As much as I have enjoyed Prague, I was happy to hit the road this morning, headed north. The city congestion soon gave way to wide open spaces as I pursued my theme for the day: things made of rocks. We start with a small church (St Ignatius Rock Chapel) carved into a massive boulder, complete with seating for a dozen parishioners.

Next, we have a two-story house built into a naturally split mountain of rock.

How about a private event space built atop several rock columns, previously the site of an unassailable medieval castle.

Speaking of columns, here we have Mansion Rocks, a magnificent example of basalt columns.

My ultimate destination for the day was the Pravčická Archway, the largest sandstone arch in Europe. Reaching it requires a strenuous 4.4-mile hike from the hostel I am staying in this evening. It is nestled somewhere atop the cliffs shown below. Rain in the afternoon kept me from starting the climb until 5pm. I determined that I had sufficient time to reach the arch just in time for golden light. The plan would have been perfect if not for the fact that I climbed the wrong trail (I am not so good at reading Czech). When the relentless uphill trek turned into an equally arduous decent, I realized this could not be the trail to the arch and then it started to rain again. It was a 5-mile mistake that I will not soon forget. It remains to be seen whether my legs are up for another dose of abuse tomorrow, especially in light of the fact that the morning sun will be on the wrong face of the arch for a good photo.

While on the subject of rocks, I passed two kidney stones this evening, a common occurrence for me after flying.