Hiking around Kutna Hora

We had enough of the touristy things and although we've probably been walking 10kms (6 miles) a day anyhow, we decided to go for a hike. The tourist office had given us a map, and there are a lot of well marked hiking and biking trails in Czech Republic.

We had bought Ruth a cheap ($5) pedometer that measures how many steps you take. They say you should walk 10,000 steps per day to keep active, although in my mind it is totally relevant to how fast you walk. If those 10,000 steps are just a slow saunter, it won't do you much aerobic benefit. Anyhow, it looks like we've been doing around 15,000 per day. Our highest day was 25,000 and yesterday we did 20,000.

So they say that 10,000 steps is around 5 miles, and it turns out they are pretty close. Yesterday we did 14.7 kms (9.1 miles). And it was another baking hot day, with the temperature around 32C (89F). But we drank lots of water and quite a bit of the hike was, fortunately, in the shade.

Ruth, hiking by the river.

Came across this wall of rock that had a carving in it. Notice Ruth standing near the bottom left.

Another nice view of the cathedral.

Came across several of these old mine entrances that had been blocked off. As I said yesterday, the area had been one big silver mine for over 500 years!

The ruins of an old mill.

A small waterfall.

As I said, it was a beautiful, but HOT day. We had been going through a very forested area, so that was nice. But it was still hot and sweaty. Just after this pond above, we came across this beautiful area for swimming! I suppose we could have stripped down to underwear, and probably nobody would have cared...but then we'd have to hike back in wet shorts and I didn't relish that idea. So instead we took off our boots and socks and just sat in the shade and ate our lunch. Then lay down and had a nap for half an hour!

Nice swimming hole.

The second half of the hike was a little warmer, going through the edge of farmers fields and ending up back on the outskirts of town.

The countryside.

Coming back into Kutna Hora.

Lots of signs for walkers and cyclists.

The walk took us back through the central area and we stopped for an ice cream. Even buying an ice cream in a different language can be interesting! We saw the prices, and figured out that a single scoop was 12 korunas (60 cents). We pointed at the cups because Ruth can't have a cone and I decided I wanted a cup as well. Then, I gave her 24 korunas, but that wasn't enough. She wanted 34 korunas, and we finally figured out that it was 5 korunas extra for the cups and spoons. It was delicious though, and very inexpensive.

We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, but it was hot in the room. Around 7:00pm, a storm came through and it was windy and rainy and a few branches broke off the tree outside our window. It sure cooled things off though! Then, the power went out! Did you know that if you put your digital camera in "view" mode and then find a nice bright sunny picture on your screen, it becomes a pretty decent flashlight!

A dark and stormy evening!

This morning is overcast and it has already rained a bit again. But it has sure cooled off, with a forecast high of 24C (76F) today. We're taking the train to Svitavy, about an hour and a half journey. This is the town where my Grandma Read was born!