Christmas in Prague: Sedlec Ossuary

Hello, hello! It's been a long time, I know. But we've been busy packing up home in Edinburgh, travelling around Europe and Asia and (finally) returning home to Oz.

Anyway, here are the last photos from our Christmas trip last year to Prague. They are photos taken from our trip to Kutna Hora and are of the amazing Sedlec Ossuary. It was very macabre!

The All Saint's Chapel (Sedlec Ossuary) is part of an old Cistercian Monastery dating from around 1142. After the plague struck, thousands of victims were buried in the Chapel plots, however even more bones began to pile up inside the Chapel, making it an Ossuary.

The Schwarzenberg family purchased Sedlec Monastery in 1870 and employed a local woodcarver (Frantisek Rint) to use the bones for creative decoration of the Chapel. Rint made a chandelier, which contains at least one of each bone in the human boday as well as numerous other bone crosses and wall decorations. Four giant pyramids of stacked bones are in each corner of the chapel and there is even a Schwarzenberg coat of arms made from bones!

View of Chapel entrance from inside -




Main chandelier -









David and Lauris under the chandelier -



Elsa and Chris under the chandelier -




Gruesome wall decorations -








One of four giant pyramids of stacked bones situated in each corner of the chapel -






Schwarzenberg family Coat of Arms -

Christmas in Prague: Trip to Kutna Hora

While in Prague at Christmas we spent a day at Kutna Hora, which is a couple of hours drive outside Prague. It was fantastic to get outside of Prague and see the countryside...covered in a thick blanket of snow and absolutely cold!

Cathedral of St Barbara, Kutna Hora -

Building of the Cathedral of St Barbara was started in 1380 and was only completed at the end of the 19th Century. The Cathedral is dedicated to the Patrol Saint of Miners.













View of snow covered trees and ground beside the Catheral -



View of Kutna Hora old town from the Cathedral -

More photos of Christmas in Prague

Now for some group shots...although Jo's Dad has managed to avoid both by being the cameraman!

Everyone rugged up at Vysehrad


Looking spiffy for Christmas Day lunch (which was actually celebrated on the 24th!)


Our Christmas trees and presents!


We enjoyed a day full of eating and drinking at Christmas...champagne, wine, beer, cheese and crackers, ham, roasted chickens and vegetables plus yummy Christmas pudding with custard, shortbread and mince pies. It was a fantastic day!

The next post will have photos from our day trip to Kutna Hora...soon.

Christmas in Prague

We spent Christmas in Prague with our parents and Jo's sister and had a great time! Even though it was very cold, it was great to explore Prague with our families. Below are some photos.

Christmas trees everywhere!

The enormous Christmas tree at the Old Town Square markets - it's a bit blurry but you get the picture!


Another enormous Christmas tree outside the National Theatre


Pretty lights!




Sight-seeing around Vysehrad Castle

















Yes...that's Jo in the red beanie...it was very cold!




More Prague photos to follow...

Scenes of Edinburgh

Now that we've settled in Edinburgh we've been doing lots of local sight-seeing as well as discovering the good cafes and restaurants. Here are some photos.

St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile -







Decorative architecture, statues and moss on buildings!







Princes Street (the main shopping strip) on a busy day -



Views over the New Town and the Firth of Forth from the Royal Mile -



The building tops of Old Town Edinburgh -





Calton Hill views and monuments - What a view!















What's left of Holyrood Abbey -



Black Cherry cafe - one of our favourite places for a coffee with views of Edinburgh Castle from the Cafe which is situated in the Grassmarket.