Well, we were up early today, and went to breakfast at our little local Mann bakery. After just two days here, today when we walked in the counter clerk treated us like regulars, getting our two fresh hot nut rolls and cappuccinos started before we even ordered. She just smiled and nodded us over towards the table we use.
Two times and she already knows us. We are sorry to leave. After breakfast we finished packing, and I dawdled a couple minutes in the room, knowing we had 45 minutes to get to the train station. Well, I should have just gone right when we were ready, because we ended up missing the train by 30 seconds. It was literally moving down the track as we walked onto the platform. Ugh. There is another train in three hours, so right now we are at a café with WiFi drinking coffee and catching up on email.
Stuck in Vienna. Could be worse.
We spend a pleasant hour and a half at a café, stop at a grocery for snacks for the train, walk over to a park, and right on time, not a minute late or early, we head out to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. This ÖBB (Austrian) train is new, quiet, smooth, fast and comfortable; with few passengers we have a set of four seats (two and two facing each other) to ourselves. Rolling hills, little towns with meticulous farms and tidy woodlot forests sweep by.
Lunch on the train: nuts, pretzel, Manner Wafers, wine. Meanwhile out the window: forest farm forest farm village church steeple repeat.
Just one minute before our first connection at České Velenice, we cross the border. Now the trains all say CZ-ČD, are a little older, we are back to six person compartments (though we have one all to ourselves) and, perhaps most notable, we leave the station ten minutes late.
Our 14 minutes to make the next connection in České Budëjovice has just been shortened to four.
This second leg of the journey we went through well manicured forests (trees pruned up, well spaced, no branches on the ground) broken up by hay fields dark brown or already mowed. We stopped at every small town along the way, some just had like a bus stop type station and no platform, the people just walked along the grass next to the tracks and climbed onboard. The houses and villages are neat, some very pretty, but they appear a little older, more tired.
Well we made our connection. Silly me: the next train departed 15 minutes behind schedule, so there was no need to hustle.
This time we had an eight person compartment to ourselves, otherwise it was the same train ride repeated. So we finally arrived in Cesky Krumlov. The total cost for all this scenic touring? €29
We walked two KM (downhill) into town, the view growing as we walk, cross a wooden bridge, in through two town gates, along the river and there is our guesthouse. There are five rooms, we have the entire attic, looking out over the river as it curves from under the castle and the bridge to town. The church steeple lines directly up with the castle. It is beautiful. A huge room, well set up, we can choose to eat breakfast in the garden (on the river's edge) in our room or in their breakfast room. We can also buy local Hungarian wines from them for $4 USD a bottle! Time to sample, I think. We unpack and set out to explore.
Cesky Krumlov is built on a U bend in the Vltava river. The U is almost pinched off at the top to make an O, almost an island. So the narrow part has like a moat and wall, and you have to cross a high bridge, up on two layers of stone arches, to get in. Then there are two, maybe three bridges that connect across to the land. There is a main square in town with six streets radiating off the four corners, and a church on the high ground. The restaurants and guest houses sit shoulder to shoulder along the river front on both sides of the river. Off the island there is a huge castle and fort occupying the highest ground, a cliff, and a church, beer brewery, monastery and more stores, restaurants and homes. "Modern" Cesky, built up during communist times, consists of concrete block apartment buildings, now brightly painted, out of site over the hill by the train station.
It takes less than an hour to walk our "island." We wander up the mainland lane to the city gates, then find our way to the local Eggenberg Brewery to check it out. The beer is pretty tasty, light colored, cold, easy drinking, smooth, pretty much non-burpy and not too filling, like a Corona but with lots of flavor (not watery). The small size is a huge mug, probably half or three-quarters litre, Gail looks at it doubtfully but I jump right in. Ummm! Surprisingly it is not hard for both if us to polish them off. Really light and tasty. The real surprise is that the bill was 40 Czech Koruna (crowns, or CZK) which is under $2 USD! That jumbo beer was less than a buck!
So now I am pretty excited, and it hits me: Ever since I found the perfect Truffle Pasta, I have been lacking purpose. Well, my mission now is going to be to sample all the Czech beers, compare them and decide which is best! This will save all my friends from having to do the tedious work themselves, plus will be informative for me! At a buck a mug, I am willing to make the sacrifice.
We walk up to the castle. They have two real live European Brown Bears in the "bear pit" (moat) guarding the castle drawbridge. The castle tower is impressive, very ornate, but with paintings. Same with the castle and fort, they have decorated them in the 1600s with 3-D painting of stone blocks, arches and alcoves. From above the castle we get a great view over the town.
We end with dinner at Pa Pa's Living Food, which looked and sounded better than it was. We had a nice table on the terrace, but the food was forgettable.
About 22:30 we walk the town again, then head up to our room, pick up a bottle of Hungarian wine from the host (at these prices we can't afford not to drink) and have a glass and catch up on our writing.