It seems that, as I cover more ground in the Czech Republic, and in Europe as well, I come across more and more legends, myths, and rumors that perpetually stand as the infrastructure of the towns, cities, villages, etc. I am sure that, for the locals, it is all very normal, but coming from the States, where everything seems to boil down to cold, hard facts, it struck me as alarming at first. However, as I assimilate into the norm, I find it to be quite entrancing. Today consisted of more traveling; in fact, we were on the bus for most of the day, traveling to Cesky Krumlov. We started the day by exploring yet another Cathedral in Kutna Hora. It was just a few blocks from our hotel, so the walk was pretty simple. We arrived at a platform that overlooked the valley. Across the way was the Cathedral. We were not on the intended site, but the view was magnificent. The land, literally, ran into a sharp decline down into a valley, populated with trees, bushes, and other greenery. After our minds became saturated by our eyes, we continued on toward the Cathedral. The Cathedral was constructed due to the wealth gained by the silver mine in the town in history. However, construction came to a halt some years later due to the evaporation of finances. Parts of the Cathedral was closed down and blocked off. Construction resumed many years later, and it became what we saw today, after some renovation, of course. Throughout years of conflict and war, the Cathedral saw its fair share of hardships, and pars were burned down in some ensuing chaos. Thankfully, it has been restored to its full glory to this day. The Cathedral had Gothic-like spires, and the entire structure was huge. It put any of the churches I have seen in the States to shame. Many could say that all churches, temples, cathedrals look the same after a while, especially after taking a two month trip to view many of them. However, despite the similarities, I wanted to find the differences. The chandeliers were of a different style and type, made from a different material. The murals each depicted something different, something unique to that particular cathedral's past. I found a huge mural depicting St. Christopher. There was a legend behind this picture. The story suggests that he was a giant, and a young child came up to him along the river, having lost their way. They asked the giant Christopher if he could help them across the river to get back home. He accepted and plopped the youth onto his shoulders. He began marching through the current, but, with each step he took, the child on his shoulder began to get heavier and heavier. By the end, he could hardly hold up the child. According to the legend, the child was Jesus/God. The significance that the mural holds today is that it is said to preserve the life of whoever looks upon it for that day. In other words, if you were to look at it today, you would not die for the rest of that day. Thus, there have been stories of people running into the building, stealing a quick glance, and then fleeing as fast as they came. Now, St. Christopher is a guardian of traveling. Many drivers have little pictures of him suspended from the rear-view mirror for protection, despite the fact that hanging items from the mirror is not tolerated. After the ground floor viewing was concluded, we moved to the balcony. We could see the interior from a higher angle, and we could go outside to get a view of distant buildings. Once again, I found myself engrossed by the perfect balance between nature and urban life. The trees grew where they wanted, and they looked vibrant and healthy. Unfortunately, the view turned sour when we all spotted an egg that had dropped from the nest and splattered all over the floor of the balcony. What made it worse was the fact that there was a chick inside. We got out of there in a hurry, and we proceeded to the chapel across the street. We climbed to the roof for another magnificent view. It was cool to see the platform that we were on at first to see the Cathedral. Many group members thought this was an ideal spot for picture-taking, so we spent about twenty minutes on the roof taking a different combination of photos. When we, finally, did get into the chapel, I was presented with a deserted room. I was expecting an altar, some pews, lights, chandeliers, candles, anything that would make it resemble a classic chapel. Instead, I faced nothing but a few vases, plants, and decorative china dispersed unevenly here and there. There were three windows in which light could help illuminate the place, but no artificial lighting was present. The room not only looked old, but it felt old. The pillars seemed to moan with old age. If they could talk, you wouldn't be able to get anything out of them. We left the chapel, and we continued onto the bus. Our destination was Cesky Krumlov, but we had some stops to make along the way. It was a three hour bus ride, so we had a long journey ahead of us yet again. Our stop was the Budweiser Brewery. THE Budweiser Brewery, in Cesky Budejovicky. Supposedly, the Budweiser back in the States is completely different than what this product is. This is the original recipe, the genuine article. In fact, there is a lawsuit between the Budweisers of the United States and the Czech Republic. We were taken around the plant, viewing the wells that bring the water out of the ground. There are two wells with powerful pumps to do the job, but only one well was on site. The other was somewhere else in the city. We saw the tanks in which the concoctions are mixed, and we went into the cellars to see where it was kept--in giant, white vats. We were given samples to try, but I have had Czech Beer, and it is just like any other beer to me--a horrible taste to it. The Budweiser utilize the water, hopps, malt, and yeast. After one type of beer is made, they shut down the machines, clean EVERYTHING, and they start over again with a different type. On average, an estimated 40,000 bottles are filled and put through per day. The process of mixing the ingredients for the booze can be a matter of hours, but fermentation takes a couple of months, depending upon the type. The type we tasted had been fermenting for about two months. This factory was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, in Europe. The Budweiser has now been distributed in about 66 countries, if I am not mistaken. It might be more, I just remember hearing that statistic. I can, honestly, say that the Brewery did not impress me all too much. First of all, I am not a fan of alcohol in the least. Second, I worked at a dairy during a summer, so I know all about factory and "working the line" life. It just didn't seem appealing. The coolest thing I did see, however, was a mechanical arm that would move crates around. I did not see an operator nearby. That was really cool. The dairy back home didn't have anything that advanced. After that, we got back on the bus, and we arrived in Cesky Krumlov about forty minutes later. We have checked into the hotel, and, from what I have seen thus far, alone, which was the walk into the city, I can, officially, say that this is the coolest place I have been to in the Czech. Everything is medieval style, and there was a river running right in front of the entrance to the city. The entrance was a giant stone structure, like an archway. I cannot wait to explore it more tomorrow. From what I heard, we are going rafting tomorrow, so pray I do not fall in. I am running on a limited supply of clothing at the moment. After this, I think I might turn in early. I couldn't sleep at all on the bus, and I didn't get much sleep last night. Well, I hope you had a better night's sleep than I, and I hope that the rest of your day is fruitful and fulfilling. "May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!"
                                                                       -Anthony-

View of the Cathedral from the opposite platform.

St. Christopher mural.

Inside the Cathedral.

Balcony view.

The chapel.

Crates of Budweiser at the Brewery.

Bottles, bottles, bottles!

The large, automated arm.

The tanks where the ingredients were mixed.