In March, while we were back home in Australia, we spent an afternoon with Mum, planning our trip around Spain and Portugal. Of course, we all had cities that were already on our personal agendas. Barcelona, Madrid, Cordoba, Granada, Seville were all instantly placed on the itinerary. To plan the rest of the route, we skimmed the guidebooks and looked at the places in between the must-dos. That's how Évora made the cut.

Below is the paragraph that tempted us to Évora:

"What draws the crowds though is the Capela dos Ossos, a mesmerising memento mori (reminder of death). A small room behind the altar has walls and columns lined with the bones and skulls of some 5000 people. ... There's a black humour to the way the bones and skulls have been carefully arranged in patterns, and the whole effect is strangely beautiful."

Chapel decorated with Bones! Gross!

The chapel was definitely an eerie place. Bones cover the walls and thousands of skulls feature in the decorating. This means a lot of empty eye sockets are staring at you as you walk through.

The monks who created the church thought that the chapel would be an ideal place to think about the fleeting nature of life and to help one reduce the focus on material possessions. Death is certainly something that is on your mind in a room full of bones. This message is emphasised by the greeting that welcomes you to the chapel... "We bones in here wait for yours to join us."



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I'm not sure which city started the Christmas market trend, but Vienna's have been the best so far. In Vienna, there were many stalls and lots of beautiful items on sale. Unfortunately, Prague didn't cut it; there was mainly junk on sale.

The most interesting items at the markets were the Christmas food and drink treats.

• Trdelnik -- a sugary donut type item which was cooked by wrapping the dough around a wooden spit and spinning over an open fire. At the main market there were six stalls selling trdelnik. Each of stall had a line about 20 people long. Obviously a very popular item at Christmas time. Makes sense, because they were yummo.
  
  
• Grog -- on our first evening we were intrigued by a menu entry which read "Grog". In Australia, grog is just another word for alcohol. We had to give it a go. Unfortunately, we discovered that grog is a disgusting concoction consisting of rum and hot water. Only Andrew was able to finish his cup of Grog (he loves a challenge!).
  
  
• Czech Spa Wafers -- They are delicious! A very thin wafer sandwich with a sugary filling. They are delightful toasted or heated in the microwave for a couple of seconds.
  
  

At the corner of the Old Town Square, you can find the Astronomical Clock. On the hour, the clock performs a little show. We arrived at 11 am just in time to catch the display.

On the hour the fun begins. The little figure of Death on the clock inverts his hour glass. It is time for the end of Vanity, The Miser (used to be called The Jew!) and The Turk, the other figures on the clock. The Turk shakes his head "Noooooooooo!". Above the clock a couple of windows open and busts of the Apostles scroll past the open window. The cock at the top of the clock crows to signify the end. The whole show takes about 60 seconds.

I always find the size of the crowds that these displays pull hilarious. There was a crowd of about 100 people all waiting in anticipation. A minute later, it's over and everyone is left wondering "Is that it?". After our experience in Prague we can now say that we've been unimpressed by clocks the world round. (I remember waiting for 20 minutes in Munich to watch some figures twirl for a minute or so. It was so not worth the wait!)



Other Prague Highlights:

• Jewish Quarter -- The Jewish Quarter in Prague used to be one of the biggest Jewish ghettos in Europe. It is the site of the world's oldest Synagogue which is still in use. It is also the site of the legend of Golem. (A legend I only know about from reading Terry Pratchett, so I'm sure my knowledge is a little shaky.)
  
  In the Jewish Quarter, the Jewish Cemetery is artificially raised high above ground level. The floor of the cemetery is about 10 metres above ground level. In the past, Jews were not allowed to bury their dead outside the ghetto. The lack of space meant that the Jews were forced to place newer graves on top of older graves. There are actually 12 layers of graves and over 100,000 people are buried there. All in such a tiny area.
  
  
• Charles Bridge -- The Charles Bridge is Prague's most famous bridge. It's a pedestrian only bridge that crosses the Vltava River. One of the Charles Bridge's claims to fame is that it is featured in the movie xXx. (I didn't say it was an impressive claim to fame!)
  
  
• Prague Castle -- This is the beautiful view of Prague from the top of castle hill. We can say Castle in another language now. Castle in Czech is Hrad (which is the same as Slovak, so I'm not sure it counts).

I continue our travels back in time with some recollections from our visit to Prague in December.

Our visit to Prague had two main objectives: visit and admire beautiful Prague and browse the Christmas markets. In 2006, we visited Vienna in the lead up to Christmas and had a lovely time browsing the Christmas markets. We were hoping for more of the same from Prague.

We always try to do a guided tour of each city we visit. No point stumbling around a city on your own. You'd never learn anything interesting that way. We prefer walking tours over bus tours too. Benefits of walking tours include an opportunity to appreciate the scenery, familiarisation with the geography of the city and getting a bit of exercise (which is much needed after all the drinking and eating we do on our mini-breaks).

We decided to do a Best of Prague tour, a four hour tour around the Old town and the New town, across the Charles Bridge and finishing at the castle. At the end of the four hours, we were exhausted and cold but definitely more knowledgeable.

I love that Prague's New town is more than 650 years old. It was founded in 1348 by King Charles IV.

Our tour guide was an eccentric character. He had a weird sense of humour and a tendency towards negativity. He was excited by the fact that the Czech Republic is one of the most non-religious countries in Europe... "Atheists! Yes!". He didn't think we should bother to read Franz Kafka or visit Dresden, Germany... "Kafka, skip it." "Dresden, skip it." He provided us with a few catch phrases for our weekend in Prague. Very entertaining.

We figured our guide was an architecture major as we received a lecture on the style of each historic building that we passed. We even received a little quiz at the end of the tour. I can now identify Gothic, Baroque, Rococo, and Art Nouveau styles of architecture. I'm not sure I care. Or as our guide would say, "Architectural styles, skip 'em!".

Although after a little bit of research, I've discovered that Prague is quite well known for fine examples of different architectural styles. Maybe everyone in Prague is obsessed with architecture.



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While on the topic of abandoned buildings, I thought I'd post some photos from our trip to Estonia at Easter this year. We were lucky enough to enjoy unseasonal weather for our trip. It snowed! It was very exciting to be exploring a new city in the snow. Everything is so beautiful when covered in a blanket of white.

Only half an hour's drive away from the capital Tallinn is Paldiski. It was once the largest submarine training centre in the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the base was decommissioned and abandoned. Now Paldiski is a small village and a network of crumbling buildings.

On the road out to the peninsula, you drive past rows and rows of deteriorating buildings. These were army barracks which once housed soviet soldiers. Out on the peninsula there is a wrecked bunker of stone and twisted metal. There also used to be nuclear reactors but they were removed in 1995. Apparently, a civilian died in 1994 after being exposed to radioactive material from the disused base (allegedly stolen.)

We drove down a side road and stopped off at one of the old army barracks for a closer view. The buildings are in a complete state of disrepair and are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Roofs have caved in, trees are growing inside rooms and paint is peeling off the walls. In one building, the lino floor had come away, leaving a sea of curling lino tiles.

It was a lonely place to visit and the snow just emphasised the feeling of isolation. It's worth a visit before there is nothing left to see.



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