Český Krumlov. Covered recently by the Wall Street Journal and a few years back by The New York Times, this hidden gem in the southern bohemia region of the Czech Republic is becoming THE spot to visit while in this part of Europe. And since it is just under 200 km from Prague, we knew it was just a matter of time before we took a quick trip. Last weekend, we packed our bag and headed out on the winding roads south. It only takes about 3 hours to arrive but the moment you pull in to town, you feel as if you have traveled back in time and entered another world. It's almost like a storybook village that Hans Christian himself penned, has sprung into being right before your eyes. It leaves you a bit disoriented and dazed and feeling like it's all just a bit surreal. Even the fact that the historic old town is contained by a hairpin turn in the Vltava river, is a bit too fairy tale to believe. And those roofs, that castle, the church...It just has to be seen to be believed.
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| A map of the town and that hairpin turn.
We settled in to our hotel, bundled up against the spitting rain, and headed off on foot to see what we could of the castle and gardens. About 100 yards in, we encountered the Červena Brana (red gate), welcoming us to look around...all 5 of its courtyards and 11 hectares of gardens. It is second only in size to the Prague Castle, by all of a few meters, and some suspect it is actually larger but cannot upstage Prague. Either way, it is large, and impressive and we didn't have a lot of daylight left...
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A local artist was showing his works - one of which completely fascinated the girls and we had to stop and take a picture. It is a giant thumb as a door knob.
We made it up to the castle complex and went to see the bears. Yep, they have bred live bears in the moat surrounding the tower since the 1600's. Sadly, they were already in their caves and all we got to see were their empty play areas filled with toys.
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| The moats are just under the bottom border of this photo.
Bears in hibernation, and the cold making us want to do the same, we headed inside to the museum and took a quick look around. Depicting the history of the town, it's rulers/owners and what life was like from the 12th century (when the town and castle were built up) until today, it was an educational tour. But after about 1/2 hour the littlest of us were getting bored, so we moved on.
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We didn't go far. Just around the corner are the stairs that take you to the top of the painted tower seen in first picture (the one with the bear moats). We climbed the 162 stairs, pausing to look out the porthole windows...
And were greeted with a 360 degree view of the city from on high. And I happily snapped picture, after picture, after picture (don't worry, I won't post them all). It was amazing and colorful and breathtakingly beautiful. Even on that cold, windy and rainy day. I can't imagine how gorgeous it is on a sunny summer afternoon.
We climbed down and passed through one of the 5 courtyards. This is when I noticed that the castle was not merely painted to look like brick - it was etched that way - and then the frescoes were painted on.
We continued on and I couldn't help but continue to snap photo's. This place is a dream for photographers...
We finally made it to the gardens. First up - the revolving theater. Built in the early 1950's to stage a single play, it now holds upwards of 600 spectators each night in the summer season. Back when it was originally built, the theater was turned by hand - literally 80 of them below the decks. Now, it is motorized but still something unique and original to the area. And using the Bellaire summerhouse as a backdrop it is unparalleled in its beauty.
The girls then found the garden mazes, and a game of Pinta (tag) ensued...along with a few races...
The gathering and tossing of helicopter seeds...
The conquering of the large tree trunks...
And me snapping a few more shots from different angles.
It was getting dark, and time to warm up again, so we headed back towards the hotel. But not without taking in the view one more time...
We stopped for a local beer, a snack and some goofing around and then headed off to our 5 course dinner at the hotel's restaurant. Simply one of the best meals we have had in all of the Czech Republic. And I sent MadHatter and B off for the massages they had as part of the deal. (I don't do massages. So I have one of the luckiest 7 year olds around).
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| The Budejovicka Brana (Busweiser Gate) is the only remaining gate to the city. |
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| An old apothecary - the 10 murals at the top are supposed to be the aging of a man each 10 years. This store was basically telling you that their elixirs could keep you alive until 100 years old. |
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| The oldest private house in town (now a museum). Dates back to the 13th century. |
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| Frescoes uncovered on the ceiling of a shop in town dating to the 13th century. These had been painted over many times as the shop changed hands. They are being restored and they are uncovering more and more of them each year. |
We headed across the bridge and into the town center. And we passed the line that marked where the water levels reached in the 2012 flooding of the Vltava...
Stinkerbell tickled some toes, and stood on some huge furniture that serve as seating on the riverfront...
and we ended our tour at the town square and the Church of St. Vitus...
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| Town Hall |
The alter and large organ of St. Vitus. Pictures are not allowed most of the time, but my tour guide said it was ok, so I snapped these two and only these two. The organ is the most impressive as it is the 2nd largest organ in Europe - over 3000 pipes total!
We bit adieu to our tour guide and meandered back through the streets, popping in little shops to buy our souvenirs. We hit the hotel and decided to call it a day and head back home. All in all, an incredible 24 hours in what felt like a fairy tale. If you are ever near by, this is definitely a place to stop and lose yourself in for a day.
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