Day 100!!!!! Kutna Hora

Up early, doing final packing then off to the the train station.  When I buy something that needs to fit in the backpack, I also do a stocktake of what else is in there to see of I can dump anything.  Clothes packing has been spot on – some warmer clothes, wet weather gear (needed as much as in Ireland!), hiking shoes as well as clothes for hot weather (coming up), one going out outfit, and all other items in the backpack are being used.  The marionette only weighs a kg but for some reason it all feels so much heavier this time.

I made it to the main train station, stored my luggage and computer (they have lockers), and then boarded the train for Kutna Hora.  It was a 1 hour trip.  When I got to the town the tourist information was very helpful in directing me firstly to Cathedral of Our Lady, then to the reason I came to Kutna Hora – Sedlec Ossuary, otherwise known as the ‘bone church’.  It is a small church built in the 14^th century.  When the Schwarzenberg family purchased the monastery in 1870 they allowed a local woodcarver to get creative with the bones that had been piled in the crypt for centuries: it was the remains of approximately 40,000 people.  Check this out (sorry, a little carried away with the photos but otherwise you wouldn't believe it!):

The outside of the church

There are 4 of these mounds of bones, in each corner of the church

Coal of arms - look closely at the detail

Ceiling decorations that the chandelier

Thanks again Mary for putting me onto this, I have never seen anything like it before in my life.  If any of you come to Czech Republic, it is worth the 2 hours to get to Kutna and back to see this (plus Ewan McGregor and Charlie Borman came to see it in ‘Long Way Around’). 

Whilst at the bone church I realised what was causing my neck pain – didn’t think it was the backpack as had only just started carrying it again....it is all the craning of my neck to take photos!  Everything I’m looking at is above eye-level.  I have read about spas/Turkish baths in Budapest – I am definitely going this time and it looks as if the weather will be warm (low 30s) so will head to their swimming pool also to stretch out.

Bus trip was long but a comfortable coach.  Trip took us through southern Czech Republic, Slovakia (didn't count in my country list) and into Hungary. During the trip they played dvd's, one being The Hangover.  Gee I love that movie!!  We arrived in Budapest 1 hour ahead of schedule (10pm instead of 11) which was fantastic as it meant I could catch the metro train system to my accommodation, not taxi (metro system closes at 11pm).  As luck would have it I met Serg from Serbia on the bus, he was also going to catch the metro, and he needed to access Hungarian currency first (like me).  We took awhile finding an atm - astounding that at a main bus station it is so hard to find, found a ticket counter (I already had a map of the metro systemj), and managed to get off where I wanted to go.  Bye Serg!

Out of the train station I was hit by how warm it was outside, and the area I arrived in seemed (in the dark), to be quite rough.  I found the hotel quickly though - it is fairly basis but then again I'm only paying 22 pound a night.  The staff were helpful though.