An Unforgettable Trip To Cesky Krumlov
While the main tourist destination to the Czech Republic is Prague, there a beautiful and picturesque medieval town that should not be missed. Cesky Krumlov in on UNESCO’s register of monuments and places that are considered important and that need to be preserved. It is a small town in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The main attraction is an old castle from the 13th century.
I took a day-trip from Prague with my sister this past June to Cesky Krumlov. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful towns I have ever seen. While there isn’t much to do or see in the town besides the castle, it is worth a trip just for the share beauty of the town itself. The Vlatava river meanders through it. Every building is old, and at a hill-top overlooking the city and the river sits the Krumlov Castle. We took a tour through the castle along with 30 other people. We were not allowed to wander through the castle on our own so we were forced to follow a young and inexperienced guide in order to see the inside of it. Although, the guided tour was hardly worth the money, it was very interesting to see the castle itself. Expect to see a stuffed brown bear on the floor of nearly every room. I swear one of the bears had a very frightened look on its’ face. The town itself doesn’t have any restaurants or stores of any interest unless you are looking for souvenirs and there is no shortage of souvenir shops.
We took a regular bus to Cesky Krumlov, but there are plenty of tour companies that are arranging trips there. I’m not sure if I should recommend a tour or taking the trip on your own. If we hadn’t taken the regular bus, we would have missed the experience of our bus not starting at one of the bus stops on our way back to Prague. Having waited in the bus at the bus-station for more than 30 minutes and wondering whether or not we would make it back to Prague that night (we were flying to Norway the following day) while the bus-driver was turning the key in the ignition over and over and over again, finally four Czech bus-drivers walked towards the bus in a very slow fashion. My sister commented that “Oh, now one is going to turn the wrench while the rest of them are watching.” In actually, they started pushing the bus in order to get the engine to start again. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bus being jump-started in that fashion. It is a sight I will not easily forget. The bus-driver never made a phone-call to the bus-company to have a replacement bus take us the last hour of driving back to Prague. That experience certainly did not change our already meager confidence in the Czech customer service. More about the Czech customer service (or lack thereof) later.
Did you notice if Czech brides are in abundance? Not the hefty haus fraus that litter the marketplace, but the sexy stunners you see online who want to marry chubby Americans and fleece them for every cent they have? I am looking for such a darling - preferably a non-smoker who isn’t handy with a knife.
Herr Pep
That is quite a funny story to imagine half of the bus full of people push starting a bus. It really shows that there really still are at least some differences between eastern Europe and the U.S.
I do with I had been on this trip with you also. I am sure the stuffed bears would have made for excellent photo opportunities!
It was also amazing when you were there, we are able to text back and forth during that day trip. I was able to look at Google maps, and see the lay of the town, and even give you recommendations of ideas on where to get good food. It was the closest I have ever felt to being on a trip with someone when I wasn’t there!
I am so pleased about the Internet and texting and how it really does keep us so much more connected.
Mr. Pepperpots, you should take a trip to Praque in search of a Czech bride. I’ll go with you. You’ll be safe with me. If Ian went too, you could be chasing brides while Ian could be searching for stuffed bears. There seemed to be an abundance of those, the stuffed bears I mean.
Ursula