Bucket list item #16 DONE

A 90 minute drive east from Prague is a small town called Kutná Hora (Kutná from the German Gut = Good, Hora = Hill).  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so appointed for its importance as a political and economic center during the 14th and 15th centuries.  Originally established as a silver mining town, under King Václav II, Kutná Hora eventually housed a royal mint, striking silver coins for the entire Czech nation.

 

Exterior views of the Italian Palace, known as the Royal Mint of the Czech nation under King Václav II.

Each of the little sealed windows and doors behind the benches were individual workshops or "smithies".  Here is where hand-selected, highly skilled and trained craftsmen struck the coins that were used as currency in each of their individual regions.

Interior view of Italian Palace courtyard

(just because I liked the shot)

It seems that there was a very strong rivalry between Prague and Kutná Hora.  Whatever Prague had, Kutná Hora had to have the same or (preferably) better. St Barbara’s Cathedral is a Gothic style church meant originally to rival the size of Prague’s St Vitus Cathedral but fell short by about 50 meters - interest, funds and need all waned before the construction was complete.  The organ has 7,000 pipes and is wind-driven, not motorized.  It is played only twice a year - once at the beginning of December on the feast of St Barbara and once at Christmas so I guess we missed both.  The stained glass windows, reworked in the early 20th century in Art Nouveau style, lend a decorative and modern style to the cathedral *Remember, St Vitus Cathedral has the same style stained glass windows.

St Cyril -he is responsible for bringing the Cyrillic alphabet to Eastern Europe.  Thanks heaps, St Cyril.

Stunning, even in B&W

7 000 pipes, just imagine the sound!

The Charles Bridge in Prague is lined with statuary as is the corridor along the walkway from St Barbara’s.  I am reminded of the song “Anything you can do” from Annie, Get Your Gun!

St Barbara's Cathedral in silhouette against a cold, winter sky.

Statues to rival Prague's line the left side of this walkway.

Now sealed, the bottom of this tiny "corner balcony" was once open to the street below.  It was used as a way for guests in the banquet hall to "do their business" while still conducting business with those in the social gathering.  Nobody walked underneath that corner when there was a gathering of people in the banquet hall.

No visit to Kutná Hora is complete without a visit to the Sedlec Ossuary.  Ossuary?  Cassowary?  No, an ossuary is NOT a bird.  os·su·ar·y/ˈäSHo͞oˌerē/ noun: a container or room into which the bones of dead people are placed.  Yup, bones of the dead, baby!  The Sedlec Ossuary is adorned with the bleached and cleaned bones of nearly 40 000 human skeletons, placed in 1870 by Frantisek Rindt, a local woodcarver.

For those of you who don’t know about this side of me, I’m fascinated by skeletons and ossuaries.  I have a ball in the Paris Catacombs. 
Don’t ask. 
Don’t judge.
Just look...if you dare.

 

Mental note #2...be wary of the cassowary!

So the big question is what to do when it is pointed out to you in disbelieving tones (and not a little bit of mirth, I might add) that your jeans might have something wrong with them -as in they are split along the rear seam literally from the top of your bottom to the bottom (aside from sit down and cry, that is)?!!!  WTH?!  I’ve only worn them about 6 times!  No wonder they only cost 30$ at H&M.  Mental note #1:  spend more than 999 рүб on the next pair. Well, I’d say that at this point there is nothing left to do but take a trip to the zoo, of course!  After a quick wardrobe change (and ego check), we ventured forth to a pub in search of sustenance and then hopped into a taxi to scoot us across town to the Prague Zoo.

One of the "stars" along the walk of fame leading to the zoo entrance.

I was sort of expecting to find the kind of wildlife we found in the Moscow zoo but here the focus really was on the caged animals and not what was walking around outside.  The animals were well taken care of and despite the chilly weather (of course it could have been MUCH worse, the entire environment still green with no snow on the ground), there were quite a few animals roaming around in their outdoor habitats.  They appeared healthy, comfortable and well-fed.  Their habitats were thoughtfully appointed, providing both shelter and room for the animals to stretch and roam.  The peacocks were exceptional -three of them simultaneously displaying their beautiful plumage.

Kangaroos, flamingos, tigers, elephants, hippos and lemurs were all flirting with the visitors, making sure to check us out as much as we were checking them out.

Komodo dragon basking in the warmth of the heat lamp.

"Touch"

Why, I "otter"...

 

The "Mara"... Who knew I had family in the Prague Zoo? 

Canadian Bison -there were Canada geese in the pen with them.  Too funny!

European Bison -the leaner version (the females wear high heels and short skirts).

Takin ????

These monkeys were no bigger than a red squirrel.

How do sloths sleep and hang on at the same time?

This little turtle was no bigger than a golf ball.

These tortoises were at least a meter in diameter!

Of course, by the end of our 3 hour visit my camera battery died but this time I had a back up battery at hand and my iPhone ready to shoot a couple of videos.  (Thanks again, mom and dad!)

Siberian tiger

The biggest surprise of the day was the cassowary.  I had never encountered one in a zoo and frankly, I’m thankful.  This flightless bird, native to Queensland, Australia, scared the hell out of me.  It reminded me of a mix between a turkey and a  velociraptor.  We stood almost eye to eye, thankfully separated by a clear plexiglass panel 2 inches thick.  That still did nothing to stop the highly territorial beast from trying to peck my eyes out.  Yikes!  Once I realized I was safe behind the barrier, I couldn’t stop staring at this bizarre bird.  A bit of internet research once back at the hotel confirmed my suspicions.  Apparently omnivorous but preferring fruit, this bird has been known to attack and disembowel anyone or anything that threatens its territory.  Mental note #2...be very wary of the cassowary.

All in all, the visit was 150 CZK ($7.75 CAD) well spent.