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Cheese Break
We enjoyed a plate of cheeses as well as some fried cheese at this riverside cafe shortly after arrival in Český Krumlov. We were all quite hungry after the LONG drive from Budapest. We set alarms (not too early!) so that we would have time to pack up and get some breakfast before departure. We seem to be starting a new tradition this year, as here too the hotel safe malfunctioned and we required assistance from the hotel staff to retrieve our passports. We returned to Lukac’s (the coffeehouse right around the corner from our hotel) for coffee and pastries and then checked out. We were picked up by our shuttle bus for the five hour drive to Český Krumlov. Although it was supposed to be just our family in the van for the drive, the driver received a redirection as we reached Vienna (about the mid-point of the drive). We were a bit disappointed with the change of plans, but enjoyed re-viewing many of the sites we had visited in Vienna the previous week as we made our way through the city streets. We picked up a young Canadian couple and were quickly back on track. Not far beyond Vienna, the flat, straight autobahn ended and we were on much smaller regional highways. All were in beautiful condition, but the twists and turns were a bit uncomfortable in the (now-full) van. The scenery
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This wooden phone booth fits with the "lost in time" feel of Český Krumlov was pleasant as we passed through lush green agricultural areas dotted with occasional vineyards and fields of flowers. We wound through many sleepy towns that looked like they have been here for a thousand years. We arrived in the historic old town of Cesky Krumlov and both laughed and cringed as the driver attempted to navigate the bus through a few ridiculously tight spots along the narrow city streets – though he was a remarkably skilled driver and was mostly successful, he was repulsed at the very last turn. Our apartment for the one-night stay here is a lovely two bedroom unit with a view of the castle. The small historic town is located at a hairpin bend in the river (Krumlov means “bend in the river”), a location chosen because the sharp bend provided extra protection from invaders. The town is a beautiful collection of narrow winding streets and bridges, crowned by an old castle. We stopped for afternoon snacks of bread and cheese (including FRIED cheese) and beer and then followed a recommended walking tour in the guidebook. We easily covered the entire city at a leisurely pace, eventually crossing a bridge and arriving at the castle. The
reason to visit this town (other than its peaceful beauty) is for its long history. Built in the 13th century, Krumlov was long a center of religious controversy, was spared by the plague in the 18th century, was the site of speech by Hitler when annexing the Sudetenland and was visited by Russian tanks in 1968. The town caters to tourists by cultivating a renaissance fair feel, with a “torture museum”, a few people in costumes walking the streets, store windows with witches, executioners and knights-in-armor, and restaurants serving barbaric-looking hunks of meat. Since it was evening, guided tours were done for the day, but it was cooler and much less crowded (almost deserted) than it was likely to be midday, and still possible to explore a lot of the grounds independently. One of the peculiar attractions here is the castle moat that is inhabited by bears. This is clearly a bit of a gimmick, but apparently one that dates back 400 years. We admired the bears in their habitat and finished our tour by climbing up through the castle courtyards, stopping to take in the various view spots. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped for a
Photo 8
This monument, in the main square was erected in 1715 as thanks to God for sparing the town from the plague. In 1938, Hitler gave a speech here to celebrate annexation of the Sudetenland. bite to eat at a riverside café. The food was unremarkable, but the views were nice and we appreciated the tranquility of this place after the hustle and bustle of Budapest. We enjoyed our lovely apartment and relaxed for a while before bed, taking time to shoot some photos of the castle from our apartment window.
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