Leaving Boathouse for C. Krumlov

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Had a really nice stay at the Boathouse Hostel. It was a good meeting place and I received good tips from other travelers on places to see. It was the first true hostel experience I've had--the Paris student place wasn't really a hostel. I have to give credit to the ladies that run the Boathouse. They work their butts off to keep the place running. They serve a pretty good breakfast, (dinner, if you want it) sell everything from metro tickets to phone cards and keep it clean. Really nice mellow place on the river. Over the three days I was there, I had about 6 roommates and the last two I never met. They were asleep when I came in and when I left in the morn. That's hostel life.

On the last evening in Prague I managed to catch Karel at his Jazz Radio show location. He is a friend of Maya, the sister of my friend Joanie, who's been coming to the Czech Rep. for 20 years. He and several of his friends were having a little party outside and invited me to join them. One man was from Ecuador and spoke to me in Spanish. Don't know why but I guess he thought the chances were better that someone from America would speak Spanish over Czech. We managed to get by and a couple of people spoke English and it was fun. They were all very well educated and from every walk of life.

The food was good and they did their best to get me drunk on this local made plum brandy. It was tasty but I needed to get up early. The outcome of this meeting was that Karel was more than willing to hold a package to mail at a later date when I know where to send it. He is a very sweet and gracious man. His collection of music is amazing--stuff all the way back to old 78's. Boogie woogie, Louie Armstrong, Dizzie Gilespie--you name it and he has it--plus some old rare books from the communist era that were confiscated at one time and then given back to him.

After about three hours of travel south through pretty country we arrive in Cesky Krumlov. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and is near the Austrian boarder. I had booked this hostel--the only one available. When I arrived, this big bellied man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth said in broken English "Oh, I don know, I don know. Patty, you must share room with eight boys and they from Australia." Now this was going to be interesting.

A lot of hostels in Europe have mixed (both sexes) dorms and I was about to get my first taste of one. He brought me upstairs to this room full of bunks and the vacant one was the upper bed of a very flimsy bunk bed. I was resigned to making the most of it and began unpacking. In a few minutes he (later, I learned everyone called him "Santa" for his belly and white beard) came back up huffing and puffing and said, "Patty, this isn't right, this isn't right" and he brings me to another wing next door and takes me up to a different room.

This is a mixed dorm as well but the room has two parts--one side had two Aussie girls and two English guys, none of whom were there and the other side had "David" as Santa called him. He was there and no bunk beds. I said hi to "David" who said his name was really Paddy. He was from Ireland and on the final leg of a nine month RTW trip and soon heading for home. He was a really nice quiet 20 something year old.

I took a two hour walk around town. The two predominant features of the town are the river--which makes a large double s curve through a very small medieval town and a huge castle built around 1200 that looms over the town with a tower that can be seen from everywhere. The paintings on the sides are still clear. Quite impressive. After walking up and down a bunch of stairs, I go back to the hostel.

The Aussie girls show up later and are adorable and sweet. They are traveling for a few months after taking a break from substitute teaching in England, only they call it something else--like relief work or something. The English guys show up in a while and that's when the fun begins.

The guys from England are Umer and Dip and this is their first trip out on their own after studying and finishing university. They come to my room to talk to Paddy, who they already know, and fill him in on what they've been doing that afternoon. My first impressions are that they are frenetic, full of energy and talking a mile a minute. They are so excited about everything they've done, rare books they've found and more.

After we all get to know each other and exchange all the normal things like where we're from etc., they start making plans to go out to eat and include me--which was very nice. The four of us head for a veggie restaurant that Dip had read about and it turns out to be right on the river and the food is good. We make plans to raft down the river the next day because that is the main thing to do here.

After dinner the guys want to pop into a pub to see some world cup matches and I bow out and head back to the hostel. They very sweetly offer to walk me home but I know they want to party and it's a tiny safe town. Everyone gets in late and I've had the place to myself with time for a good soak in a hot bath.

The next day Santa is checking in new people and this guy named Dan from NY is there saying he had booked a single room. We all knew there was no way he was getting a private room because Santa has done some juggling to fit in me and others. I don't think the place had one.

We are all heading out for breakfast so we ask Dan if he wants to join us. The five of us eat, check out the train schedule at the tourist office and find the place that rents boats. Dan is going to come too so that makes five on this little raft. You start in town and row and drift for about three hours through this beautiful scenery and they pick you up at the end.

It was a blast. Umer and Dip are crazy fun and we laughed all the way down the river. They make a game of everything and with every one who passed--which is just about every boat on the river since our navigational skills are amusing, to say the least. The weather is perfect--one of the nicest since coming to Europe. Later, we find another great restaurant and feast on local delicacies. It's nice not to have to think about anything because the guys are so good at making plans.

The next day all of us except Paddy are leaving on a 6 AM train so we hire a taxi to get us to the station. Dan is going to Prague and the three of us are off to Vienna. It's a very nice easy train ride and we arrive about three hours later. We all part ways and I'm sad to see the boys go because they were fun, kind and in many ways mature beyond their years.

Along the way, I've had some very interesting and open conversations with them about relationships, life plans, family, religion and friendships. They are heading off to Budapest to meet up with friends they met in Prague earlier.

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