two days of crazy sights

So, yesterday and today i went on program sponsored trips around the czech republic. Yesterday morning, we started off at Vojna. Vojna was a forced labor camp run under soviet communist control. Vojna was a uranium ore mine used to obtain parts necessary for the soviet atomic bomb. it was closed in 1960. It is one of many but, since most forced labor camps were closed in 1960, it is one of few that havent been destroyed. while the nazis had a few days or a week to destroy their concentration camps, the communists had over 20 years.

from www.cestovatel.cz

im going to use pictures from the internet again as it takes a lot of time to upload the pictures then upload them online and everything, but maybe i'll have one post of highlights later. Also, it was raining horribly all morning and most of the afternoon so the pictures i did get aren't superb.

Next we took the 1/2 mile pilgrimage path to the Holy Mountain (Svata Hora) in Pribam. It was... amazing, breathtaking.... i've never seen anything like it. It is the holiest sight in the Czech Republic and dates back to the Baroque period.

from www.vitejte.cz

from www.brdy.info


I think i'm definitely going to have to contribute some of my own pictures of Svata Hora soon. These pictures dont do it justice, and i fear mine dont either, but i have more pictures from other areas around the building. Inside is the most beautiful church i have ever seen. ever. ever. i cant find pictures on the internet but some of my friends took some so i will get those up here so you can see.

Third, we went to the noble castle of the Schwarzenberg family Orlik. The castle is situated on the vlatava and is very beautiful. The decorations are a bit... busy, though. the wallpaper was the same as the window treatments and the floors and the ceilings and the chair coverings... it became a bit of a headache.

from ec.europa.eu

I cant find any pictures of the interior but, man, those Schwarsenbergs were into hunting!! there were deer and boar "trophies" all over the place. they used to keep count of how many animals they had shot with each gun by adding tiny metal dots to the bottom of the gun (i dont know what it is called?!).

This morning we left for the city of Ceske Budejovice or, perhaps more interestingly, The Budweiser Budvar brewery. The production of beer started in this town in 1265 ( i think this was earlier than the american company...) and was named "Budweiser" to denote its difference from other beers brewed in the area. The actual tour seemed very guest oriented... complete with enclosed stairs and fake plants. it was much less industrial than the microbreweries i've visited in the states and i think its because it is such a huge brewery that it has to accommodate a lot of tourists. the beer was really good, though.

After Budvar, we headed to the Hluboka Castle which i enjoyed even more than the Orlik Castle (go figure, the Schwarsenbergs lived here at one point too).

from cipherweb.open.ac.uk

Unfortunately, we weren't able to take pictures inside by my oh my it was very grand.

There is a magic mirror in the castle, as our guide said there is in every castle. This castle's magic mirror only works on men... if a man looks into it then in 1 year and 1 day either his wife will leave him, his mistress will leave him, or both. (haha!)

Now I am back at the dorm... Jake and Jordan have a friend in town- maybe from Northeastern? I think they want to go check out some Jazz tonight and I think I may accompany them.... hmm...

Alright, hope you are all doing well!!

-va