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Saved: September 15th 2021
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It was a long trip from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov. First the train to Linz, then another train across the border to Ceske Budjeovice, and finally on to Cesky Krumlov.
The conductor on my train from Linz was excited to have a Canadian on his train, both sets of border guards were friendly, and it was the most beautiful train trip I've had yet. I was almost sad to cross the border from Austria into the Czech Republic. I was sad to leave Austria, because I wish I'd had more time in that beautiful country with its wonderful people. And coming back into the Czech Republic reinforced the fact that I was days away from the end of this trip.
When I got to Ceske Budjeovice, there was an hour to wait for the train to Cesky Krumlov, which was enough time to go across the road to the bus station and see if there'd be a bus sooner. I don't know who the patron saint of travellers is, but he was looking down on me that day. I had just enough time to find the bus and get on it. The sun was very low and red in
the sky, and I arrived at Cesky Krumlov at dusk. I walked down a wet path to a bridge over the river and into town to my hostel. I loved it immediately--there were no trams or buses, almost no cars--only the sound of the river. In fact I could hear the river from my bed at the hostel.
Cesky Krumlov is an easy place to ramble. The river winds around the town, and the streets curve like a labyrinth. It's easy to get turned around without realizing it, but not easy to get lost because the castle or the church are never long out of sight. I arrived at the beginning of the off-season, so the castle, museum, and even some of the shops and restaurants are closed until spring. It's been a bit of an adjustment to just slow down and relax. I watched the bear in the moat of the castle for a bit. It looked so sad and mopey just circling the pavement.
I had a chance to go to a National Geographic photo exhibit here. The first day I tried going I couldn't get in, because the girl who opens up the exhibit for
people was too busy to leave her store. So I went back the next day, and she remembered me. I went upstairs to the exhibit, and wandered through. There were actually three exhibits. The first was of photos from National Geographic exhibitions. I recognized some of the photos. Then there was an exhibit of photos by a pair of early 20th century Czech explorers who drove around Europe and Asia on a bus. The third exhibit was of a local photographer's work around town. It inspired me to go exploring a bit further, despite the cold.
I went up through the castle and up the steep hill to the Castle Gardens. It felt like I was sneaking in, because the sign said the garden was closed for the season, but the gates were open, and I wasn't the only person exploring there. In the far end, by the pond, some women were raking the leaves. Once they saw me, they stopped working and watched me walk around the pond. It was bizarre, and I felt a little silly interrupting their work. The pond was still, except for a few ducks, and the water was dark. It started raining while
I was in the gardens, and the rain shone on the fallen leaves like drops of silver.
I tried to take a scenic route back from the castle, but it ended up being a different kind of scenic than I'd hoped for. Instead of sweeping views of the river curving around the town, I walked down a winding lane beneath a stone wall.
One evening I was on the Lazebnicky Bridge taking photos of the castle and river at night, when a horn sounded from the tower above me. It was beautiful and clear on the night air, and when its melody was finished the bells of all the churches started ringing. It was a magical moment, with the horn and the bells playing and the sound of the river running below me.
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NNowack
Nathan Nowack
Nice Photos
You take some nice photos. Very nice composition. Sounds like a fun trip. I only went to Prague last year. I need to go back though. Cheers!