Our time here has been extraordinary! We are so grateful for the many experiences we have shared here. Yesterday we were hosted by a Czech hunting ranger/guide and his wife and family. We feasted on wild boar, deer and beef, and quark – a very thick and creamy yogurt. WARNING: This next section may be disturbing to some of you. We went to one of the strangest stight-seeing stops I have ever heard of. It is among the Czech Republic’s top tourist destinations – an ossuary, or a place for the deposit of bones of the dead. The displays were constructed those who wanted to honour a discovered burial site of “unknown soldiers” of the early 1400’s. This ossuary has the bones of 40,000 people. It is a sacred place, an emotionally powerful place, and a most peculiar one.
On our way back, we stopped once again in Hradec Králové, and climbed to the top of the “White Tower.” It is so named because it is constructed of sandstone. It was a “long and winding” way up this 16thc. bell tower, but views were fantastic. Unfortunately, I had to forgo my masterclass across the border in Poland, because of a scheduling crunch between Easter break and my trip to China. I look forward to doing this another time. This was a perfect time of professional and cultural immersion, and I am deeply grateful for all we experienced and shared.
