About an hour from Prague there is a little town called Nepomuk. If you've read up on the statues of saints lining Charles Bridge, you may remember St Jan of Nepomuk. Legend has it that he was thrown into the river and drowned by the king when he wouldn't divulge the secrets of the queen's confession. His end was dark, but his hometown was anything but...
We arrived in the center square to find brightly colored buildings and bubbling fountains. There was a brewery and a hotel and a city hall. Everything you need for living was on that square. We hadn't done any research into the area so we were happily surprised when reading the information board, we discover that there is a 5 kilometer walk that circles through the woods around Nepomuk, leads through sweet little villages and rounds out back at Nepomuk square.
Along the trail there were about 12 pilgrimage stops connected in someway to the history of the area and the saints who watch over the villagers. Each stop was marked with a number and an information board. It was the perfect combination of healthy exercise and exploring history. If you want to get out and about for a day, move your legs and learn something then an outing to Nepomuk is for you.
