Czech Macabre

Today has been an interesting day! I got up late this morning, so I wasn't in the best mood when I headed out to the bus station. I left in plenty of time, but I couldn't find the damn bus station!!??! I wandered up and down the street thinking what the fuck?!? I finally found someone who spoke a little english, an accomplishment in this area of Praha. She pointed across the street and said "pink building." I turned and saw this ghastly pink building with peeling black paint that simply stated "Praha Florenc." It was the bus station. Oh..... fuck. I'm going to die on some rickety ass bus at the hands of a mad Czech. Oh well. Feeling like a complete idiot, I crossed the street and bought my ticket, but the next bus wasn't until 12:50. Great. I had 1 1/2 hours to kill. So, I grabbed lunch in the Praha ghetto. While I was wandering, I came across a market. Unable to resist this dingy open air affair, nestled quite comfortably between the bus depot and an overpass, I entered and was greeted with shoes, bags, brass knuckles, lighters, clothes - well, you name it, it was there. It was great fun and I I had a blast haggling with this asian woman under a bridge in Prague! I ended up buying the sandals - they were too cheap to resist! And since I have officially retired my regular shoes, the extra pair will be good. It is HOT! And it still hasn't rained??!! Global warming...

Anyway, the market successfully devoured a good chunk of time, so I headed over to the bus platform. I boarded a VERY crowded bus headed east. 1:30 minutes later, I stepped off the bus into the middle of nowhere. Oh, shit! Where am I??? Usually, there is a tourist information center nearby. But none were in sight. I've just been dropped off in the middle of nowhere. So.... I found some info on buses and figured out which one to take to get to the Ossuary. Not an easy task, mind oyu. I finally made it to the church. It seemed normal.... from the outside. But as I was walking around, people who had just left were talking about it. They were speechless.... this is going to be awesome!! So, I stepped across the threshold and into a different world. Skulls and bones of all kinds were there to greet you. I paid my 70 Kc and descended into the darkened church. Oh my god! What kind of a sick twist created this??!!! It was AWESOME! There was a massive, ornate chandelier made of bones, huge pyramids made of skulls and topped with crowns, there were bones EVERYWHERE!!! All in all, there are the remains of about 40,000 people decorating the church! Creepy in a cool sort of a way! So, in a very strange mood, I headed to the town center. It was quite a hike, approx. 3 miles. But it was an interesting look at Czech life. I finally made it to the Centrum and found the Tourist Info office. I got a map and wandered the town for awhile, had a nice dinner, then headed back to the bus station. The town is lovely and I highly recommend it to anyone! I was exhausted, and I have not felt 100% for the past couple of days. So, I was kind of slouched on the bus, just watching the scenery fly by. About 20 minutes into the journey, Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill started to play on the bus drivers radio. I love that song, and as the music washed over me, I suddenly felt better. The sun was setting and casting a hue of deep reds, blues, purples, and oranges over the rolling Czech landscape. It was wonderful, and I certainly enjoyed the rest of the ride. Lost in thought and the beauty of the countryside, time seemed to fly. Next time, I will bring my iPod.... soundtrack to my life.

So, I made it back to the hostel and I'm getting ready to go to bed. I have to catch an early bus to Cesky Krumlov in the morning! I'm really looking forward to Southern Bohemia! Just not the 3 hour bus ride! It should be interesting!