Cesky Krumlov

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We took an airport shuttle from Linz, Austria to Cesky Krumlov across the border in the Czech Republic. Our shuttle driver may have been a nice man, but he drove like a maniac. He went about 70 mph down small windy back country roads barely wide enough for two cars, and then slammed on the brakes and veered to the right every time another car appeared. To his credit, he did sometimes slow down a little on the turns.

We arrived in Cesky Krumlov safe and sound and we caught the tail-end of an annual renaissance style festival with marching bands and costumes, food and street performers, and a music stage in the main square. After making our way around a guy on stilts and a bunch of tourists, we found our hotel, Castle View Apartments. We had basically a studio apartment with a small kitchen and plenty of space, but we had booked the cheapest room so our view was to the restaurant about five feet away across a narrow alley. When we opened or closed the windows of the apartment, we usually had to say hello to the people having dinner. Other than that, it was just fine.

One of the best things to do in Cesky Krumlov is to canoe down the river that runs through town. We took a trip on our first full day. Our canoe came with life vests, paddles, a water proof container... and a pint of rum. I guess they figure the river isnt very dangerous. We left Cesky Krumlov towards another small town about 4 hours downstream. We made our way through the first small rapids and Lindsay got splashed pretty good (she was in the front), but it was warm out and after emptying the canoe we were on our way again. For lunch, we ate at a little riverside campsite/bar along the way and had sausages and beer with a few fellow canoers. It was nice to be outside and on the water after spending so much time on our trip in cities.

The rest of our time in Cesky, we visited the castle at the top of the hill, a few churches, and spent a lot of time just strolling around town, window shopping, and sitting around in cafes. We took one walk to the castle gardens and came across something I think was a dance rehearsal, but the music and odd dancing also hand hints of cult meeting, so Lindsay and I kept our distance (after taking a picture). Our other favorite part was you can get a pint of great beer for $1. We liked Eggenberg, a sweet, reddish beer that was brewed right down the street.

On our last night we went to a restaurant to have some good Czech food (basically pork, cabbage, and bread dumplings) and ended up sharing our table with another American couple. We had a few beers with them and really hit it off, and when we realized that we were all going to be in Prague a couple days later, we made plans to meet up again. They were great company and it was extra fun because he had lived in the Czech Republic for a couple of years so we got lots of good insider information.

- Jason

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