This was a day for traveling and more sight seeing. I learned that the Czech Republic has three regions: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, and we are staying in Bohemia, which is famous for its crystal. Many people are certainly familiar with Bohemian crystal, and Dvořák’s Moravian duets, and the composer Leoš Janáček was born in Silesia. We started the day with a traditional Good Friday breakfast: a large round loaf of dessert bread with the sign of the cross marked on it.
Then we were off to the market in Hořice:
Our afternoon included a stop at Karlova Karona (“Charles Crown”) – a Zámek outside Hradec Králové, built by a royal duke. There are several peacocks on the estate, which got me clicking my camera. One was in a tree, and two were close by.
As elsewhere, many of the castle estate’s buildings are undergoing renovation, so the old is mixed with… the renewed.
In observation of Good Friday, we joined our friends in listening to Bach’s Matthäus Passion throughout the day, and watched a live stream broadcast from the Leipzig Thomaskirche (J.S. Bach’s church) in the evening, while making Easter eggs with our friends’ children.
As is also traditional, at one point in the day we visited the graves of departed family members at the cemetery.
