Cesky Krumlov, July 3
Dempsey and Alexandra had gotten in late from Trivial Pursuit last night, and they had, as a team with Dempsey's son Bryan, placed 5th in the winnings and had won a Milka bar. This morning, both slept in a little later, and Alexandra and I did not take the 9:33 a.m. train, but instead the 11:30 a.m., catching tram and then two subway lines to make it to the main train station--a routine which has, by now, become quite routine. Our train was supposed to stop in Ceske Budejovice, where we were supposed to catch another train to Cesky Krumlov (CK from now on), but obviously there was some rail work going on, and we had to get out at Tabor, change to a bus, which brought us to Ceske Budejovice. There we hoofed it to the next train to CK, which left in about 4 minutes. We arrived at ca. 3:00 p.m. and caught a taxi to our hotel, the Residence Muzeum Vltavinu on Panska 19. We checked in and climbed to our room on third floor--an attic room with wooden floors and beams, a second loft bedroom up the stairs, which Alexandra has marked as her own and which has its separate windows with a stunning view of the castle. It is right in the midst of everything and extremely accessible. Even has a jacuzzi tub, kitchen facilities, and some very interesting pieces of furniture of various time periods which have been thrown together in an eclectic way. Beams are exposed, and there is some brick and tile flooring as well. I am not quite sure what to make of it all, but Alexandra finds it cool and interesting, so I must have chosen well. She is particularly proud of her little aerie niche, which reminds her and me of her loft bed in the Nusfjord rorbu which Ann, Alexandra, and I rented when we were in the Lofoten Islands off Norway in 2005.
CK is a town of 14,000. It is crowned by a castle and centered in an old town square. It has been likened to a pocket-size Prague. Renaissance and Baroque buildings enclose the arc of the Vltava River. CK earned a spot on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1992, and is the second busiest tourist spot in the Czech Republic after Prague. The beginning of a medieval settlement of CK comes from a poem written in 1240. Preserved written sources tell of noble families that chose the CK castle as their residence. The four major families that occupied the castle were the Rozmberks, the Hapsburgs, the Eggenbergs, and the Schwarzenbergs. The city of CK used to have ten city gates, but now it is down to one, the Budejovice Gate. That gate leads visitors to the oldest street in CK, Latranska. After putting up our things, Alexandra and I walked all over Old Town, stopping to admire and photograph buildings, listen to street musicians, step in a few shops, and watch the canoeists and kayakers. Along the way, Alexandra bought CK gingerbread, a gift for her boyfriend's birthday, and a handmade toy for her roommate, as well as some postcards. We had dinner next to the river, enjoying trout with grilled vegetables, goulash soup, and we shared an apple strudel for dessert. Back in the room now, and the bells have rung 8:00. Soon we will have a discussion about tomorrow's events, and then I plan to take a jacuzzi bath. Haven't had one of those in forever! Mellow evening!
CK is a town of 14,000. It is crowned by a castle and centered in an old town square. It has been likened to a pocket-size Prague. Renaissance and Baroque buildings enclose the arc of the Vltava River. CK earned a spot on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1992, and is the second busiest tourist spot in the Czech Republic after Prague. The beginning of a medieval settlement of CK comes from a poem written in 1240. Preserved written sources tell of noble families that chose the CK castle as their residence. The four major families that occupied the castle were the Rozmberks, the Hapsburgs, the Eggenbergs, and the Schwarzenbergs. The city of CK used to have ten city gates, but now it is down to one, the Budejovice Gate. That gate leads visitors to the oldest street in CK, Latranska. After putting up our things, Alexandra and I walked all over Old Town, stopping to admire and photograph buildings, listen to street musicians, step in a few shops, and watch the canoeists and kayakers. Along the way, Alexandra bought CK gingerbread, a gift for her boyfriend's birthday, and a handmade toy for her roommate, as well as some postcards. We had dinner next to the river, enjoying trout with grilled vegetables, goulash soup, and we shared an apple strudel for dessert. Back in the room now, and the bells have rung 8:00. Soon we will have a discussion about tomorrow's events, and then I plan to take a jacuzzi bath. Haven't had one of those in forever! Mellow evening!
Comments
Post a Comment