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Published: October 14th 2007
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Nice
View of Cesky Krumlov from the castle After my mad not-so-early morning dash to Heathrow airport and barging onto the plane minutes before they closed the doors, I was happy just to make it to Prague. After meeting up with Matt and dumping my pack at the delightfully named Czech Inn, we set off on foot to take in a few of the sights in this beautiful city. As those who have been to Prague will understand, the word beautiful is not used lightly in this context. Since it emerged from both World Wars almost completely unscathed, it has gained wide renown as one of the prettiest cities in Europe. Adding to its list of virtues, it was also impossible not to notice that while most things have bounced back strongly since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of Communism, the prices have not. While I am told that the prices have been gradually creeping up in recent years, they were certainly a welcome change to the prices I had been experiencing in the previous two months in Canada, the US and the UK.
That night, after indulging in a hearty 3 course meal, we found a nightspot where Saturday night is 80's night
The heart of it all
The main square in Prague which suited both of us down to the ground. I had heard stories of a legendary nightclub in the city with five levels, and I think that may have been where we were - it was so large that when the time came to leave it took us about 10 minutes to figure out how to get out of the place.
The walking tour we did the following day was absolutely fantastic all the way through, but all the magnificent Prague architecture and interesting history could not possibly have compared with the climactic conclusion at Prague Castle. Throughout the tour, as we checked out the wonders of the Old Town, the Jewish Quarter, the Charles Bridge etc, the (very attractive) tour guide was carefully building the intrigue and suspense for the visit to the Castle. As we made our way up the hill towards the Castle and admired the breathtaking panoramic view of Prague off to the right, I thought I couldn't possibly witness anything more majestic. However, as we stood at the front gates to the Castle and took in the history lesson from the guide, I noticed a commotion building across the square.
Focusing in on
the scene and instantly identifying the figure at the centre of it all, I almost wet myself with excitement at the same moment as Matt heard me loudly say "is that the Hoff? It is! It's the Hoff!" When the rest of the group turned and saw the great man standing there in all his glory before them, they all charged over and stuck their cameras in his face, thwarting my attempt to get a picture with the man I idolised in his guise as Michael Knight, envied as Mitch Buchanan, and chuckled at as David Hasselhoff the German rock star. Luckily, the Castle was the last sight on our walking tour, as I was unable to concentrate properly on anything else after my brush with fame. It was quite possibly the highlight of my trip, if not my life.
Still trembling with excitement, we went out to meet George the following day at the airport, as she returned from Washington DC to meet us. After excitedly reporting our encounter with the Hoff (what he was wearing, what he said, how weathered he looked etc) we headed back via the bus station to buy tickets to Cesky Krumlov. That
Livin' on the edge
Hanging around in the streets of Prague we couldn't get on the bus that evening came as no disappointment to me, as I had noticed that the Czech Inn were running their weekly trivia competition that night. Without going into too much detail, the three of us as a team maintained my perfect win-loss record since departure but only after a heated discussion with the quizmaster over which year Hillary climbed Everest. If there's anything that makes me angry it is people who run trivia nights and give wrong answers.
Upon arrival in Cesky Krumlov the following day, I instantly fell in love with the town. Granted I've never been to Tuscany or visited any medieval French towns, but this place would take some beating if the yardstick is charm. I needn't waste space with wordy descriptions cos I think the photos tell the story pretty accurately. I can't quite figure out how this place has remained relatively undiscovered. Of course, any Australian reading this will dispute the 'undiscovered' claim but I stand by it, at least in relative European terms. Yes, word has reached Australia but it doesn't seem to have reached the rest of the world yet as 80%+ of the foreigners we came
A man's home is his castle
Matt on Charles Bridge with Prague Castle behind across in the town were Aussies.
It didn't really matter that we only had bursts of sunshine while we were there, as with a chilly winds and grey skies Cesky Krumlov assumes a whole new sort of cosy charm. The visit to the Eggenberg Brewery restaurant one afternoon was a highlight. The traditional Czech food was mouthwatering and the beer magnificent (Czech pilsners are reputed to be the best in the world - far be it for me to disagree). Even better still, a hearty entree and massive main plus a couple of pints to wash it down cost all of about AUS$8. It was all so good that we had no choice but to go back and do it all again the following day. Later that afternoon after a pleasant stroll around the river, we headed to a tea house with a menu of about 60 kinds to tea to choose from, to be enjoyed with a sheesha. A sheesha (or hookah) is one of those Middle Eastern looking water pipes through which scented tobacco is smoked. The apple and licorice flavours we tried complemented the chai tea we drank beautifully.
Terrific as it was to spend
some time on the road with George and Matt, the time arrived when our itineraries sent us in different directions. It wasn't without a natural tinge of sadness that I waved goodbye to the two of them as they got on the shuttle to head south to Vienna. All of a sudden I was back on the road on my own again for the first time in months. It was however excitement rather than melancholy thoughts consuming me as I headed up to the bus station to head north into Germany, with Dresden the first scheduled stop. As it turned out, my solitude only lasted a few days anyway...
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