well as promised... more on the trip...

so in addition to prague we also went to two other towns in Czech Republic: Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov.

Kutna Hora was in history the centre of economy, owing to the fact that it was the site of the largest and richest silver mines.

But before we get to that there's this building in Prague that's particularly interesting.




This used to be the headquarters of the socialist government in Czech Republic. Since the fall of communism it has become the headquarters of a radio station that specialises in broadcasting to nations that remain under fascist rule. Owing to this, military presence is always felt around the complex to protect it from any threat, especially relevant after terror attacks escalated worldwide.





Saint Barbara is the patron saint of miners. This is Saint Barbara's Cathedral in Kutna Hora. The architecture is in the New Gothic style, with high windows and spires. Apparently the trend during the New Gothic period was for higher windows to let in more light, but as a result of those high windows the walls were quite unstable. Thus we have those buttresses that you see rising from the outer spires to support the main body of the building.
We sang in here!




The Town Square in Kutna Hora. Decision making used to be centred around here, and now it's a silver museum and also a musuem on the history of the town.

A notice like this one has been outside the door to the parliamentary chamber since 1595.










And I bought this bracelet at
Kutna Hora!






Cesky Krumlov is a town that sits snugly around the meanders of the river Vltava. The name of the town, Krumlov, derives from a word that means crooked, and refers to the winding river, and as well as the architectural facade of the village that has over the years evolved to accomodate the river's turns.

These are the sights that I saw for two mornings when I woke up. The Hotel Dvorak is situated right on the banks of the river, and faces directly the castle of Cesky Krumlov.

It's a fantastic way to start any day.















A monument in the town square erected after the Black Plague in the 16th Century.










The summer gardens of the castle. It doesn't look like much because it's winter now and all the greenery looks rather drab and the sculptures are boxed up as to protect them against the elements.










Right in the middle of the gardens is this amphitheatre that was built during the communist era. It stands as a point of contention between the UN World Heritage and the government over whether or not it should be destroyed and the area restored to how it would look 200 years ago.




The castle grounds have always been home to bears. This was due to the fact that bears represent power and might, and as well as being family symbols of the Italian noble family of Orsini that the Rosenbergs, historical rulers of Krumlov, thought they were related to. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad to have a bear named after you., even if you were once Queen of Austria ruling on the Hapsburg throne.

One of the bears. We all thought that bears hibernated through the winter but this one actually came out while we were around. It also went on to poop before retreating back to wherever it was hiding before.