The Great War

A few years ago there was an exhibit at Prague castle called "World War One on Foot: Through the lens of an unknown soldier" showing black and white photos from World War I. Two things made this exhibition stand out from others.

Firstly, the photographer was unknown. What he had seen was all that was known of his identity. His photos had been stored away in an archive. Secondly, these were not typical war front photos. They pictured the boyishly young soldiers smiling and relaxing around a mess table, they depicted field meals and dress and behaviour. It was a reminder that war has a human face. (Read more about this exhibit now being shown in Ljubljana: )

That photo exhibition was a spark that lead to the discovery of not only the photographer's identity but also to a plethora of WWI photography that was hidden away in attics. And it has led to a follow-up exhibition. This exhibition is called War Photographers 1914-1918. It is comprised of photos from multiple soldiers of different ranks and backgrounds. The rawness is gripping. It is hard to believe how the world has changed in less than a hundred years, and yet we humans made of our flesh and bone remain.

Go take a walk!

The Czech Republic has some of the most extensive public walking trails in the world. These trails are well marked and mapped. Going for a walking day trip is as easy as picking two villages, finding the available trails on www.mapy.cz or buying a walking map of the area at the local book store and setting off.

My money is always on the Berounka River area. The train goes from Prague's main train station about every 30 minutes and the would-be-walker can hop off at nearly any of the towns or villages between Prague and Beroun and find great walking trails connecting to another village where a train going back to Prague will pick you up and take you home.

That's just what I did on a beautiful Saturday. My friend MD and I hopped on a train to Karlstejn. What better way to start a trip then with a view of a fairytale castle? Then we walked our way through about 8 kilometers of forest and fields to the village of Srbsko, where we had some soup and a beer to get our strength back before walking back to Karlstejn and catching a train home. The whole journey took about 5 hours. Delightful!

Kutna Hora

I like weird stuff. I think it is the nerd in me. One of my favorite weird travel sites that I like to seek out is crypts. And for a girl who enjoys a crypt, Kutna Hora is a gold mine.

Actually, I should say silver mine because Kutna Hora made its wealth through the mines that once flooded the town with work, visitors and interest. The legacy of that one time wealth is the beautiful Saint Barbora Cathedral that sits on the highest point, overlooking the city.

Now to crypts! Outside of the center, about 2 kilometers, there is a church where a semi-blind monk once lived. The town had experienced wars and plagues and many people had been buried in the church graveyard. So many, in fact, that the bones began to pile up. So the semi-blind monk began his life project: to transform the pile of bones into art in order to remind the worshipers that life is short and we will all be only bones one day so we must do good while on this earth. A chandelier of bones, a coat of arms from bones, a candle holder of bones, and as odd as it sounds it isn't one bit "icky". It does really remind us that this life is temporary, but the works we do live after us.

So, if life is short then get out there and see Kutna Hora before you are turned into a chandelier too!