Czeching Out Cesky Krumlov and Dinner with the Board

Today was such a whirlwind, I don't know where to start! This morning dawned WAY too early for my jet-lagged body, but I got up and out by 8:45 to head to Cesky Krumlov. A small city in the South Bohemian (yes, I said SOUTH) Region of the Czech Republic, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, best known for its fine architecture and art of the historic old town, as well as Cesky Krumlov Castle. Sounds delightful right? Well, it was, except for one tiny little detail that the events planners forgot to mention - after we were underway for about a half hour, the tour guide mentioned that it would take two and a half to three hours to get there. Seriously. Nothing like a three hour bus ride on a little cramped bus to start your day off right. On the plus side, we did get to see quite a lot of the Czech countryside, which was beautiful. We were intrigued by these endless brilliant yellow fields of flowers, which we learned are used to make ethanol. The ride was rather peaceful for the most part, and I was even able to read the book I'd remembered to bring with me (luckily!).

We arrived around noon, and left the bus to walk up a steep hill to the gardens. Since Cesky Krumlov is a World Heritage Site, there is not much vehicle traffic permitted, which meant it was lovely and quiet. We toured around the gardens a little bit, enjoying the bright sunshine and cool breeze. Our tour guide told us about a little theatre on the grounds, where the audience would sit in their seats, and the whole audience would actually rotate in a circle, with the performers on the grass around them. There is a story that one time, a man from the audience had to relieve himself during the performance, and crouched down in the grass behind the theatre to do so. He didn't realize that the audience would move, and suddenly, the spotlight was on him! Very funny. It was quite interesting to see the theatre and we learned that the Czech government plans to move it somewhere else in a few years, so we were lucky to see it in it's original location! Next, we walked down cobbled streets and into the town. As we walked, we were treated to some beautiful vistas overlooking the town and the river, which sparkled in the afternoon sun. We walked through the courtyards of the castle, with promises from our tour guide to return later for the inside tour, and headed down towards the town. We paused for a moment on a bridge overlooking the water running next to the castle, and saw that there were three bears sleeping there! Legend has it that there was a special relationship between one of the families that lived in the castle, and an Italian family, who name means "bears." So ever since the 16th century (I think), there have had bears living by the castle. Recently, despite the signs by the bridge, a man got drunk and decided to jump in with the bears. Apparently, he was badly injured - so if you're headed to Cesky Krumlov, no jumping in with the bears!

We continued on to a little peaceful spot by the river, and it struck me again how beautiful and peaceful it was here. There were almost no sounds other than those of nature - the birds singing, the water rushing, the wind blowing - despite this being a huge tourist draw. It was really amazing and relaxing (although, we did have that LONG bus trip home hanging over our heads!). On the way back from the riverbank, our tour guide pointed out the marks along the wall to show where the water during a recent flood had risen to - it was probably five feet! She said that there had been a lot of damage, and that the floods had occurred in Prague as well, almost submerging the Charles Bridge! Pretty incredible, and devastating. We continued to wander through the cobblestone streets, until our tour guide brought us to a little shop to see a relic of ancient paving which had been done with animal bones. We were a lot more fascinated by it when we thought they had used human bones, but the animal bones were still an interesting choice of materials! Finally, we had one more stop by a monastery before lunch. We were again treated to a wonderful view of the Cesky Krumlov Castle - another great photo op - before a horde of Japanese tourists and their cameras descended and we were forced to make haste to the restaurant. We were fortunate to sit outside in the shade and enjoy the weather and each other's company while dining on a lunch of salad, fish (I didn't have any, calm down), and apple strudel (my second in as many days). Luckily, I was able to walk all of that off today! At lunch, I learned another concerning fact - we were to take the English-speaking castle tour at three, which would last for an hour. Our guide thought we would leave by four thirty, but I had spoken to the events planners previously to let them know we needed to be back by six thirty to make it to the Board of Directors dinner - yikes! But I decided to go with the flow and figured we could get taxis if needed.

Leaving lunch, we first went to the Church of St. Vitus, which is a Gothic church dating back to the 15th century. It was really beautiful inside, with frescoes from the same period and a cool, pious air about it. We then stopped in the main square in Cesky Krumlov, where many market stalls are often set up (though not today). There, we saw the Black Plague Tower, which was erected during the time of the Black Plague (hence the name), because the citizens were too concerned about catching it to attend Church indoors. Instead, they came to this Tower to worship. Our guide also briefly secreted us away to a tiny medieval restaurant, to give us an idea of what a true medieval pub looked like. Finally though, it was on to the castle!

Our tour guide had filled us in on the history of the town, including the families of the Rozmberks and the Eggenbergs - of course, none of which I retained at all. I do know that the symbol of the Rozmberk family is the five-petalled rose, which you see both in paintings and sculpture around the town. There was also a story about a patriarch of the original family, who was to give each of his five sons a different color rose. Each of the roses had a certain symbolism, and the son who received the red rose would inherit the father's position and wealth - that son would eventually become known as the first Rozmberk. Rather unfortunately, we could not take any pictures inside the castle, but we enjoyed the tour nonetheless. We were all tired and hot by the end of the day, so we were rather amused by the castle guide. She began the tour, and it was almost as if she had memorized an entire script verbatim, and was reciting it back to us. She sounded just like a robot! Nobody dared to ask any questions, because it seemed as though she was only capable of handling the lines she had memorized and no more. On the plus side, we were through the tour and finished by four, which allowed us to head back to the bus and start the long journey home. More than one person asked "Are we there yet?" and it did feel a little longer than the ride down. I got a little nervous too when we ran into a heavy rainstorm, but it turned out to be no more than a summer shower! We miraculously made it back to the hotel by 6:45, leaving us plenty of time to make it to the Board of Director's dinner. Whew!

The dinner was held at Terasa U Zlate Studne, which is a restaurant just below the gardens which are just below Prague Castle. It boasts a magnificent view of the city (minus the castle of course), and was the perfect setting to a leisurely meal. The sky looked ominous as we entered the room, which gave the evening a mysterious air. Unfortunately, I was facing away from the windows, but I would periodically turn around to admire the view as the sun set and the lights winked on in the darkness. It was delightful. Our meal was particularly delicious as well. We started with a salad lightly tossed with lemon dressing, followed by a mushroom ravioli (which I did eat, thank you very much). Our main course was veal filet baked in parma ham, and pretty much everyone avoided the caramelized sweetbread, which is made from the thymus gland or pancreas of a young animal. No thank you. We finished with a frozen vanilla parfait, which I avoided as it had a bit of a funny taste to it, but I heard that others enjoyed it immensely. After dinner, we headed up a tiny staircase to the open veranda upstairs, overlooking Prague at night, which was quite beautiful. All good things must come to an end though, so after a short while, we took taxis back to the hotel for a nightcap in the bar. My jet lag and blog writing called me to bed first, and I am already dreading getting up to do this all over again tomorrow! First, the Board of Directors Meeting, then on to a tour of the Jewish Ghetto, and then finally, the conference *actually* starts with the Welcome Reception and Dinner. Will I survive?

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