Bohemian Paradise
As my semester abroad flies by, I sometimes find myself asking if I have truly taken advantage of my time and all that was around me. One day, my friends and I decided that the answer to that question was unresolved. So, we decided to take a day trip and we settled on a place known as Cesky Raj or Czech Paradise.
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| Green Trail in Cesky Raj |
The day started with a 2-hour train ride from Halavni Nadrazi, Prague’s main train station, to a town called Turnov. We purchased our tickets from the train station for about 5 U.S. dollars. After our two-hour train ride, we arrived at Turnov, and had another train (only 20 minutes) to a town called Ktova. After that we started our exploration of Bohemia with open minds and an unknown conclusion.
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| Green Trail continued |
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| Hruba Skala Chateau |
We started on the green trail only to be met by livestock in pastures, beautiful looking castles, and back wood trails.
As we ascended up Cesky Raj, we stumbled upon Hruba Skala Chateau. Hruba Skala is a gorgeous lookout point, and marked the halfway point of our journey. Hruba Skala Chateau offered a breathtaking view of the bohemian landscape and was a great stopping point to get some rest.
We decided to keep going on our adventure, already satisfied with what Cesky Raj had given us. The trail immediately took us into a region called Prachovske skaly, which is known as a rock town. The trail wound through this rock town, etching steps out of stone, and carving out a path though the dense woods.
As sunset approached, we neared the conclusion of our hike; we walked up to a stunning view of Cesky Raj and all its glory. At that moment, we had finally seen what the Czech Republic calls bohemian paradise.
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| Prachovske skaly |
We finally made it all the way back to the town of Turnov around 10 miles and 5 hours after our journey had started. We were exhausted, tired, but buzzing with admiration for Cesky Raj.
It’s hard to describe the beauties of the Czech Paradise because it deserves more than words. But if you ever find yourself looking for an adventure, take the time to do something you might not have thought of because it will definitely be worth it.
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| Cesky Raj Viewpoint |
Late that night, we arrived back safe in Prague. We were fully satisfied with our day, and we had finally figured out the answer to our question was "yes."
Joey Notowich is the Spring 2014 CEA MOJO in Prague, Czech Republic. He is a junior at the Indiana University, Bloomington.