Bohemian Paradise (18/09/2018)

My brother managed to take a day off so we decided to head out of Prague and enjoy a day trip in nature together. We took a regional train from the main station and reached the small town of Turnov located in the northern part of the country. As we headed out of the station and into the town we crossed the railway once again and headed south towards the nearby hills. This is where the Bohemian Paradise began, a protected landscape area and the first nature reserve of the Czech Republic. After starting our ascent of the hills, we first reached a lookout point built on top of a rock jutting out called Hlavatice. After climbing it we had an impressive view over the treetops and the surrounding landscape and we could easily see the way we had walked from Turnov in the distance. Once back down and walking further through the forest we then reached Valdštejn Castle, a lonely fortress surrounded by a thick forest. Before heading to visit it, we decided to have lunch at a hut which sat right outside the entrance which served traditional food. The food was ok and relatively cheap, but I had expected a little better. Nonetheless, after eating, we decided to head and tour the castle crossing a nice bridge lined with Baroque statues leading up to the entrance. After buying the ticket, we entered the premises of the fortress. Originally built in the Gothic style it then received additions throughout the centuries particularly during the 18th century. The first building we approached was built during the latter period of the castle and hold some rooms which were used for events. Right below it a stair leading inside the rock gave way to two rooms filled with objects from the archaeological findings in the castle premises. Then back up we reached the small church dedicated to St John Nepomuk and featuring a Baroque interior. Next to it, on another rocky outcrop was the remains of the Gothic castle which now consist of just a few stone walls covered by a terrace providing a nice view of the area. After the tour of the complex, we then headed out and back on the trail walking further among beautiful trees and peaceful nature sounds. At one point we reached another point of interest: an observation deck over a rocky geological formation called the Rock Town of Hruba Skala. The sight was impressive, with a large group of sandstone rocks shaped by all kinds of erosion jutting out from among the trees and literally forming a kind of city. We admired the view for a while and then continued on, stopping at several other observation points which provided more views of different rock formations and panoramas of the surrounding countryside. After a little while we reached another castle, the Hruba Skala castle, originally built during the middle ages it was then rebuilt during the 16th century in a Renaissance style and finally in 1859 further rebuilt in a neo-gothic style. Due to its history, it remained well preserved and now hosts a hotel and restaurant. We entered ins courtyard which featured a little café and a terrace opening up to a wonderful view of the surrounding landscape. From here we even managed to spot far in the distance another castle standing on top of a hill. We then headed forward and walked down the hill through a beautiful valley sided by rocky cliffs and impressively tall trees. The way was peaceful and relaxing and we reached some field which led up another hill. After a bit, we reached the top where the castle we had previously seen in the distance, Hrad Trosky, was located. We walked a little further up and reached the castle entrance; unfortunately, though the place had just closed and so we just had to enjoy the view from the outside. Consisting of a main central walled structure, it is flanked by two towers built on the summit of two basalt volcanic plugs. Despite in a state of ruin, suffered mostly during the Thirty Years' War of 1648,  it is a wonderful example of a 14th-century fortified structure. It was now time to go so we headed back downhill and reached a super tiny rural train station, where a train was supposed to take us back to Turnov. We were a bit worried the train would never pass, but in the end, 5 minutes later than the actual hour it stopped and we got on to reach Turnov and switch trains finally heading back to Prague.

Entrance to the Valdštejn Castle

The chapel of St John the Nepomuk in the Valdštejn Castle

The Rock Town of Hruba Skala

More rock formations

Pillars of rock

View from the Hruba Skala castle

The Hruba Skala castle

The valley sided by rocky formations

A small lake on the way

Hrad Troskyon top of two volcanic plugs

The view of the surrounding landscape

Iceland (17-18/12/17)

After finishing our semester in the US, we decided to stop for a few days in Iceland on the way back to Europe. After leaving Chicago Airport we reached Keflavik airport several hours later and arriving there early in the morning. We had decided to rent a car to use also the next day traveling around the island. Thus after picking it up at the airport we reached Reykjavik and headed to the city first as our check-in would be later in the afternoon. We parked the car and headed to visit the Hallgrímskirkja, built between 1945 and 1986 it is the largest church in Iceland and known for its unusual and particular appearance. The interior, being it Lutheran and modern, is simple and unadorned so of no particular interest. As we exited the church, it was already 10am yet the sun was just rising and the sky was still quite dark, typical of places so far north. We then walked down the main street through the city center, looking at the main shops lining the street mostly catered for tourists. From there we reached the modern concert hall Harpa, located right by the water. We went up to the first floor to have a nice view over the town and ocean. We thought then to grab some food and opted for a place called Icelandic Street Food. The place was really tiny but we managed to grab two seats. We then ordered our food, Ania took a pancake while I had soup. When I got mine I was little dumbfounded, I had paid 15 euros for a little cup filled with soup. I had known Iceland was expensive yet I did not assume so much so. However I then rejoiced and completely changed humor when I found out I could refill it as many times as I wanted for free, which I ended up doing three times. After lunch, I was full and satisfied agreeing that the price fully covered for the meal I had just had. We then walked through the shopping street once more before heading back to our car and finally to our Airbnb, tired as we still hadn't gone sleeping since the day before. The next morning we left right before sunrise, so around 10 am, and headed east to tour a bit the so-called Golden Circle, a circuit road including some of the most famous sights on the island. Our first stop was the Thingvellir National Park, a historical, cultural and geological site of importance for the country. It lies in the rift marking the line between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, and it used to be the site of the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which met there from 930AD until 1798. After parking our car, we went out and walked a bit around the rift valley even though it had started to rain quite heavily. After exploring the area we went back in and continued on our journey. After driving through volcanic landscape covered in snow we eventually reached an area where some hot springs were very active. This is the location of the famous Geysir, the hot spring which gave the name to the phenomenon called geyser around the world. After seeing the springs we got in the car once again and headed on eventually reaching the impressive waterfalls, Gullfoss. Probably the most known in the whole island, it is huge and a sight to look at despite it being partially frozen as we were there. It was still raining heavily so we decided to get back in the car feeling quite drenched. From there we then drove all the way back to Reykjavik, reaching the capital right after sunset. As we stopped for gas though, I, unfortunately, tuned my body in the wrong way and my shoulder decided to pop out once again after more than a year of it not happening. As Ania could not drive due to not having a driver's license, I luckily managed to drive and change gears with just my left arm finally taking us to our Airbnb. After a rest and relatively good night sleep the next morning we left early and still driving the same way as the night before, managed to reach the airport drop the car off and take our flight to Hamburg.

The Hallgrímskirkja 

View of one of the streets in Reykjavik with the church

View across the water of some mountains

Inside the rift in Thingvellir National Park

Typical Icelandic landscape

The hot springs with the Geysir

The Gulfoss waterfalls

Mountainous landscape