Jana Nepomuckého statues. |
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| Ke Hradu street |
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along Nerudova street where we passed by the embassies of Italy and Romania
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View of St. Vitus Cathedral and Prague Castle as we looked back from St. Nicholas Church.
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| on the other side of St. Nicholas Church |
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| We were supposed to visit the beautiful Dripstone Wall garden (within the Waldstein Palace grounds which also houses the Czech Senate) and the nearby Prague Castle Gardens but both were closed because they were both badly damaged by the storm. This photo was taken at the entrance of the Palace gardens. |
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| One of the views on the street going to the palace gardens and dripstone wall garden. |
As we walked back towards Charles bridge, the sun was already starting to set so we decided to linger for a bit so Jef can take night shots.
The following day, we visited the Old Town square again since it was raining when we first went there (on our first day).
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14th century Church of Our Lady before Týn at the historic old town square
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Marian column (right) which has a statue of the Virgin Mary at the top with various other statues at the base.
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| Church of Our Lady before Týn at night |
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| Astronomical clock & tower and Church of Our Lady before Týn |
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| Astronomical Clock |
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| Astronomical clock tower |
On the South end of Prague, there is a fortified castle complex called Vyšehrad with large park grounds, hidden passages, cemetery and neo-Gothic basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. There weren't a lot of tourists in the area which is why we enjoyed our stroll while we waited to view the sun to set.
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| Saints Peter and Paul Church |
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Well preserved Rotunda of St. Martina church (circa 1100). During the 16th and 17th centuries, it was used as a prison and storehouse for gunpowder. It was re-consecrated in 1719 but was again seized for military use 65 years later. The Vysehrad Chapter took ownership of the rotunda in 1875 and began full restoration. Notably, a cannonball is still lodged at the top of the entrance wall marking the Prussian attack of Prague in 1757. Today. St. Martin's Rotunda is used for religious ceremonies.
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| view of Saints Peter and Paul church spires from the adjacent cemetery |
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| view of Vltava river from Vysehrad viewing terrace |
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| view of Vltava river |
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| view of Prague Castle (Lesser Town) from Vysehrad |
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| bronze map and view from the observation deck in Vysehrad |
KUTNA HORA
Kutna Hora is a charming city in the middle of Czech Republic, 60 km east of Prague and in the Central Bohemian Region. It was our first day trip from Prague on the morning of September 18, 2024, and as we were looking and waiting for the train platform going to Kutna Hora (50 mins from Prague), we met a fellow traveller from Asia. Ms. Iris Wu is from Taiwan and a retired Software Engineer from the United States. She normally joins tour groups but on this particular day she decided to do this trip alone. On the other hand, we do all our trips independently and I always research and prepare a detailed itinerary before we even fly out from our country. For safety reasons and perhaps because we are introverts, we do not normally mingle with strangers during our trips abroad but for some reason, Ms. Iris had this good aura so we didn't hesitate to let her tag along. And it was a good thing I already had our itinerary planned on that day.
Upon reaching the Kutna Hora Hlavni Nadrazi train station, we decided to walk to the Sedlec Bone Ossuary. The road leading to it was lined with residential houses and the area looked laid back and very peaceful. We talked a lot about life, family and career and the 30minutes went by without even noticing.
“The environment is where we all meet; where we all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share.”
— Lady Bird Johnson
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The Sedlec Ossuary is part of the Church of All Saints (an old monastery) cemetery that is decorated with the bones of people who were once buried in the ground here from the 14th to 15th centuries.
According to local legend, the first bone decorations came around the end of the 15th century by a half-blind monk. When the Schwarzenbergs purchased Sedlec monastery in 1870 they allowed local woodcarver František Rint to get creative with the bones in the crypt (the remains of around 40,000 people), resulting in this remarkable ‘bone church’. |
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| It was prohibited to take pictures inside the Sedlec Bone Ossuary so we took pictures in front of the church instead. |
Around 50 meters or a few mins. walk from Sedlec Bone Ossuary is the Church of Our Lady at Sedlec. It has a bright white and warm yellow interior, filled with art and is a World Heritage Site.
From the Church of Our Lady at Sedlec, we walked for another 1.6 miles to the historic center of Kutna Hora.
Kutná Hora’s greatest monument (also a World Heritage Site) is the stunning and absolutely breathtaking neo-Gothic Cathedral of St Barbara. It rivals Prague’s St. Vitus in size and magnificence. It's very rich history was explained in detail at the second floor gallery, when you go up a flight of stairs to the organ loft. Its construction started in 1380 and interrupted during the Hussite Wars and later on abandoned in 1558 when the silver began to run out in this once silver mining town. The cathedral was finally completed in neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century.
The cathedral is unique compared to many other European churches since its decoration is focused on secular, mining-related themes juxtaposed with religious imagery. The 15th century frescoes, are also remarkably well-preserved and provide a window into the life of this once medieval silver mining town.
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| Stunning neo-Gothic interior of the Cathedral of St. Barbara |
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| Gothic Stone Fountain. This enormous cylindrical structure dominates the Rejskovo Square in the historic center. Dating from the 15th century, it was used to hold water that was brought into the city by wooden piping that stretches for kilometers. It wasn’t until 1890 that the locals stopped using the fountain as a reservoir for drinking water.
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| Plague column which is a reminder of the plague in 1713-1715. |
Italian Court which was originally the Central Mint of Prague, it got its name because the experts in minting at the time were Italian. The building has always been important in the city and it was where the King would stay when he came to visit the silver mines and it was where coins were both produced and stored. It later on became the town hall of Kutná Hora.
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| viewing terrace at the back of Italian Court |
It was already late in the afternoon when we took a bus then train back to Prague. Coincidentally, the direction of the metro where our hotel is located is also the same direction where her accommodation is so we then took the same metro line together. It was a bit difficult to say our goodbyes, we hugged and took with us the wonderful memories of that day.
A few days after, I saw her post this in her social media:
"Prague, Czech Republic, has exceeded my expectations.
A day trip to the charming town of Kutná Hora led to an unexpected friendship with the talented artist Jef Cablog and his lovely wife, Wrachelle. We spent the entire day together, creating memories that will likely stay with me for a long time—while Kutná Hora itself fades into the backdrop."
***
“So often like this, in lonely places in the forest, he would come upon something — bird, flower, tree — beautiful beyond all words, if there had been a soul with whom to share it. Beauty is meaningless until it is shared.”
— George Orwell, Burmese Days
KARLSTJEIN, MORINA & VELKA AMERIKA
In the early morning of September 19, 2024, we travelled by train from Prague to Karlstjein (30 km, 42 mins by train). Upon reaching Karlstjein train station, we walked for another 30mins to this idyllic town on the way to Karlstjein Castle.
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| Before reaching Karlstejein Castle, we walked past this charming little town. |
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| Since we were early, most of the cafes and establishments were still closed when we passed by. |
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Karlstejein Castle, a beautiful fortified complex with a museum. This large castle atop a hill was built in 1348 by King Charles IV as a country retreat and originally designed to hold the crown jewels. Charles IV, one of the most important historical figures of Czech Republic. As well as being the King of Bohemia, he was also the Holy Roman Emperor, and had a large impact on many of the buildings in Prague.
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At the northern edge of Karlstjein Castle, we followed the hiking trail that leads down into the forest down the valley and opens up to a road going to Morina. We walked for another 30mins. Upon reaching Morina, we headed to the left and uphill through the grassy fields.
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| View of Morina in the distance |
“I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”
— Anne Frank
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| Waiting shed where we had our lunch. |
Going further uphill, we reached the first limestone quarry called Velka Amerika which is the largest of the three abandoned quarries in the area. We were a bit disappointed to see the water has dried up (so it was not as picture perfect as we expected). We originally intended to visit all three quarries but we assumed the other two smaller quarries, Mexiko and Small Amerika, may not have that much water as well and may not be worth our effort.
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| Velka Amerika was dug up in the early part of the 20th century for limestone and it’s just been left abandoned since then. It is around 800mtrs. long. Water has filled the base, creating a lake that is up to 18 metres deep at some points.
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From the quarries, we originally planned to hike another 1.5 hours to the small town called Beroun (then go back to Prague from there) but we felt too exhausted then. Instead, we decided to call it a day and head back from Morina to Prague.
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| Walking to the bus stop in Morina to Revnice Train station and from there to Prague Hlavni Nadrazi. |
HRUBA SKALA
(Bohemian Paradise)
On September 21, 2024, we had another early start and took the train to Turnov at 05:48 AM. At that time, the train section from Mnichovo Hradiště to Turnov was closed because it was badly damaged during the past storm so we had to take a replacement bus from there. Our trip lasted around 4hours.
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| From Turnov, we hiked up into the mountain to the forest before we reached the viewing tower built at the peak |
“The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see.”
— Albert Einstein
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| Valdstejn Castle |
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| Valdstejn Castle entrance |
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| Hruba Skala is known for its beautiful volcanic sandstone rock pillars/formations |
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| Mouse hole |
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| Do you see the rock climbers at the top? |
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| This was one of our favorite rock formations. The firgure looks like a weeping head. |
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| Kapelnik |
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| One of the many springs in the area |
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| Dragon's tooth |
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| Hruba Skala Castle |
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| Hruba Skala Castle |
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| Overlooking the town of Hruba Skala from one of the viewpoints |
As we reached the end of another memorable hike, we walked down towards the town of Hruba Skala to take our train back to Turnov and from there back to Prague.
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| walking another 30mins down the road to Hruba Skala train station |
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| Resting as we nearly reached Hruba Skala station |
CESKY KRUMLOV
On our last day in Czech Republic on September 23, 2024, we took the 6AM trip by bus to this beautiful, fairy tale like town in the South Bohemia region. The journey took 3 hours but it was so worth it.
This town is also known as the birthplace of the mother of Austrian Expressionist painter Egon Schiele. He also based and worked here for some time before World War I.
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St. Vitus Cathedral
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Church of St. Vitus in the background
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| Cesky Krumlov city park |
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| view from Cesky Krumlov city park |
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| view from Cesky Krumlov city park |
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| view from Cesky Krumlov city park |
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| view from Cesky Krumlov city park |
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| The streets are car free so we enjoyed the fresh air and our stroll very much. |
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| Castle tower in the distance |
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| This beautiful cat caught our eye and we suddenly missed our cat Miku back at home. |
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| view of Cesky Krumlov town from the Castle |
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| Cloak bridge in the background |
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| Stunning! |
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| at the Cloak bridge |
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| view on the way up to the castle garden |
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| Castle Garden |
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| Castle Garden |
This town was so picturesque that we literally had sore fingers as we kept clicking our cameras from the moment we arrived up to the last minutes of our departure. It marked the end of our trip in Czech Republic.
In general, we enjoyed most of our stay in this country. Not only does it have a rich and colorful history, beautiful natural wonders, the locals were very kind, nice and we appreciated their laid-back temperament and how peaceful most of the places we've visited that we felt totally safe. We especially loved Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov and thought it would be good and inspiring places for artists like us to live in and paint. If given the chance, we'd love to go back and explore more of this country.
“I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want.”
— Andy Warhol
GERMANY
DRESDEN, GERMANY
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Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis, an 18th-century structure by Gaetano Chiaveri. It was badly damaged during World War II but was later on restored.
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| Courthouse (left) and Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis (right) |
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| Statue of King Johann at Theaterplatz |
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| This Gothic style Cholerabrunnen fountain was built in 1842-1843 by Architect Gottfried Semper symbolizing the great risk of the cholera epidemic that Dresden City escaped in 1840 to 1841. Apart from good fortune, the city put forward its Plague Order which enforced stricter hygiene rules which prevented the epidemic to further spread when it was at the brink of approaching Dresden from the Oder and Elbe rivers. |
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| Dresden Zwinger (Baroque) |
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Kronentor, 18th century Baroque gateway topped with a golden ornate crown marking the entrance to the palace complex.
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“The only way for us to become great, or even inimitable if possible, is to imitate the ancients." -Johann Joachim Winckelmann |
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| Vermeer at the Old Masters Picture Gallery |
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| Old Masters Picture Gallery |
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| Old Masters Picture Gallery |
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| Porcelain gallery |
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| Theaterplatz |
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| Theaterplatz |
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| Kathedrale Sanctissimae Trinitatis |
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| Semperoper (Opera House) at Theaterplatz |
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| Georgentor |
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| BRÜHL'S TERRACE , a Renaissance terrace nicknamed the "balcony of Europe" in the early 19th century, which runs along the Elbe river with sweeping views. The 500 m long and up to 200 m wide ensemble is located on the banks of the Elbe on the remains of the Dresden Fortress in the middle of the historic city center. Brühl's Terrace is flanked by historic buildings and green spaces and is also the location of numerous monuments. |
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Frauenkirche Dresden
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| FÜRSTENZUG: This long, dramatic mural made of porcelain tiles depicts Saxon rulers throughout the ages. |
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| Interior of Frauenkirche. This Baroque church was reconsecrated in 2005 after being destroyed during World War II. |
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| Interior of Frauenkirche. |
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| Square where Christmas Markets are held annually |
KURORT RATHEN, GERMANY
The Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland is a national park in the north-west of the Czech Republic and east of Germany (in Saxony, the landlocked federal state of Germany) which is known for its rugged sandstone formations, deep gorges, and picturesque landscapes. We originally planned to visit the Czech part (Pravčická Archway) of this national park as a day trip from Prague but since it was too far from there, we didn't get the chance to visit it.
So instead, our approach was to visit it on the German side. Kurort Rathen is around 35mins by train from Dresden and from there, we took a ferry across to the spa town of Rathen and from there walked uphill to the Bastei Bridge.
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Rathen
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Rathen
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one of the beautiful houses in Rathen
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Bastei is a rock formation rising 194 metres (636 ft) above the Elbe River in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains of Germany. Reaching a height of 305 metres (1,001 ft) above sea level, the jagged rocks of the Bastei were formed by water erosion over one million years ago. The rock formations and vistas have inspired numerous artists, among them Caspar David Friedrich (German: Felsenschlucht, lit. 'Rocky Gorge')- (Wikipedia) |
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In 1824, a wooden bridge was constructed to link several rocks for the visitors and was replaced in 1851 with sandstone which exists up to this day. |
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| Photo taken as we were waiting for the ferry to take us across to the Kurort Rathen train station then travel back Dresden. |
“Our dreams may seem impossible, but our creativity can turn them into reality.” — Malala Yousafzai
NUREMBERG AND FRANKFURT, GERMANY
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| St. Lorenz Gothic Church which badly damaged during Work War II but later on restored. |
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| St. Lorenz Gothic Church |
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| view of the Imperial Castle and St. Sebald Church from afar |
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Maxbrücke |
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Henkerbrücke |
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Henkerbrücke |
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view of Schlayerturm and Kettensteg Bridge from Maxbrücke Kettensteg Bridge is a 68-meter-long footbridge is the oldest surviving iron suspension bridge in continental Europe and a milestone in industrial technology. The name comes from the 3-meter-long chains (in German "Ketten") with which the bridge is suspended |
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| Mittelalterliche Lochgefängnisse Museum in Rathausplatz (medieval dungeon with 12 prison cells and torture chamber) |
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| St. Sebald Church |
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| Historical half-timbered middle class houses predominate Tanner's lane. A surviving proof to the wealth created by the leathermaking trade in the Middle Ages.
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| Tanner's Lane |
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artist Albrecht Dürer House & Museum |
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| This weird but beautiful statue of a giant goggle-eyed hare called Der Hase, is a monument to the Renaissance era painter Albrecht Dürer. Created in 1984 by Jurgen Goertz in a spirit of satire and as a tribute to one of Dürer's most famous natural history watercolor paintings called "Feldhase" (A Young Hare). This sculpture portrays a gigantic hare having falling hard on and smashing a wooden box from which spills a horde of tiny and strange looking rabbits. If you look closely beneath the hare's colossal bulk is a person's lifeless hand. We can see why this statue is very controversial but can still be appreciated. |
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| Very artistic Schöner Brunnen fountain |
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Ehekarussell, one of the most beautiful and artistic fountains we’ve seen with a ring of statues portraying Hans Sachs' poem 'Bitter-sweet Married Life' which narrates the joys and sorrows of life as a couple that can be summed up in these stanzas : “She is my virtue and my vice. She is my wound and also my plaster”.
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From Nuremberg, we were supposed to do a day trip to Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle (Bavaria's Fairy tale Castle) but aside from the 2 days of bad weather, it was Oktoberfest that week and so Munich trains are all fully booked and packed with tourists. We did not want to get stuck along the way so we opted do this and explore more of the Bavaria region, hopefully on our next trip.
Upon our arrival at the Frankfurt Main Station, we were a bit uncomfortable to see some people doing drugs, shouting and quarelling a lot. Upon checking in our hotel nearby, we immediately went out for a stroll to visit the Leibeghaus Sculpture Museum which had around 5000 sculptures in their collection.
As we walked within a few blocks radius from our hotel to look for places to eat, we noticed and saw the same situation as in the main train station, we even saw trash scattered everywhere and traces of homeless people's belongings. We felt unsafe so for the two more days of our stay in Frankfurt, we decided to just stay inside our hotel. I must say, it was one of the most uncomfortable parts of our trip.
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Holbeinsteg Bridge |
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| Beautiful tree lined street near Stadel Museum on our way to Leibieghaus Museum |
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| taken from a window inside Liebieghaus Sculpture Museum |
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Liebieghaus Sculpture Museum
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| Photo from our hotel room balcony, overlooking the Frankfurt Main Station |
BERCHTESGADEN, GERMANY
Jef has always been interested with history and I can no longer recall the countless times we've watched documentaries about World War II and the HBO TV series Band of Brothers (he watches them repeatedly in his studio while he paints) and Eagle's Nest has always been in our bucket list. Although it's a warning and reminder of the depths of the inhumane Nazi dictatorship, it is also a powerful symbol which marked the victory of the Allied forces over the Nazis. But mainly, we went there to appreciate the beautiful mountain views of the Bavarian Alps.
We actually visited the Eagle's Nest/Kehlsteinhaus in Berchtesgaden as a day trip during our stay in Salzburg, Austria since it is very near the border. From Salzburg, we took the train to Freilassing then from there to Berchtesgaden train station. From there we took another bus to the Kehlsteinhaus Busbahnhof Bus Stop then walked to the Hintereck parking area where the ticket booth for the RVO buses to Eagle's Nest is located. The Eagle's Nest is not accessible to private vehicles and can only be accessed by the RVO buses (EUR31.90/per person, round trip) or by 2-3 hours hike from the Hintereck parking lot.
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| The 6.50 km long, steep (700m) and narrow (4m) mountain road leading up to the Eagle's Nest bus turnaround point was lined with a thick row of towering trees. We passed by a total of five tunnels, 277m in total. |
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This 124m long and 3m high access tunnel built in 1938 was made with Untersberg Marble. At the end of this tunnel is the golden elevator that took us to the Eagle's Nest. The elevator took around 41seconds to ascend the 124m to the top.
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| overlooking the foggy Königssee lake |
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| View of Mt. Untersberg and Salzburg, Austria from Eagle's Nest. |
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| Bavarian Alps |
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| Summit cross |
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| Summit cross |
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| View of Watzmann mountain from our bus going back to the Berchtesgaden Train Station. From there we took two trains back Salzburg, Austria. |
Below is a video of Jef sketching while we were resting at the Eagle's Nest:
“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way.” — Georgia O’Keeffe
