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dragon door
door of Krumlov House HostelToday I left Prague and headed about 3 hours south into the Southern Bohemian Region to a place I would discover is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. No wonder it was Unesco World Heritage listed in 1992. The place is beautiful in a real picture postcard way.
The guy at the Prague hostel advised me it would not be necessary to book the Student Agency intercity coach as it was mid-week and there are not many tourists around. Well apparently he had not heard that the whole population of Japan was visiting the Czech Republic and they had chosen today to transfer from Prague to Cesky Krumlov - just like me. However, unlike me, their accommodation (probably quite a step up from my humble hostel) had advised them to pre-purchase tickets. So there they all stood, a sea of Asians waiting in the shade provided by their giant suitcases all with pre-purchased tickets in hand. There was not a hope in hell I was going to get on that coach. Next one was 3 hours away which was not so bad except you could not purchase tickets at this bus station. I had to go
first glimpse of the castle
Cesky Krumlov Castle second largest chateau in the country to another bus station where Student Agency had an office to make sure of a seat on the next bus. This would not have been a problem as I had enough time and it was only about 5 metro stops away, but the thought of having to drag my suitcase there and back did not please me. Lucky for me there was a young Czech girl who also had not anticipated a Japanese invasion and missed out on a seat on this coach advised me the 'local' bus going the same route was leaving in 15 minutes. It had no pre-paid tickets just had to line up. I was up for this, how bad could the 'local' bus be?? Turned out it was not bad at all, the only difference was that it made a few more stops along the way therefore the journey was a little longer. But I was not in any hurry and it was a couple of bucks cheaper. However the young girl was not resigned as me and informed me she preferred the other bus as they served coffee on it and you can watch a movie. Me, I always prefer to watch the movie
going on out the window, but I suppose in your home country this is not as appealing.
The only other hitch with taking the local bus was that it actually did not go to Cesky Krumlov my chosen destination, but stopped at a town called Ceske Budejovice. Which was not a problem as another short bus ride of about 30 mins took to me to where I wanted to go. However of course it was a problem as I had no idea I had to do this transfer and the bus driver got quite irate to the point where he left his seat and dragged out my suitcase from the storage under the bus and gave me a foul look and ranted at me in Czech. Obviously he was telling me what an idiot I was and didn't I know I had to get out here as it was the end of the line. Ok if the fact that I didn't know or understand makes me an idiot then yes he was correct. I am not taking any offense to transport drivers here who don't speak English after all it's their country and if I'm going to travel around
and not know the language I should at least know where I am supposed to be going!!
Finally arriving in Cesky Krumlov bus station I consulted my hostel map. I had made a booking for the next 3 nights and after seeing the Asian crowd glad I did, although I'm not sure where they ended up cause I never even saw them around town in the next few days. Krumlov House was not too far from the bus station, that is why I chose it. Turned out the town was pretty small and it would not have mattered where I booked as they were all close. The map said just look for the door with the dragon on it which I found no worries, checked in a went out to explore.
Thankful again for the long summer days, I walked around town in awe!! This is a real picture postcard place, wow, I was blown away by it's beauty. I have been to many many towns and citys but this place is just gorgeous!! Really it was! Everywhere you look is a postcard. Please if you come to Czech, come here it's lovely.
The lady at the
hostel when I checked in suggested I try the local specialty of fried cheese and recommended a bar/cafe/restaurant to get it from. At first fried cheese sounds disgusting, but let me assure you this was mouthwatering delicious! A slab of cheese that is wrapped in breadcrumbs and presumably cooked in very hot oil as there was no oily residue on my plate. When I cut into the crispy, crunchy golden crumb I was rewarded with a runny interior that tasted to die for. Yes probably not low on the calories count but when you are eating something like this calories are the last thing on your mind. Washed down with a local beer, this meal just doubled my already love of this beautiful place.
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