Moravský kras, Punkevní jeskyně
It's funny, really. While most AIESEC trainees who go to Central Europe for an internship would go city or country-hopping, Justine and I have realised that we spent more time nature-tripping more than we did seeing cities around Europe. I really enjoy nature-tripping, and if only I had more time here, that's what I would probably do.
It was a cloudy Saturday, and according to the forecast, it would rain, but thank God, it didn't, because we went to Moravský kras - home to 1,100 caves, but only five of them are open for the public to explore, and one of them is Punkevní jeskyně - the longest cave system in Czech Republic, which draws about 200,000 visitors every year.
Punkevní jeskyně is unlike any other cave I visited before. The caves I've explored in the Philippines had zero visibility and are definitely not well-maintained, but Punkevní jeskyně is almost good enough to live in. Lights are installed, stairs have been constructed, and music plays in some parts. In fact, it looked more like a geological museum than a cave!
The stalactites and stalagmites that grew in the cave were so beautiful! They looked like perfectly-melted candles stuck on the floors and ceilings. It was really cold inside the cave too, so I had to wear this thick winter jacket that took up most of the space in my backpack.
At the middle of the cave is a river, so we had to ride boats to make it through to the mouth. Having seen the underground river in Czech Republic really makes me want to see Palawan's underground river more! Punkevní jeskyně is already stunning, what more is Palawan's, which is considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
After the boat ride, we had lunch at Hotel Skalní mlýn. I had some smažený hermelín and potato croquettes, because Martin said that I have to try something "better" than smažený sýr, which I have been eating a lot, since I arrived in Czech. Well, they taste almost the same, but the scent and taste of the hermelín is stronger than that of the ordinary hard cheese in smažený sýr.
We were about to go see a lake, which we thought was nearby. But when we found out that it was too far away, we decided to just go see the ruins of some castle atop a hill.
At the end of the day, we walked a distance of about more than 11Km.
We then had some dinner at an Arabian restaurant in Grohova called Kupé.
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| Just arrived! |
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| Paramore ang peg! These are my nature trip buddies for the day: Martin, Mirek, Justine, and Ivo |
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| I dunno, but these two just create chemistry!!! #Bromance |
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| Stalactites and stalagmites |
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| Ay, sayang, blurred :P |
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| Little explorers! |
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| This is a telecommunications ad for Vodaphone. |
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| These guys always give me ideas!!! Haha! I just kind of do whatever they do! |
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| Chillaxin' before another climb :) |
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| A castle used to stand here. |
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| Lookin' sporty, Justine! |
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| I still believe that the Phelps twins are not just twins, but triplets, and that Martin is their long-lost brother. Haha! |
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| The reception in the hills is pretty good! Even got to message my ma and some friends! |
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| Just before leaving... |
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| This would be our very first photo in a tram after a month-long stay in Brno. |
♥Andz
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