Cesky Krumlov

Cesky Krumlov


Dobry den from the Czech Republic!

This morning we left Vienna by minibus to go to Cesky Krumlov, a journey of about 3 hours. It was a pleasant drive again going through a lot of farmland and beautiful little Austrian and Czech villages full of brightly colored houses with lots of equally bright flower boxes.

Our latest mode of transport with our backpacks in the trailer

Cesky Krumlov is one of the best preserved small medieval cities in Europe. It was lucky enough to escape a lot of the bombings of World War Two and since it was in a poor part of the country there was little money for new buildings. In the early 90s this changed with the UNESCO heritage designation and since then there has been a lot of restoration work.

One view of the town

A view of one of the many churches in town

It is an amazing place, narrow streets, cobblestoned paths, houses of all shapes and colors and a well preserved castle on the hill overlooking the town. And it is built around a winding river that flows through the town on which there are a lot of outside bars and cafes. Unfortunately we could not sit outside today or tonight because it is cold here only 5 degrees this morning and 12 by midday. The locals say it is unseasonably cool for this time of year.

One of the many bridges spanning the river

When we settled in and got something to eat, another great soup and bread to warm us up we took a 3 hour 15 km bike ride through the National forest in the hills above the town. It was hard starting off but the group managed to stay together with our guide and had a great afternoon. A great way to spend my birthday.

A rest stop where we could see the Austrian Alps

Some of the group ahead,notice Don in red always at the front

So many beautiful views

After that went to a local restaurant serving old fashioned food and had platters full of chicken, rabbit, pheasant served with millet, potatoes, smoked meat and vegetables. This was washed down with Czech pivo and I had Grog which is like a hot toddy with spices and honey. Then I was surprised with a birthday cake,( didn't get pics )  and a Happy Birthday song. Don had asked our guide to arrange it and it was very nice of both him and Don to do this. I will remember my 55th birthday for sure. We finished the meal with a shot of the local liquor which was plum based with cinnamon.

A Bohemian feast

Then back to bed as this was a full day indeed.