Across the southern Czech Republic – part I

If anybody were to ask me some time ago, would I ever pick up a hitchhiker, I would have said now. But this morning was different. When my boyfriend asked me, if I’d pick up a hitchhiker, who was standing at the last gas station in Slovenia, right before the Austrian border, early in the morning, just shy of 6am, with a sign held up, wet from the rain, I said – without thinking – yes. When we said we were heading for the Czech Republic his frown reviling he hadn’t slept right for days, turned into a joyous glow. And so we headed there, the two of us and our new friend Michael. The two of us wanted to explore the land and Michael wanted to replace his mute companion – the backpack – for some friendly native words and warm people.

After five hours and over 400 kilometres we crossed the border and got onto Bohemian soil. We first realized their motorways are even better than ours, although that seemed impossible. After 20 km we reached the town of Rožmberk nad Vltavo. It’s a small but nice town with only 300 people living in it. It’s also an attractive tourist spot, as the River Vltava flows through it, which is great for summer tourism. A sunny day and shallow, warm water, are attracting the young and old to rent boats and canoes, and all other things for water transportation. Most people also visit the castle with the same name, built in 13th century. It developed on the trading route between Češki Krumlov and Linz (in Austria). It’s owned by the Czech noble family Rožemberk and used to be really rich. The legend says that in the upper castle, which was built in the renaissance era, sill hosts the ghost of the white young lady – Bila pani – who was one of the suffering wife of one of the men for the Rožemberk family, haunting the castle.

25 km to the north, we visited one of the most beautiful medieval towns in the world - Český Krumlov. Our hitchhiker Michael bit farewell to us here, as he headed off to his home in Moravska. Overwhelmed to be home, he invited us for a beer in Brno and put the backpack on for the last few hours. We headed to the town centre, which is shaped like a horseshoe along the River Vltava and has not changed its image in the last 500 years. The air molecules have, in this town, an added mixture of archaic and warm. When you walk on granite tile covered paths and smell the godly aroma coming from ground floors of dense houses, you expect to see, from behind the wooden door of a shoemaker’s, to see an old medieval man with leather and chisel in hand, to invite you in to come and see his new shoes. Here you really get the feeling that time sopped 500 years ago. Large shopping centres, cinemas and bowling centres are not to be expected, as you will not find them (all of this is offered in the new, modern center, but this is not in the least attractive to tourists), and you won’t need any of this. You’re invited by small boutiques along the Vltava River, with a view of a humongous castle complex, small shops, teahouse with a terrace in the monastery garden, where the atmosphere mixed the smell of oriental scents and the smoke of shisha. An experience of its own is the visit to the castle, which takes a lot of time and endurance, as it is humongous. The second largest castle in Czech Republic is actually a one of a kind town with over 300 rooms. On the interior the dance hall steps out, with its size and decoration from the middle of 18th century and painting in the technique of optical illusion, which shows cheeky characters of Italian commedia dell'arte. Outside there are castle gardens and park. When you already think you will get up the last stairs and come to the last terrace, you – surprised - discover, there in one more staircase leading you towards new mystery. Through symmetrically arranged parks, pass the topiary cut the same to the last millimetre, fountains and water sculptures you reach the theatre in the open, which is one of the most perfect still existing theatres from the 18th century. Today, still, they present theatre plays in the open. In the evening the town dresses in a veil of mystery and night travellers are offered many romantic corners. What is more beautiful than admiring the spotlights on the castle, when pass you – from the other side of the city – with wind travel the accords of the string orchestra, which just presented its competitive melody.

 

Tires from a tiresome day and long drive we went towards the hostel, which is located only a few steps away from the main square in the centre of town. Travel Hostel has modern interior and is a nice hostel, its speciality is that it stands in the old town house from the 13th century. The rooms of various sizes offer quality sleep and the big kitchen is the center of social life in the hostel and a place where many information and interesting things are exchanged daily. You can eat the supper on the balcony with a romantic view of the castle. On the ground floor there is a night bar, which becomes alive after it gets dark outside, and day restaurant, with a nice price offer for a filled plate of Czech goodies. For the hostel guests there is an arranged parking at a fair price, but it’s good 5 minutes walk from the hostel. HI members can get a 10% discount for knighting.

After a well slept night in one of hostels in Budějovice we went to České Budějovice. About the city, we had big expectation. After 30 minutes of driving we parked in the middle of the town and walked on foot to the expected square. The square of Otokar Premisl II. Is humongous, every side of it is 133m long. The Czech king must have been showing his authority in the southern part of the kingdom, by building it, but he did not convince the two of us. It was a Saturday, and if we except the bride, the broom and the wedding guests, who were taking photographs at the famous Samson’s fountain in the middle of the square, the square was lonely. We were only kept company by the arcades of town houses, among which many are medieval, but the facades were remade in different later architectural styles. Too kitschy square did not impress us, because it had too many colours and different styles. For some time we were looking for famous brewery in vain. At the tourist information they, in broken German English in with hand gestures, explained, the brewery is not in the center, but on the outskirts. We drove in the direction where the hand was showing just a while ago. We only got lost once. For student tickets to a guided tour we paid each 60 CZK (2 EUR), which we found very cheap. After first few minutes it became clear to us, this museum in not to be compared to big beer museums. Walking by beer barrels, visiting the beer cellar, where when you are in a skirt and short sleeves at the temperature of just above freezing point, a beer doesn’t hit the spot at all, and visiting a hall, where it is – on the work days, when they fill bottler – loud as hell, is not a remarkable event. Especially if you ever visited a brewery before and you have a slight idea what it’s like.

But a completely different story started unfolding 11 kilometres away. »Mamma mia!« was astounded one Italia, and not only him, all of us who were standing in front of castle Hluboka staring at one of the most beautiful and fairy tale buildings in the world. The second most visited castle (right after Hradčani in Prague) tells its white marble story with gothic pointy windows and lego brick towers. It is not strange that this Saturday morning was filled with cameras. There are not enough fingers on both hands together, to count the young wedding couples, who chose the place for their most wonderful day, to be this castle. On the rocks built fortification is not rarely compared to English Windsor castle. Not without reason. The mansion was created in 13th century and was six centuries later rebuilt with the spirit of England, which succeeded greatly. The inside is wonderful, but you don’t need to spend for the ticket, because the outside is breath-taking already. 

In the European capital of culture for 2015 they are still preparing last details, so it will glow in full glamour next year. I hope brighter and warmer than what we saw. Even though the tourist booklets and brochures place the city among stars, it happened to me for the first time, that I felt uncomfortable and not quite safe. It is true we started travelling in remote places and Plzen was the stop before the capital. Plzeň is a big city attractive for tourists, where many massy haired beggars try to find their plae under the sun, with their obviously uncared for hands and dirty fingernails, begging for change and an old woman sitting at the bench at the gothic cathedral on the Republic Square, who is singing and talking to herself, looking every now and again at passers by shouting after them. The city if famous for industrialization and pubs. In the 19th centuries beer from Plzen took the leading place among European beers. Its roots go way back in history, in the time when the city people made and sold their own beer. It is true that the local water is well suited for brewing beer, because the beer is godly good. The brewery is also worth a visit, it still stands in the original medieval brewery underground. Above the museum is a great restaurant with home made food, beer, which flows in streams, and papers on table, where the waitress places the “krigl” and marks it with a nudge. The garlic soup with cheese that stretches when you take a spoon, is godly. Also the goulash, served inside bread. Beef lovers will also get their money’s worth with well baked legs.

 

To be continued…