Choose another map, showing:

• Europe (central)
• Europe (west)
• Mediterranean
• Europe
• Eurasia
• Transatlantic
• Eurasia, Africa & Pacific
• The World

Other entries in Český Krumlov

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic

July 5-6, 2006

Updated: July 21, 2006

We're inevitably an hour or two late rising and departing the next morning.  We pack clothes and sleeping bags, and then drive over to Zeli's flat to pick up her and Peter.  From there, we drive south, and within a half hour we are on country roads weaving our way towards the southern border with Austria.  Around 11am, we stop for gas and buy cold beers for the drive.  In the Czech Republic, as long as the driver doesn't touch the alcohol, it is legal to drink just about anywhere.  So we listen to music and chat as I inspect the rural scene.  It is a lot like England countryside, but without the roadside hedges obstructing the views of valleys, farm fields, and small, forested areas.

After about an hour, we arrive in Tabor, a small village from the 1400's.  It was actually founded by the Taborites, a group of radical Hussites from that era, hence it is named after the religious Mt Tabor.  It is one of Sona's favourite villages, for it's quaint character and history.  The day before, we were leafing through a calendar with old black and white photos of this place, so we have fun spotting some of the locales.  After a beer and a walk in Tabor, we get back in the car and drive another half hour to Tyn n. Vitoria.

There we sit by the riverside, and see families diving and swimming to beat the heat.  Sona's family used to come here when she was young, and we soon find out the church just behind where we are sitting is where her parents were married and she was later baptized.  After washroom breaks, we assemble back in the van for another hour to our main destination for the day.

Cesky Krumlov is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and deservingly so.  It's a small village, also from the 14th century, and is home to the second greatest castle in all of the Czech Republic.  This region fell into disrepair during the communist era, but thankfully, has been restored back to it's true prominence.  The Vlatava River winds through the town, with the Castle mounted high above cliffs on the one side, and the town spread out from the other shore.  Again, we go onto the castle bridge and up the tower to get magnificent vistas of this medieval village and the surrounding countryside.  We all have ice cream, and then wander down to a pub and sit at a picnic table right alongside the river.  There we have a beer and some dinner, early in the evening - the sun still above the castle which now towers above us.  There are kayakers, rafters and people in inner tubes just floating down the river and occasional rapids - a fantastic idea to keep cool and be lazy on such a hot afternoon.  As we sit there, a group of four people in inner tubes float up to the pub, latch on with a leg, and order a beer each.  Very cool.  That has been added to me list of things to do, should I return to Cesky Krumlov one day.

Although, I'd be thrilled to stay in Cesky Krumlov a few more days, we depart after dinner and drive another hour to Strakonice, a bit north-west.  We roll in to the campground in perfect time to get settled and have a beer before the concert starts.  The girls have a friend who fronts one of the bands, so that's why we've come to hang out at this annual summer festival.  The second band is hard rock from Hungary, and the third, is their friend's group, called "Suffer".  They play what Praguers call Hardcore/ Punk, but it's quite good - similar to a Sum 41 or Green Day type energy.  The crowd, like everywhere I've experienced in the republic, is friendly and social, but we give wide berth to the young crazy ones "moshing" around at the front.  I give up around 3am and fall asleep on the back seat of the van pretty promptly.  The others give up around 4am, they say, with Zeli burning the torch until dawn, I bet.

When I wake at 9am, I find Peter and Zeli have slept beside the tents and Sona smartly laid her sleeping mat across the front seats and is out cold.  An hour later, we are rolling out of Strakonice, with some fuzzy heads, but happy spirits.  We stop around half way home, and have coffees at a roadside café in the country.  I'm delighted because they make ham and eggs, and I haven't had anything but cheese and bread for breakfast here. 

We start getting a bit sad for the duration of the drive, as my time there has been wonderful, but rapidly draws to a close.  We all go back to Sona's to freshen up and I pack my bags.  We go out for lunch together, and Zeli insists on us taking one more shooter to mark the occasion.  Sona opts out as usual when she is the driver.  They all take me to airport and wait with me in the 45 minute line until I'm checked-in and need to clear security.  We sadly part, promising to get together again before too long.

It's great the way the world works sometimes!

Photos / videos of "Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic":