MY EASTERN EUROPE TRIP( 14 DEC 2001 - 1 JAN 2002) During my stay in Eastern Europe, I stayed with a Czech family for approx. 2 weeks and went on a 3-day excursion to an area in northern Hungary close to Slovakia (Miscolc, Hungary). Travel by (electric) train and bus is well-established and convenient, even during holidays. It is inexpensive by US standards, which should be expected in a society which has evolved from the personal ownership of private automobiles. In Eastern Europe, you can conveniently get by without the necessity of owning a car if you are willing and able to walk to the nearest tram or bus station. Even during the snowiest day of winter, there are no problems with traveling on the rail lines. AUTOS In CZ, most people who do own a car, they drive a "Skoda", an interesting model in that the engine is in the rear but it has the standard water-cooled engine. There are a few "Trabants" here, the classic East German air-cooled, 2-cylinder fiberglass-bodied auto that was distributed all over communist Europe until the 1990s, I think. It is almost impossible to find a Lada here, but this well-known Russian model is actually very common in Hungary. Lada is a well-respected Russian auto in Hungary. I also found much more Trabants on the road in Hungary, too. The family I visited in Hungary had owned a Trabant in the past, before recently giving it away to their daughter as a marriage present. They now drive a "Wartburg", a compact German-made auto which are a standard car around here. CHRISTMAS IN CZ On Xmas, I went to a local (Catholic) church in Benesov, Czech Republic. It was originally built about 600 years ago. There was no choir, only recorded music. Quite boring. I almost went to sleep. In CZ, most all the old churches were destroyed many centuries ago by the Hussite armies, which was a kind of religious reformist movement. During such times, the church became a symbol of corruption and decadence in the eyes of many Czechs. The church catered to the very rich and privileged, such that someone with enough money could purchase a ticket to heaven, having the express blessings of the church, given the proper amount of donations. The Hussites saw through this charade and began a systematic purge of the existing religion and in that process destroyed as many of the churches as they could manage. Often the priests were killed, too. REMENISCENTS OF THE CUBAN WORKERS IN CZECH REPUBLIC Jozef, who lives here in Benesov, has worked for almost 30 years in the heavy construction industry, specifically in the underground Metro train lines. The job is hazardous, many people have been seriously injured in this work, but fortunately Jozef was lucky in all of that. However, he has a substantial loss of his hearing in one ear. Jozef believes that in CZ overall things were much better during the communist times. In fact, he owns a very nice 2-story house with a large garden, specifically due to the socialist policies which were in effect back then. He was given this subsidized house as a reward for getting married early and having a family. Today, with the pervasive influence of US capitalism everywhere you go in CZ, to try to acquire a similar kind of dwelling would be prohibitively expensive. It simply would not be possible today. The pervasiveness of US culture is bringing many negative things for the people. There is more greed, more self-centered attitudes. Those kinds of social relationships were unheard of, during the communist time. People were more friendly and helpful. Now the slogan seems to be, "What`s in it for me?" or "In what way does this benefit me first?" Ironically, it seems that many of the former Communist officials in CZ are now the biggest supporters of the capitalist changes taking place today. The Communist Party of Bohemia (CZ) and Morovia struggles for the proletariat today, under new rules and realities. Something that surprised me in Eastern Europe is that there are Czech and Hungarian versions of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", the popular US television program that seems to prey on the basic human desire for acquiring immediate wealth. The difference between this TV show and capitalism itself, is that the show rewards the winner while the losers are only suffering the momentary inconvenience of missing their chance to get the money. I saw one or two beggars in the Prague central train station, and we survived one attempted pickpocket by a gypsy woman who crept up behind my friend in Prague and tried to take something from her purse. We did not even realize it happened until a kind passerby walking in back of us was able to tell us. In Budapest, there were more beggars and homeless people, but in no way can you compare that to the hugh armies which exist on the streets in the US as a common, accepted condition under capitalism. My Czech friends characterized the people in the US as descendants of fortune seekers, social outcasts, pirates, anti-social types, greedy, self-seeking individualists prone to violence. I agreed wholeheartedly. And it would be insane for people in E.Europe to try to emulate the US. There is too much negative things, and few positives. (my comment: When we allow the riff-raff to attain political power and build up a powerful armed gang of terrorists -- the Congress and the Pentagon it is a threat to the rest of the peaceful world. To sum up, I was under the impression that education standards are much higher in CZ and Hungary than in US. The study of foreign languages is a serious subject for many young people in Eastern Europe. I think it is possible to get by as a tourist here, knowing only English and trying to make it by yourself, but you will be at the mercy of unscrupulous taxi-drivers and other businessmen who see dollar signs when an American comes by. I am glad that I did not have that disadvantage, as my Czech friend has a degree in English and German and we also managed very well in Hungary by using Esperanto with my friend Ilona in Miscolc, who did not know English at all. I believe it would have been impossible to visit all the places on my budget of less than 200 dollars for almost two weeks! I went to many popular sites, including Kutna Hora, Krumlov and Sternberg castles, in addition to the usual tourist forays to downtown Prague, the Gothic towers, and of course the famous St. Vitus church. The 8-hour Hungary trip by train cost me about 40 dollars for a two-way trip between Prague and Budapest, plus an additional two hour trip to see my Esperanto friend in Miscolc, Hungary. PHOTOS The following photos of my trip have been uploaded at my "babylon6" newsgroup, which a public-accessible site committed to the use of machine translation and Esperanto, using the AIT (AsIsTranslator) for DOS. (my shameless excuse for an advertisment) . (Note: no longer an automatic public group as of 2005, spammers forced that into a manual-only subscribe, and I don't have any plans to change it soon) At this group, you can navigate the foreign text files or go directly to the picts here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babylon6/ http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/babylon6/lst And click on the "Cxexhio" file for the Czech picts. I'll try to summarize the picts quickly for you: kutna hora1.JPG kutna hora2.JPG kutna hora3.JPG kutna hora4.JPG (the city, 'Kutna Hora') KUTNA HORA - Kutna Hora was historically the second most important town in the Kingdom of Bohemia next to Prague. Silver ore deposits were discovered in the nearby mountains during the Middle Ages. The royal mint was located there, the town is a definite must see, the architecture is fabulous. Note: avoid taxis anywhere you go in CZ. They aren't regulated, they prey on tourists and they can invent whatever price they want to charge you. That's capitalism. kutna hora1.JPG - Me, with my Esperanto friend Marketa. I stayed at her family's house in Benesov for almost 3 weeks, as a guest. She is 28 years old, has a master's degree in German and English languages and is a wonderful, charming lady! kutna hora2.JPG - looking out at the countryside from the main part of town in Kutna Hora. kutna hora4.JPG - (duplicate shot) kutna hora3.JPG - another shot of the lovely city parks. SEDLEC photos(next to KUTNA HORA) kutna hora - sedlec1.JPG kutna hora - sedlec3.JPG kutna hora - sedlec2.JPG kutna hora - sedlec4.JPG kutna hora - sedlec6.JPG kutna hora - sedlec5.JPG kutna hora - sedlec7.JPG kutna hora - sedlec8.JPG kutna hora - sedlec9.JPG kutna hora - sedlec10.JPG kutna hora - sedlec11.JPG (Sedlec is known for its slightly macabre 'church of skull and bones', a.k.a. the Sedlec ossuary) kutna hora - sedlec1.JPG, kutna hora - sedlec2.JPG - In the showcases are the skulls of Hussite warriors. Note the design of the snake going thru the eye sockets of the Hussite skull, the snake was made from silver. One can observe the battle wounds in some of the skulls. kutna hora - sedlec3.JPG - One of the showcases, next to the chandelier. The chandelier in the middle of the chapel was built using every bone of the human body. Under the chandelier is an entrance to a crypt which contains the remains of 15 wealthy citizens. Around the entrance to the crypt are Baroque candelabras. kutna hora - sedlec4.JPG - (duplicate image) kutna hora - sedlec5.JPG - One of the four pyramids in the church. kutna hora - sedlec6.JPG - Another pyramid of skulls. There are four pyramids. kutna hora - sedlec.7JPG - another shot of a pyramid. kutna hora - sedlec8.JPG - the showcase and chandelier again, you can the the other tourists in the background, almost everybody wants to bring their cameras are camcorders here! To take pictures, you have to pay a nominal amount for a ticket at the entrance, I think it was about 20 or 30 crowns (less than 1 dollar US). kutna hora - sedlec9.JPG - the coat of arms. kutna hora - sedlec10.JPG - you can clearly see the statue of Jesus here in the background, I took this shot to prove that this really was a church of God, not one of Satan! Although, maybe you get the creepy feeling in this church that Jesus is really Satan in disguise. Considering the unusual format of the church, a somewhat lengthy intro ought to be appropriate here. Sedlec is a small town next to the larger city called Kutna Hora. "Hora" means mountain in the Czech language. In the Middle Ages, silver ore was discovered in the area (around the 1200's) and the area became rich and prosperous. Kutna Hora became an important town for that reason. In 1278, the king of Bohemia sent the abbot of Sedlec, named Henry, to the Holy Land (Jerusalem and Golgotha) on some diplomatic mission. Before he returned, Henry scooped up some of the precious earth and sprinkled it on the cemetery of Sedlec. For that reason, the Sedlec cemetery became famous throughout Central Europe and Bohemia as the most desirable place to be buried, and many wealthy people ended up making a grave there. The epidemic of the black plague during the 14th century enlarged the cemetery considerably (in 1318 about 30,000 people were buried there). The Hussite wars (a religious reformist movement) in the early 15th century also added to the size of the cemetery. The overabundance of human bones in the cemetery eventually let to the creation of the unusual task of making more space in the graveyard, without sacrilegiously having to dispose of the existing one. At first, the bones were stacked up around the chapel outside, but eventually the interior was used to store the bones. That was done by a Cistercian monk in 1511. In 1710, a Czech architect named Santini helped to rebuild the church. It had been set on fire during the Hussite Wars in 1421 and almost destroyed. Santini designed the interior with the pyramids of skulls, the candelabras, and other features unique to the Sedlec church. By 1784, the Schwarzenberg noble family became in possession of the Sedlec convent and they commissioned a Czech wood-carver, Frantisek Rint, to design the Schwarzenberg coat of arms. This was done around 1870. In the showcases are the skulls of Hussite warriors. On some skulls, you can still see the marks of their deadly injuries in combat. The chandelier in the middle of the chapel was built using every bone of the human body. Under the chandelier is an entrance to a crypt which contains the remains of 15 wealthy citizens. Around the entrance to the crypt are Baroque candelabras. According to a flyer I have: "In the corners of the lower chapel your attention can be caught by giant pyramids made of bones. These bones are stored without being bound together. The human bones represent multitudes which none can count facing God's throne. Death doesn't make any difference. Redemption - the work of Christ's salvation - has been started by his incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection. It will be completed by resurrection by all who died. Everyone will be called to a new life. Everyone who is good thus gain the heavenly Kingdom, which is symbolized by the wooden crowns..." "It's guessed that the Ossuary is a common grave of about 40,000 people. This work reminds us of the fact and the worth of eternity. God has concluded a covenant that put us under an obligation to responsibility towards God and our neighbors. The observance of the covenant will be appreciated when we die." Some additional photos: prague1.JPG - In downtown, historic Prague, on top of the famed Charles Bridge, looking out at the St. Vitus cathedral and Prague castle grounds in the background. Charles bridge1.JPG - a photo of the mandatory tourist site, the Charles Bridge. I am standing over the Vlatava River, on an adjacent bridge downstream. The Charles Bridge is quite old, and has a fascinating history in its own right. A pretty place to visit. prague2.JPG - I'm on top of one of the higher spots in Prague, in a city park, with St. Vitus cathedral in the back. We slowly meandered to the cathedral and the Prague castle from here. Lots of uphill and downhill walking, and the ice was very slippery in some places, this was late December, 2001. Krumlov castle1.JPG - Another common tourist destination, the famed Krumlov castle. If you ever want to see what Cinderella's castle in the story books must have look liked, this is a good example. Forget Disney World, once you visit here, Disney is so artificial! This is the real thing. In fact, the story of Cinderella originated directly from a Czech folk tale many centuries ago. I was told that many fairy tales coming from old Europe have some roots Czech folklore. Krumlov castle2.JPG - Krumlov castle again, not how the entire castle had first been built by using the stone mountain itself. Krumlov castle3.JPG - at the top of Krumlov, looking down. I took this shot to give to a closer look at how the stone in the mountain merges into one of the walls of the castle itself. I hope the picture scan has enough resolution to get an idea of that. The river down there is the ever-present Vlatava river. Krumlov isn't in Prague, it is several hours away from the capital city. Krumlov castle4.JPG - a fairy tale picture of a tower in Krumlov. These are more or less all the CZ pictures that I scanned in and uploaded to the site. I kept the file sizes to a minimum in order to fit them on a disk, but the resolution in the original photos are much better for seeing all the details. Yes, you should be careful for gypsies over there. I think they're like wild animals -- something kinda natural, but something you need to be aware of and take proper precautions. I don't think there is violent street crime like we have over here, though. I wasn't afraid to walk anywhere in Prague or Budapest at night. HUNGARY Hungary was also a neat place to visit. The house I stayed in, an Esperantist named Ilona, she lives in a town called Miscolc which borders Slovakia, and who I've known as a sort of Internet pen-pal, Ilona was very happy to have us visit and we all had a great time there. Didn't have to pay for rent the whole time I was in Europe, so learning Esperanto has its own payback for me. Ilona's husband has a collection of old medieval weapons which I took some picts of. Also a neat Hungarian castle and some pictures of Ladas and Trabant autos, etc. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babylon6/ http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/babylon6/lst and click on the "Hungario" folder. (I used Esperanto descriptions of the JPGs). The train ride from Prague to Budapest takes about 8 hours, about as long as the plane trip from New York to Prague. I was told to expect to run into more gypsies there, but we never had a problem with them. There was more observable homeless and beggars in the main train station in Budapest. Ilona and her husband picked us up at the train station in Miskolc. They live in a beautiful 2-story house PAFILOJ JPG 13,407 PAFILOJ.JPG (Stefan's colleciton of Middle Age handguns) ARMILOJ JPG 14,980 ARMILOJ.JPG (Note the medieval crossbow and the 'blunderbuss', from which our modern-day shotgun evolved.) A photo of the ever-present "Trabant", or 'Trabi' for short, that were commonly seen in Hungary. TRABI1 JPG 13,606 TRABI1.JPG KASTELO2 JPG 32,380 KASTELO2.JPG KASTELO1 JPG 22,625 KASTELO1.JPG (Miskolc area caslte) HUNGAR1 JPG 24,765 HUNGAR1.JPG (Hungarian king) KING1 JPG 31,663 KING1.JPG (The king and his castle in Hungary) MARKETA JPG 65,339 MARKETA.JPG (Marketa and me, Miskolc, Hungario) BUKK1 JPG 28,093 BUKK1.JPG (Main sign, in Hungarian language, to the Bukk national park near Miskolc.) AKVOFALO JPG 62,972 AKVOFALO.JPG (the impressive frozen waterfull in Bukk national park.) ENIRO JPG 22,454 ENIRO.JPG (the entrance to the St. Istevan cave) KAVERNO1 JPG 20,658 KAVERNO1.JPG (stalactites) KAVERNO2 JPG 45,898 KAVERNO2.JPG (the same case, with some bats taking it easy) Many people in CZ and HG make their own wines from their gardens, and my CZ and HG friends were no exception. We drank some fine vintage wine at Stefan's house, made in 1990 and just waiting for some special occasion. I was honored for that. I would have liked to have visited Budapest more but we simply didn't have the time. Also, I liked the fact the the castles in Hungary were left run- down and dilapitated. It presented the same kind of ancient appearance as the Mexican or Egyption pyramids. There is a special kind of beauty in old things. The Czech castles were all restored to their original state, but something was lost in the process. I say, leave well enough alone and let everyone enjoy looking at the old crumbling castles just as they are!