Czech Republic 2007 - Prague and Kutná Hora


St. Barbara's Church. Kutná Hora

I briefly returned to Auckland to spend a day with Christine and her family before flying back to Australia. It was almost time to go home, and on my final day in Melbourne I noticed an exhibition called Bodies. I knew of it because the creator, Dr Gunther Von Hagens, had attracted huge media attention with his controversial public autopsy. Unfortunately I hadn't got time to go because I had a flight to catch. After an amazing year of travelling I landed back in England eager to tell my friends of the things I'd seen and done, but also downhearted that my adventure was at an end. I'd only been back for a couple of weeks when overwhelming feelings of boredom spurred me into action. My idea was to buy the cheapest international flight I could find, regardless of the destination. That's how I ended up in Prague. And the first thing that I came across when exploring was the Bodies exhibition! True serendipity. The displays were very interesting and I bought the official book as a keepsake. Next I passed some time exploring the city's historical centre. It's packed with impressive architecture, but  was equally full of large groups of tourists on Stag and Hen do's, which I found annoying. Someone had recommended an excursion to Kutná Hora, a small nearby town well-known for its medieval and baroque buildings. It was a nice day out and the town was a lot less crowded than the city. The whole trip was only four days long, but it had lifted my spirits and I returned to England with a renewed sense of purpose and a plan. I would work and save up for a few months then go back to New Zealand. They offer a similar working holiday scheme to Australia, and so I applied for it.

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