Cesky Krumlov - a Horni kind of place

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Geo: 49.3941, 14.3061

Could've caught an early train to Cesky Krumlov but I wanted to chat with Naoual a little bit more (pathetic, I know!). Ended up getting to Cesky very late (11:00 bus did not exist as it turns out ... I suspect the ticket guy was just being an ass though). Got to Cesky Budejovice 16:30 ... thought I was going to miss the connection to Cesky Krumlov (more than 20 minutes late). Luckily, the train was still sitting there. Met Jay from California - we were both dazed and confused at the train station. We scrambled to make the connection.

We met a guy named Kabeer on the train .. what a story this guy has got! Apparently he has been traveling a lot for the past 10 years. Not because he likes it but because he has to. After living in one place for 3 or 4 months he gets extremely depressed (almost suicidal) and he uproots and travels. Wellington, New Zealand has been his "home" for awhile (he has a flexible contract job there).

He doesn't enjoy traveling but it's the only thing that makes him stop feeling unhappy (but not happy!). I'm glad that my travel bug is not that extreme. That would be hell for me - traveling and not enjoying it. He hopes to find a "home" this time. Quite a story!

Cesky Krumlov is quite nice - a good place to walk (quiet, picturesque). It's a good place for the outdoorsy and to re-charge. I would've like to have floated down the river but it wasn't very warm out. Walked up to the castle but the inside of it was closed. Strange - it had these painted facades - not sure if this was the original intent or some later attempt to dress it up.

Took some beautiful photos there - gorgeous views, like something out of a fairytale. Back to the hostel. Some creepy German dude was bothering me as I wrote in my journal. Safety pin through the ear ... chain around the neck ... completely drunk ... he looked like the lead singer from Prodigy but way more twisted. "You write English!!!" he proclaimed in shock, though my speaking to him in English must not have been enough to tip him off. Freak!

Was supposed to meet Kabeer and Jay at the main square at 20:00 - no shows! Off to dinner by myself. Traditional Czech food. Had some Moravian Mead (chose the hot version) - spiced, aromatic wine. Cleans out your sinuses! Different, but good, I think. Chicken with tarragon and potatoes - chicken was juicy and simple, potatoes lacked flavour. The salad was pickled cabbage, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. A hearty and cheap meal.

Back to the hostel ... very social bar but I was too tired to partake. The hostel is old, but charming. Except for the freaky German dude. He's just old.

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Photos

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This street must be where the red-light district in Cesky Krumlov is.

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a

b
The firmest butts you will ever see!

c
Cool way of displaying the menu.

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Views from the castle.

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e

f
f

g
The gardens behind the castle - definitely nowhere near the same scale as Versailles, but there were some similarities.

h
The revolving theatre.

i
After all these weeks of abusing my feet, I strongly considered cutting mine off and substituting them with these ones.

j
The crazy German dude was even creepier than this guy!

x
If I kept traveling in France and eating the fine French food I would end up looking like this guy!