Submitted by Emily Gray on the 2019 fall semester program in Prague, Czech Republic…
Last weekend, I had the privilege of visiting the town of Kutna Hora! About an hour and a half outside Prague, Kutna Hora is a beautiful town with an incredible history. Our day began with a visit to the Sedlec Ossuary, a chapel decorated with 60,000 human bones. Our tour guide emphasized the concept of “momento mori”: remember death is imminent. It was sobering to be exposed to so much loss, but it made me more appreciative of life. It also showed me that, at least to the people of Kutna Hora, death is not such a scary thing. They constructed beauty and faith from the horror of human skulls. I’m so grateful I got to see the chapel in person, on Friday the 13th no less!
After visiting Sedlec Ossuary, we toured an old mine shaft. I have never been in a cave before, and the experience was exhilarating. Several times, I worried I wasn’t going to fit through the wet and narrow walls. I can’t imagine going through the cave without a tour guide and my friends on either side of me. I have so much respect for the miners of Kutna Hora, and I’m grateful I will never have to work in such a dangerous profession. The most interesting part of my trip was when we turned off all our headlights in the mine, experiencing total darkness. No matter how long you stay in the cave—be it 20 minutes or 20 years—your eyes will never adjust. The miners, if their lamps went out, would have to follow the wind to escape. Learning about life in the 1400s was fascinating and humbling, and I would encourage anyone in the Czech Republic to visit Kutna Hora.
Going on this excursion taught me the importance of getting out of Prague and seeing what else this beautiful country has to offer. So many students studying abroad leave the country every weekend, missing out on all the beauty and history around them. I am so excited for my next excursion to explore more of the Czech Republic!