Day 2: Prague 2011 Kutna Hora
Today we got up and caught the train toward Brno. It was about an hour's ride through the country when we got to Kutna Hora. The goal of the day was a trip out to see the Sedlec Ossuary (Bone Church), and a couple of cathedrals. It was an interesting trip, and we ended up doing a lot of walking. We got the train tickets to the city center in Kutna Hora, however, we got off the arriving train one stop early at the main Kutna Hora station as it is closer to the Sedlec.
After the Sedlec area, we walked through Kutna Hora, and ate our bagged lunch on the way. As you progress up the hill towards the cathedral to St. Barbara, the buildings get older. In this direction, we passed from Capitolism into Communist style buildings and attitudes, and further still to a Bohemian chalet. There was much wailing and tooth gnashing, but once the flying buttresses came into view, the awe overwhelmed. St. Barbara's seemed to be older and smaller than the cathedral to our lady at Sedlec, but it was definitely more oppulant.
From here, we passed back into the communist appearing part of town, and waited for the train home at a run down train station while a brief rain shower tempter the dirt with the idea of mud. After the short around town train ride, we got to wait at the main station for our connecting ride. In the interim, a squad of finish naval soldiers stood in the under track tunnel and sang loudly with there echos. They sang some Finnish song I would guess fit in a barbershop quartets repertoir, as well as that song "so happy together". I wondered aloud if the knew what the words meant, or could only sing it because they had heard it so many times.
After the hellish train ride back, we went to U Flecku for dinner. They are a brewery, specializing in their black lager beer. When I say specializing, I mean the waiter walks around with a tray of beers and asks if you want one, not what you want. And they are pushy with the refills too, but, they have been doing it for 500 years, so they must be doing it right. It was good beer, and the goulash and bread dumplings were joined by speck dumplings, and were far tastier than the previous. Also, they have a tradition of selling you shots of spiced schnapps.