After the busyness of Prague, we decided to take a hint from America's travel sweetheart, Rick Steves, and booked a bus ride to Cesky Krumlov. This town gets rave reviews in almost every guidebook, including Steves', for being a beautifully preserved example of medieval Bohemia... smaller and purer than Prague. There is a river that bends around the picturesque old town, and renting a boat to float down it is, apparently, a popular activity in Cesky Krumlov. Above the river, one of Europe's largest castles looms over the town. This all really does give this place a picturesque postcard feel, earning it Steves' stamp of approval.
But what, exactly, did Mr. Steves do while he was in Cesky Krumlov?
The town is SMALL and other than a few photo-ops and a hike up to the castle, there isn't really much to do there. The old town, although legally preserved through UNESCO, is saturated with tourists during the day and is empty at night. The restaurants aren't bad, but the prices were still obviously adjusted for tourists. We met some drunk Californians who insisted that we come with them to float down the river for the day. I had had images of this river excursion in my head before we came... it would look a lot like rowing a boat down the River Avon in Oxford; pleasant scenery, picnicking families on the riverbanks, beautiful trees and warm sun. But when the selling point for our American friends, (who were already drunk by 8:00 that morning), was that the rental company would provide them with an extra raft to float all of their beer in... I knew this wasn't what I had imagined. In fact, the river itself was a bit disappointing. The castle casts a deep shadow over much of the river making it a decidedly less sunny experience, the riverbanks were surprisingly dirty and unmaintained, and there were more concrete walls than trees guiding the path.
I think that I would have been pretty disappointed in Cesky Krumlov had it not been for a stroke of luck that even the perpetually good-fortuned Rick Steves would have been jealous of. While Oktoberfest was happening in Munich a few hundred miles away, the small town of Cesky Krumlov puts on its own festival for one weekend each year... and it just happened to be this one. The occurrence of this Czech Folklore Festival meant that the otherwise dull market square would be busy with food, crafts, music, and beer for the entire weekend. It was SO great. Each evening we were in town, we would buy a sausage and some mulled wine and sit in the cold for a free concert from some, apparently, well-known folk musicians. We listened to a Czech band that played Bretagne music, and the next night experienced the exuberance of gypsy folk music and dance. During the daytime, we watched traditional Czech dancing and singing while snacking on pastries, crepes, and... more beer! When in Bohemia...!
But what, exactly, did Mr. Steves do while he was in Cesky Krumlov?
The town is SMALL and other than a few photo-ops and a hike up to the castle, there isn't really much to do there. The old town, although legally preserved through UNESCO, is saturated with tourists during the day and is empty at night. The restaurants aren't bad, but the prices were still obviously adjusted for tourists. We met some drunk Californians who insisted that we come with them to float down the river for the day. I had had images of this river excursion in my head before we came... it would look a lot like rowing a boat down the River Avon in Oxford; pleasant scenery, picnicking families on the riverbanks, beautiful trees and warm sun. But when the selling point for our American friends, (who were already drunk by 8:00 that morning), was that the rental company would provide them with an extra raft to float all of their beer in... I knew this wasn't what I had imagined. In fact, the river itself was a bit disappointing. The castle casts a deep shadow over much of the river making it a decidedly less sunny experience, the riverbanks were surprisingly dirty and unmaintained, and there were more concrete walls than trees guiding the path.
I think that I would have been pretty disappointed in Cesky Krumlov had it not been for a stroke of luck that even the perpetually good-fortuned Rick Steves would have been jealous of. While Oktoberfest was happening in Munich a few hundred miles away, the small town of Cesky Krumlov puts on its own festival for one weekend each year... and it just happened to be this one. The occurrence of this Czech Folklore Festival meant that the otherwise dull market square would be busy with food, crafts, music, and beer for the entire weekend. It was SO great. Each evening we were in town, we would buy a sausage and some mulled wine and sit in the cold for a free concert from some, apparently, well-known folk musicians. We listened to a Czech band that played Bretagne music, and the next night experienced the exuberance of gypsy folk music and dance. During the daytime, we watched traditional Czech dancing and singing while snacking on pastries, crepes, and... more beer! When in Bohemia...!
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