When I finalized our trip to Czech, this is one of those "must" see in my list. Not just because it's unique but because I want to understand the reason behind it.

The very first day of our out of town tour was a good one hour and half drive from Prague center. An hour and a half drive and the difference in the way of living is pretty massive.

It is still touristy, but take away the tourists? It really feels like time stood still here. 

Kutna Hora started as a silver mining town. The silver rush happened and everyone in the guild settled wherever they can. There's no proper planning of town, it just happened.

We passed by their town center and it doesn't even feel it's the town center. All the effort and financing went into the churches.

The reason why Kutna Hora has so many churches for a pretty small town was because during the time of silver mining, miners understood their field as a very dangerous job. They can die anytime performing their work and they don't want to die without the last confession. So they asked for church to be easily accessible, they even financed some.

The trip was very educational, with a pre-tour video to watch for us and the boys while in the car en-route to the location. We also had fun-time with the boys as teams, having a friendly competition. 

In this trip, we had to stick our hand in a pretty tight container and try to collect as many nuggets of gold (pretend) mixed with hay. It wasn't easy, Alex and I lost over Jason and Daddio. It is to show our boys how hard a miners' job is, adults learned it wasn't easy too!

The second competition for the day was throwing the gold nuggets within three plates, each has a value. Every time the team wins, we get minted coins which used to be the coin of the town. In the end, because to the total, Alex and I won over Daddio's team with Jason.

Our guide is Eva of Sightseeing Prague. She is amazing. Our tours were a mix of education, fun and relaxing moments. It's never too much of everything.
Email: tours@sightseeing-prague.com 
Mobile phone: +420 728 880 367.
Website: http://www.sightseeing-prague.com/en

Our first stop was Sedlec Ossuary where the Bone Church is, which is actually St. James church.

The skulls are real and they came from different places. Churches before used to have big cemeteries surrounding them, when the cemetery has to be trimmed down to a much smaller scale for hygienic reasons, the skulls and bones were used to decorate the church.

Another source were the war between Catholics and Hussites and of course the plague that hit Europe.

It used to be a working church, even before the skulls and bones were added. Nowadays it is a museum.

The idea behind the bone church is not to scare or shock people. The idea was more pragmatic during the conceptualization of the church's architecture.

It is a reminder that at the end of it all, we are all just skulls and bones. What matter is what you have done before you reach the end of your life. Everything in this life ends, so make it count.

It was freaky but my boys understood the reason behind the design and they thought it was pretty cool. Boys will be boys :)

The second church we visited was Our Lady's church. Compared to St. James, it was pretty plain. Though it is in Gothic style, it didn't have the elaborate structures as the third church we visited.

The church residents believed that parishioners should't focus much on designs and distractions, but concentrate on prayers.

The highlight of this visit was when we were shown the loft. It showed how the vaults are held together. We walked the loft on the length of the church until we reached the balcony facing the altar on the other side. We also tested the natural acoustic of the church.

A solo singer can sing her heart out in that balcony and the whole church would be able to hear the song loud and clear.

An interesting shot was shown as well. One sunset in a year, during equinox, when the whole church is dark, the sunset's reflection goes straight into the altar, like a natural spotlight. Shame I didn't take a picture but trust me when you see it, it's awe-mazing. 

The thought that comes into creating a surprise like that must be great. Because the altar is always on the east, they have to calculate at a particular time of day and season when will the sunset create a spotlight effect to the altar.

There are also relics of Saints in the church, two of them actually, Pope's gift to them in one of the anniversaries.

The faces are of course not real but the important bones like ribs, hands and feet are intertwined with the clothing are real.

The last church we visited in Kutna Hora was the Cathedral of St. Barbara. My most favorite.

It's also a gothic church but the most elaborate of them all. The spires, the flying buttresses!!! It's an enchanting church, inside and out. 

The Cathedral was the miner's answer to the church of St. James. It is built by the hillside where the monastery's ownership ends. Supported financially by the miners, the original design was supposed to be bigger than what it is now. They wanted to show the Cisterian monks that they can do a more grandiose church design. 

Though it's not as big as planned, it already is humongous even in today's standards.

You know how important the miners are during those days when you see designs, paintings or etchings on the walls that are miner-related and not religious or bible related.

The vaults in this church compared to Our Lady's church is the total opposite. It is adorned with various coats of arms which is both symbolic and historical.

The interior is adorned with designs that are in harmony with the whole church.

It is a gargantuan structure indeed but what will make you feel so ordinary and small is the artistic flair that went into it, inside out. I would love to attend a mass in this church. It looks and feel so heavenly.

The outside balcony gave us a wonderful viewing point and photo op. It's high, scary and a little skewed on the floor but we cannot and will not miss it for the world.

We then walk around town, leading up to an al fresco place for lunch. But before that, there are a lot of viewing point to enjoy this lovely town. 

Streets are steep, houses are authentic, roads are cobbled, everyone is walking. Makes you think about period movies, ladies wearing traditional clothes walking back and forth in this road, bidding neighbors goodbye or greeting them hellos. Horses would be really useful in this road. 

For lunch, we stopped by a restaurace that offers a mix of traditional and international dishes. I went for the roulade which is pretty common in Czech, while Alex chose salmon, Jason chose chicken cordon bleu and hubby of course went for pork barbecue.

After lunch, we walked and walked and walked.

There was another church of St Nepomuk that has adam and eve on the facade which is unusual. Usually they don't adorn churches because their story is so basic, everyone knows about them, there is no need for a reminder. Because of this, this church is quite unique. 

There is the plague post which we found in a lot of towns in Czech Republic. It's a symbol that once upon a time, this town was hit badly by the plague.

During those times, they create post because they believed that plague is a punishment for the evil deeds committed by the community.

Offering a post like it will show how much they are repentant and that they ask for their patron saint to heal them and help their town.

On top of plague monuments will always be Virgin Mary. Her devotion to helping us his children in her intercession to God and the triumph of prayers over plague. 

In most of plague monuments is a Saint with a dog, always with his robe lifted showing his leg. It is St. Roch. His dog during his ailment, was the only one who comes close to him, bringing him bread to eat.

One of my hubby's curiosity is why are all the letters that we also consider Roman Numerals highlighted in gold?

Something to find out.

The last bit of find we saw was an old water dam. They used to keep clean water for drinking purposes. 1497 it says, that's how "4" used to be written in the old days. Even in the astronomical clock of Prague, 4 was written this way.

Then... [click here to find out how our day ended...]

We got lost enough on our first day that we felt we can finally venture a bit further and be lost some more.

Armed with a couple of maps and Rick Steves App and off we go.

Light showers? No biggie, it doesn't look so bad.

I said "let's just do the Old Town Square now and then do the Wenceslas another day". I was thinking about our dinner and the distance.

Sure enough we got lost again and actually ended up at Wenceslas Square. Apparently our house is no-kiddingly close to every single place that matters.

First things first, foodie call. We have to try some hotdogs, streetfood way, standing and while walking.

The sauce made the difference. It's a special mixture with lots of onions and a REALLY generous amount of mustard. I meant REALLY GENEROUS.

Chilly weather made me enjoyed it, Alex did and hubby too,,, Jason had to order another one of a different type because he had to run to his cola after the first bite!

So he got a very plain one with just bread, hotdog and ketchup. They have no mayonnaise!!! Surprising, but hey, welcome to Europe and welcome to something new.

Suffice to say I ended up eating his first sandwich.

Bravery is good but European weather demands smart wanderers. For which we were initially not.

Hubby had to go back home to get some more armour for the now becoming heavy drizzle. Our house comes with umbrellas and raincoats. How awesome is that?

An excuse for my boys to have their desserts, coffee for me and a shmoke while enjoying the square get damper and damper. People watching was also pretty nice. Some were so used to the cold drizzle that they don't really care... they looked like they were walking on sunshine.

We hang out at Kolkovna Celnice Restaurant, somewhere in the alley towards the Powder Tower/Gate.

Since we are gluttons, after a few minutes walk, the hotdog happiness wore off. We stopped at Como for a nice lunch. Did you see my dessert? (fine, I'm keeping it parental guidance!)

Delicious lunch, pricier than the usual Czech fare but reasonable for Dubai standards.

Its location with a terrace sticking out to the side walk, it's a fabulous way to people watch. Stalkers, guard!!!

THE HORSE'S A**

The start of our tour is in front of the National Museum, under the horses a**... I meant tail. That by the way is how the locals meet up at the square. "I'll meet you at the horses' tail"

King Wenceslas is a historical icon for Czech. A smart and benevolent 10th century duke who Christianiased and lifted Czech culture and who the Christmas carol fame refer to when they say "good King".

He was canonised as a saint after his death.

Next to him are four statues. The nation's patron saints with its focus on books. A symbol that enriching their culture is through thinking, rather than fighting.

National Museum is the imposing building overlooking Wenceslas square. 19th century Neo-classical architecture built to show everyone that they are unique and deserves independence from others.

We haven't been in, the facade is beautiful and apparently the interior is rich too but the collections inside are boring.

We will still visit to pretend we're the cast of Mission Impossible where the Museum stood for "the embassy". Where's my evening gown!!!!

I WILL SET MYSELF ON FIRE!

Just a few walk from the good King Wenceslas statue is a patch of green. Looking at it it says Jan Palach and Jan Zajic. Two students who were two of the many heroes who fought for Czech revolution.

Jan Palach in particular was the student who stood in front of the Museum and set himself on fire because he cannot take the oppression anymore and felt no change will happen (if people don't do anything drastic).

All throughout the square are remnants of Czech's period architecture. Neo-gothic, Neo-Rennaissance, Neo-Baroque, Art Nouveau and Functionalism.

The Grand Hotel Europa is the bright yellow Art Nouveau building on your left as you thread down the square.

The scene was set in November 1989. The Velvet Revolution happened here. Every night, people gather in front of this grandiose structure and jangled their car keys. Hundreds of thousands of them, Symbolically telling the communists to pack up and leave their country.

Velvet Revolution, no force were used, no blood were spilled. It was sheer boldness and standing tall and proud together as a nation while demanding freedom from the dictators..

The balcony of the now Marks and Spencer was the same balcony were the famous individuals of Czech, stood to greet and cement the success of the uprising. A rock star, a well known priest, a poet, Alexander Dubcek and Vaclav Havel to name just a few.

Following our guide to some secret nuggets spread across the city, we were brought to an art deco mall of the 1930s. The Lucerna Arcade.

We found Wenceslas riding an upside down horse. It was huge and funny and we're glad to be led to it.

The last side trip before The Old Town Square was a Franciscan garden hidden within another popular place to the locals. Svetnor Mall.  If you want ice creams, this is "the" place.

The Franciscan garden is from the 1600, boasting a playground for kids and offers a romantic rendezvous for couples or... as what we saw, two boys hiddenly smoking cigarettes.

Our tour was cut short because we have dinner reservations at Bellevue. We will resume our self guided tour on Saturday after a series of out of town tours.

Our night ended with a meal to remember. Dinner with a view of Charles Bridge.

The food were great but I think the captivating beauty of the bridge, lit or not, overwhelmed the gastronomic creativity.

That and the fact that for the first time I ate rabbit. There were the usuals but I wanted to try something new, so rabbit it is!


It doesn't really help that while I was eating, my two boys were making cute sad bunny rabbit faces. Aaaargh!

Grainy photos and all, this wrapped our second night in Prague. We are undoubtedly having a blast!

1. Plan - why did you want to visit it in the first place? What can you get free, cheap and which are the ones that you need to spend on and are a must.

2. Research - what are the good, the bad and the ugly? Surprises are for birthdays and are only welcome if they're good surprises.

3. Calendar is your best friend. Plot your day. From the time you arrive at the airport to bed time. Possible activities, restaurant you've heard off where you want to dine at, the whole nine yards. It's your drawing board, make it as messy as you want. It's easy to trim it down later.

4. Mix and match. Weigh what activities are possible. Mixing high involvement to low so you maximise your day but keeping it real, you're only human who needs to rest. And accept it... you don't have 48 hours in a day. Selfies alone takes 5 minutes ;)

5. Plan the payments. They are all booked, now get back in there and make your first review. Time to pay for the ones you're dead set on. Either you pay it in advance or you pay them later, you want the experience or the food? either way, you will pay. Pay them in advance if you can, that way you don't have to worry about it in your trip, you can just enjoy.

Booking and paying in advance means you're locking in the amount. Fees become expensive the closer you are to the date. So pay/book early and save money.

6. Pay according to capacity. You should have a payment schedule along with your calendar. Set aside the usual monthly cost and the savings then use 75% of the surplus. That way you have 25% buffer for any incidentals or sudden urge to splurge. Then carry forward the remaining amount to your next month's surplus.

Make it fun. Look forward to it every month. Make a colourful chart, reward yourself every time you're able to stick to it and settle an amount, give yourself a free pat on the back or a lollipop or a bucket of ice cream,,, GET YOURSELF REWARDED, DAMN IT! YOU DESERVE IT!

7. A month before the trip. List your "what to bring". Our challenge is to carry one knapsack each. So check the weather, change of clothes for 3 days, laundry day on the third (that's why we preferred renting houses than hotels), who will carry what? One set of smart casual (for those dinner dates). Go simple... solid coloured tank tops and a cool looking jacket sounds like good options. Tank top with shorts and walking shoes are ideal for day out, add a jacket, change shorts to slacks and smart casual shoes and you can dine in anywhere in town. We ladies can just add heels and a chic jacket or a shawl and they'll let us in.

8. You have forgotten your favourite shampoo or your toothbrush? Don't fret,,, wherever you are going, chances are, those people also brush their teeth and shampoo their hair. Duh? Get out of the house and buy it from the local shop,,, be a local for a few days, it's a good excuse to chat the small shop owner or talk to him in sign language.. that can work too.

If you think those are essentials, other people in other part of the world also think they are. BEAUTY OF GLOBALISATION, eh?

9. Plan some more. Because you have lots of time to spare before the trip, (that's for doing your homework early), if you want to splurge on some areas of your trip, do it but don't overdo it. You still need to live the real life after your vacation.

10. Download an audio tour app. If you are going to Europe? Hands down, Rick Steves. A friend of mine who hated me for talking about the guy non stop (RS said this, RS said that), went to Amsterdam and is on her way to Belgium and Antwerp messaged me and said "sorry, I am marrying your boyfriend RS! I am in love with him!!!! our trip was amazing because of his app!" mind you she's been going to Europe for the last 10 years, 2x a year.

11. Dry run your packing strategy, your walking shoes (try them a day in the mall, if your toes don't turn black and you have no sprain after 10 hours, they're good walking shoes), your clothes. Dry run everything possible.

12. Don't be shock if nothing goes into plan. This is life. If it goes according to plan, fabulous! If some or all goes haywire, it's an adventure! A story to tell and a darn good memory to last all of ya a lifetime. So what if you left your son up to the next train station ala home alone? Hope not :P

13. Enjoy! When you set eyes on a trip, you are already in one heck of a journey. From planning to budgeting to the actual trip including the jet lag and the wanting for another vacation after the vacation. They are all priceless time of your life, non-refundable, one time only. So enjoy and live your life!

Let's discover the world!