Wandering Central Bohemia: A Walk To Remember

After spending almost two days in Prague, I began to feel unimpressed with the tourist crowd and old buildings many traveled thousands of miles to see. When I was having my breakfast at the hotel, I realized that there were only that much beer and pork one could drink and eat, no matter how delicious they were. Fortunately I only had to stay in Prague for one more day; but I just couldn't wait to get out of there.

Prague from the Prague Castle

Maybe I should get out of the city, like right now.

I took the subway to the Prague Main Railway Station, a place where I supposed to be the next day for my eventual escape from the tourist crowd. I walked up to the ticket office, and asked for whether they still had any tickets to Benešov for the next available train. Moments later a ticket came out of the counter window. Well, looks like I will be making a day trip outside the city.

Inside the Prague Railway Station

20 minutes later I found myself on an almost empty train. As the train began to move, the wind and the sun poured into the compartment, sweeping away my feelings of urban depression. It took me almost a train ride to see the first human being on the train: the train conductor, who came to visit my compartment to check my ticket right before I was about to get off the train. 

One empty compartment all for myself

When I got off the train, it was around lunch time. So I entered the small restaurant right beside the train station. Upon entering, I was greeted by a gentleman who was about 40 years of age. He quickly showed me to one of the tables and passed me the menu. Then the real charm of Czech Republic, which I was unable to experience in Prague kicked in: the menu was written completely in the Czech language, and neither did the gentleman speak a single word of English. From my past experience, most expensive items on the menu normally meant two things: specialties or ones with huge portions. So I ordered the most expensive item I could find on the menu, as well as something that resembled "Pepsi" (more expensive than something else labeled "Budvar"). I tried to communicate with the gentleman inquiring what the dish was. After repeating several times it seemed that he somehow got what I was asking. Then he told me bunch of stuff I didn't quite understand, with the exception of the word "Paprika".

Benešov's train station and the restaurant

About 15 minutes later the dish came. The "Pepsi" I ordered, just as expected, was indeed Pepsi. The mysterious expensive "Paprika" dish I ordered was a very delicious eggplant, with its interior stuffed with meat, and covered with paprika sauce and rice. I was very happy about what I ordered. When it came to paying the bill, the total came to roughly $5. I tried to offer extra tips to the gentleman, like how I did at restaurants in Prague that charged at least twice or three times of that price. Unlike every other single waiters and waitresses in Prague who gladly accepted the tips (some of them just charge you the service fee directly), the gentleman simply refused it.   

This is what I ordered

The reason why I picked Benešov as my out-of-town day trip destination was because Konopiště was nearby. Konopiště was once Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austro-Hungarian Empire's residence before he was assassinated (Bohemia was once a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There are also two other very interesting posts that are related to Archduke Franz Ferdinand. See: Austro-Hungarian Sarajevo: The Powder-Keg That Broke Peace and Vienna Off The Tourist Track : Why Isn't the Danube Blue?). His assassination directly led to the eruption of the First World War. In order to reach the Konopiště castle, I must walk 3 kilometers from Benešov.

Scenes of Central Bohemia

Soon the winding road took me to rural Bohemia. The scenery in front of me instantly reminded me of Beethoven's Symphony No.6, which is also known as "The Pastoral": Granola fields bloomed along the endless rolling hills. The cloud flew by like they were totally undisturbed by the stunning scenes and those who were simply passing by like me. Somewhere further away, I could see big trucks running along the highway, keeping Czech towns and people well supplied. 

A Canola Field

Suddenly the open view of the plain hit the end. I was redirected into a forest. The lush green color of the leaves told me not only that the hot summer was coming, but also a reminder that only a short period ago the region was in bitter and cold winter.  I somehow knew that it was leading to somewhere spectacular. Castles are normally built in places that are strategically important but are not easily accessed. In that way it makes the castle a bit easier to defend. 

Path to Konopiště

Then I became uncertain about whether I was on the right path or not. A small shop came into the sight, so I decided to stop by and ask for direction. The shop owner was a warm and friendly old lady who gave me not only on how to reach Konopiště from there, but all sorts of brochures and information about the surrounding area. She even gave me a brochure about a local annual flower festival which was coming up the next week. There was something on the shelf that got my attention: beer bottles with the label "Ferdinand". There were at least 20 different flavors. I asked the lady if she had any of those for sale, she turned to the fridge and grabbed me a bottle. Turned out it was cheaper than bottled water she was selling.

Benešov is probably the only place you can buy a beer that's named after an assassinated Austrian nobleman

Eventually I arrived at Konopiště. I caught up with the last tour of the castle on that day, which was supposedly offered in Czech. However due to the small group we had: me, and another couple from somewhere in Canada, the guide was gracious enough to explain everything in English (Czech tours are 1/3 of the price of an English tour. So we ended up paying the money for a Czech tour but received the tour in English. The castle was only accessible through guided tours).  

The Konopiště Castle

Inside the castle, I learned about the private life of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and how he was an avid hunter and lived in unbelievable luxury at that time. He would often travel to different parts of the world to hunt precious animals  like Amur Tiger in far east Russia and Buffaloes in North America. Animal trophies and rifles were things that were visible in nearly all corners of the castle. Ironically such a man who put an emphasis on boasting trophies and violence in his life met his end by being hunted by somebody else. Yet his tragic death led to a even bigger tragedy when millions of people lost their homes and lives in the subsequent years. I believe Ferdinand was not responsible, neither should take the blame for causing the First World War.  His death was just being used by some other people who were equally as ambitious as him, except that they were interested in something else that's far more destructive than just a couple of precious animal heads: power and domination. 

While no photos are allowed inside the castle, evidences of Archduke Ferdinand being a ferocious hunter were still visible nearly everywhere in his former estate

In front of  Konopiště, there was a very peaceful lake hidden in the Bohemian forests. Even someone like Archduke Franz Ferdinand needed a quiet place to retreat himself from the outside world where he hunted and was being hunted. 

The Konopiště Castle and the Lake

On the way out from Konopiště, I found a very small stone monument erected to commemorate 9 murdered American Airforce members as prisoners of war on April 19th, 1945 near the end of another world war. Even though the two great wars were mostly fought by the world's superpowers at the time, it was the innocent countries such as the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia back then) or ethnic groups like the Jews suffered the most.  Yet in terms of remembering the war, it also turned out that these were the people who had a vivid image of the past, because they do not want the same thing to happen anytime in the future. 

On my way back to the train station, I happened to pass right by a local Danone dairy plant. I could imagine that not so long ago this was one of the state owned dairy plants in former Czechoslovakia. During that time the failed planned economy and tight government control thwarted Czechoslovakia from becoming a highly- developed nation, although the country had a better industrial base than many of its Western European counterparts at the time. As people of Czech Republic embraced democracy and free market, the country is catching up at a tremendous speed. Today the Czech Republic is constantly voted as one of the top countries to invest and do business in Europe. 

The dairy plant resembled more of a military complex than a dairy plant with all the stop signs and restrictions at the entrance

In the evening I found myself at the Wenceslas Square in Prague. The square was the place where the Czech nation had expressed their opinions, hoping the world could hear their voices. In 1945 the brave people of Czechoslovakia launched an uprising against the German occupiers, and Wencesla Square became the center of this event where buildings were destroyed during the uprising and people died for the liberation of their nation. Despite a failure, it never stopped the Czechs from being silent against oppression and injustice. In 1969 the Czechs gathered again at the Wencesla Square and celebrated the Czech national hockey team's victory over the USSR national team. The event was seen as an open protest to the Soviet occupation since the year before. Finally in 1989, people gathered in Wenceslas Square once again in wake of the Velvet Revolution. This time when they returned, they returned home with democracy and freedom.   

The Wenceslas Square is still a popular place for people to meet up

Now revisiting this "improvised strolling" experience, it made me think and remembered a lot of things. I remembered the empty train and the menu that was written in a language I had absolutely no clue what it was all about. I remembered a country gentleman and an old lady who showed me who ordinary Czechs really were - they were with pure honesty and warm hearts. I also remembered the great sceneries of Bohemia often depicted in world renowned paintings and interpreted by classical music: the canola fields, the green trees, and the tranquil lakes. I remembered that the good things we cherish today might not come to us easily, just like there was always the long, harsh winter before the nice summer. I remembered the immense cost of First World War and Second World War, and how such events should never happen again. I remembered the Czech nation's past oppressions, and looked into bright future it has since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Most of all, I remembered the good time I spent there, the people I met and things I saw, which I will never forget.

Prague and the Vltava in the evening