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Tags: Day Trippin' / Prague Travel / Churches / Ewan McGregor / → All Tags

Visiting The Church of Bones in Prague

Some tourists head to Prague for the Czech beer. Others, apparently, head to a spot nearby Prague instead, for the piles of bones.

We first heard about the Church of Bones--formally known as the Kostnice Ossuary--when Ewan McGregor stopped in here during his Long Way Round motorbike odyssey. It's a creepy collection of over 40,000 human skeletons, with all these bones carefully arranged by monks to decorate a small Catholic chapel. The skeletons are thought to be remains of people who died in the 14th and 15th centuries, but no matter how old they are, seeing the skulls staring out at you all around the church is more than a little disconcerting.

But it's fascinating, and easy to get to on a day trip out of Prague to a town called Kutna Hora. You can take the hour-long bus trip from central Prague for about $6 return and once you get there, admission costs 50 Czech crowns ($2.50). We recommend not souveniring any bones on this trip; a 500-year-old skull might be quite hard to explain at customs.

Related Stories:
· Church of Bones - Kostnice Ossuary [Official Site]
· Czech Beer Still Tasty After NYT Treatment [Jaunted]
· Ewan McGregor Completes 20 Country Motorcycle Tour [Jaunted]

[Photo: lyng883]

Tags: Where Is / Tom Brady / Gisele Bundchen / Celeb Travel / Celeb Weddings / Churches / Santa Monica Travel / → All Tags

The Church Where Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen Got Married?

To "All the single ladies"...who thought Tom Brady was going to break up with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, we have some bad news. He did put a ring on it but it wasn't your finger.

Nope. Tom and Gisele, after much speculation and gossip, got married at the St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, Calif. yesterday, Us Weekly reports.

The bride, 28, donned a form-fitting ivory lace strapless gown with a trumpet skirt, scalloped edges, long train and a floor-length veil with attached handmade satin roses and attached satin headband, all by Dolce & Gabbana. Her three dogs also wore matching Dolce & Gabbana floral lace collars.

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Tags: Adventures of Link / Churches / Porter Airlines / → All Tags

News From All Over

It's a frenetic week in the US as cube drones and tourists alike gear up for a busy travel week, so forgive us if today's afternoon linkage is a bit scattershot. (Also: We're still recovering from hearing about the Speidi wedding.)

In Australia, the tourism officials are making preparations for movie-loving tourists. In Minnesota, Northwest flight attendants are getting their new (Delta) uniforms. Meanwhile an old Jaunted hand took a trip with Porter Airlines while the TSA compared airport troublemakers to sharks. And we're always game for an interesting church!

Related Stories:
· Australia.com Relaunches in Time for Kidman Flick [BT]
· Northwest Attendants Preview Delta Look [Saint Paul Pi-Press]
· Porter Airlines: In a League of Its Own [Spendthrift Shoestring]
· TSA: Family Lanes Calm Checkpoints, Make Sharks Apparent [CNN]
· Dutch City Turns Church into Experience [CNN]

[Photo of Maastricht's cool church: FaceMePLS]

Tags: Italy Travel / Churches / Beaches / → All Tags

Temporary Church Travel: Not Italy's Most Impressive Cathedral

Feeling a little sinful after lusting after that bikini babe on an Italian beach? Look for this blow up chapel on the Adriatic coast in Molise and pop in for some prayer!

In addition to daytime services, there will also be a nighttime mass, which organizers hope will draw parishioners who otherwise might just hit the bars.

On Italy's Left Coast, a group of nuns has decamped to the beach near Naples to pray with vacationers who stop by the altar they've set up. Priest Antonio Rungi helped spearhead the effort, but if you can't make it to the spiaggia this summer, Father Rungi will still reach you: He recently started sending out SMSs to the faithful who sign up on his website.

Related Stories:
· Blow Up Church Looks to Lure Beachgoers [Reuters, via]
· Churches coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Telegraph]

Tags: Architecture / Architecture Travel / Eero Saarinen / Eero-Saarinen-Travel-Map / Churches / → All Tags

Eero Saarinen Travel: What to Do on Sunday

As we continue to explore the works of Eero Saarinen and his architectural adventures, we move to Indiana. Like his father, Eliel Saarinen, who created the First Christian Church in Columbus, Indiana, the younger Saarinen designed the North Christian Church there as well. Completed in 1964, the church was the last building he designed before his death.

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Tourist Trap Travel: The Leaning Tower's Finally Stable

After centuries of non-stop wobbling, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has finally been saved. Engineers tasked with stabilizing the off-kilter campanile, which has lurched over Pisa since about 1180, say they've finally finished their work:

"All of our greatest expectations have been met," said head engineer Michele Jamiolkowski, "We can now say that the tower will be stable for at least the next 300 years."

Now that the angle of the tower's lean has been reduced, visitors can enjoy a view that was impossible to see for the past 73 years. Looking straight up, you'll be able to see all seven floors--and even beyond through a skylight at the top.

To get a cool view of the night sky--and really channel that Galileo vibe--visit after dark. From June 17 till September 5, the tower's open to visitors until 11 pm.

Related Stories:
· The Leaning Tower of Pisa [Official Site]
· The Tower Is Saved, No Longer Moving [CdS, in Italian]
· Pisa's Tower Said to Be Safe for 300 Years [Reuters UK]
· Tourist Attractions coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: tiseb]

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Padre Pio Travel: Where is San Giovanni Rotondo?

Catholic saint and Capuchin monk Padre Pio has been exhumed and put on display in the town where he spent most of his life, San Giovanni Rotondo. Why dig him up now? Today is the 40th anniversary of his death.

His remains are on view at a massive church designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect and fellow Italian Renzo Piano. With enough indoor space for 30,000 worshippers, it's the second-largest church in the country after St. Peter's in Rome. (Which, if you wanna get technical, is in the Vatican City, not Italy.)

Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002, Padre Pio was famous for bearing the stigmata and he is among the faith's most-loved saints. Be ready for a crowd if you head to San Giovanni Rotondo: Officials expect more than 15,000 pilgrims today alone.

Related Stories:
· Padre Pio's Body Goes on Public Display [UK Times]
· Who Was Padre Pio? [Reuters]
· Churches coverage [Jaunted]

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Post-Mardi Gras Travel: Saintly New Orleans

Come Wednesday morning, Mardi Gras will be over, and beads, streamers and beer bottles will be the only reminder of the fun. (Apart from that hangover, of course.) Somewhere in the mix, you were probably pretty naughty.

Luckily, New Orleans has just the cure for guilty partiers: Ash Wednesday! To kick off the Lenten holiday, during which Catholics give up at least one vice, we've got three recommendations for your post-Mardi Gras detox: church, fried food and spa treatments.

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Tricked: Pisa Doesn't Lean Like We Thought

Climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa yet? Despite being still a bit amazed that a feat of engineering gone totally wrong could become such a major tourist attraction, we've done our turn up the spiral staircase, but it might all have been for nothing.

Turns out that Pisa's tower is in fact not the building with the greatest lean in the world. A church steeple in the German village of Suurhusen in the northwest of the country actually leans more than Pisa. It's not as beautiful as the more famous bell tower, nor quite as old, but it's officially now the world record holder. Book a trip soon, and you might be the first in your neighborhood to get a Leaning Steeple of Suurhusen pen holder on your desk.

Related Stories:
· German Steeple Beats Leaning Tower [AFP]
· Germany Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Hotels in Pisa [HotelChatter]

[Photo: edwardyanquen]

Tags: Celeb Travel / Europe Travel / Churches / Leonardo DiCaprio / → All Tags

Leo's Next Role: Parisian Tourist

Taking pictures, sampling the local cuisine -- even a star as bright as Leonardo DiCaprio can enjoy the simple pleasures of being a stranger in a strange land. In this case, it's Paris, where he and actor friend Lukas Haas spent a day visiting the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in the neighborhood of Montmartre and chowing down on crepes from a street stand.

Built between 1875 and 1914, the basilica has appeared in movies like the original "Sabrina" and, of course, the Montmartre valentine "Amélie." It's certainly a great place for pictures: Situated at the highest point in Paris, you can see most of the city from the church.

Related Stories:
· DiCaprio Does Paris [Just Jared]
· Leo Loves The Screamers In California [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Leonardo DiCaprio To Build Eco-Hotel [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Just Jared]

Tags: Celeb Travel / Churches / → All Tags

Sex in the City Movie Travel: St. Patrick's Cathedral

How's that for the strangest headline ever? It'll all make sense, but we have to warn you fans with a major spoiler alert: Page Six is reporting that Carrie and Mr. Big will get married at New York's famous St. Patrick's Cathedral in the new SitC movie. Filming started early this morning and will go until late tonight, says the gossip sheet.

Not that the area around St. Pat's could get any more hectic. Right across from Rockefeller Center, the giant is a major tourist draw because it's the largest gothic cathedral in the United States. And unlike most churches we know, it's open from 6:30 am until almost 9 pm.

If you're not that into churches, Sex in the City or not, another tourist trap that's worth your time is nearby: the Top of the Rock observation deck.

Related Stories:
· Don't Read This [NYP]
· Newyorkology: Top Rocks! [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Cathedral photo: Lordcolus]

Tags: Marilyn Manson / Churches / Art Galleries / Cologne Cathedral / → All Tags

Marilyn Manson In Germany

We're not quite sure which part of this story is the weirdest bit--you decide. First, it turns out that scary rockstar Marilyn Manson paints watercolors, enough of them to create an exhibition that opened in a Cologne gallery this week. (Of course, these are no pretty landscape watercolors, but if you must see them, check the Brigitte Schenk Gallery).

Second, Manson decided to visit the towering Cologne Cathedral, as any sensible tourist would do--it's really something. But the staff wouldn't let him in. He claims it wasn't because they recognized him, but simply they objected to his lipstick. So the joke going round? Goths can't enter Gothic cathedrals.

Related Stories:
· Hotels in Cologne [HotelChatter]
· Marilyn Manson Barred From Cologne Cathedral [Spiegel]
· Cologne's Chocolate Museum [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bruno D Rodrigues]