Cesky Krumlov

I hopped on a shuttle bus that left from Vienna’s train station and 3 hours later, I arrived in Cesky Krumlov - a small city in the South Bohemian region of Czech Republic.

Cesky Krumlov was claimed in 1992 as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the city has since been completely restored. It is known for its castle and historic old town. For me, the unique part of this place was that it is built around the banks of the Vltava River which meanders through the town. Lots of little restaurants and cafes are right on the river bank and you can even rent inner tubes and float down the river… The cobblestone streets lead you to intimate cafes, and mysterious taverns that serve good hearty food. Most restaurants had big meaty dishes, but there was one vegetarian restaurant that kind of had an Indian flair to its dishes. I managed to find delicious dahl and masala chai there!

In the summer months Krumlov is totally overrun with tourists (lots of Japanese ones too) and it seemed like every single building that was not a restaurant was a hotel, apartment or hostel for rent. For the 5 nights that I was there, the whole city was completly booked up. The hostel that I stayed at was recommended by my cousin Emily, as she is good friends with the owner – and what a great recommendation!! The hostel only houses 26 people, and so it was really intimate and felt just like home. They had a full kitchen where people were always cooking meals, as well as a piano, guitars, book exchange, and a collection of good Czech films (with English subtitles).

I met a woman there from New York who had come specifically to Krumlov to do some research on Egon Schiele, a Viennese painter (1890-1918), who lived briefly in Krumlov in 1911. She is planning to write a play on his life, and Krumlov has a gallery with some of his artwork. A lot of Schiele’s artwork is at the Leopold museum in Vienna, that I unfortunately did not get a chance to see.

I am really glad that I had 5 nights there. For the first few the weather was really rainy and cold, which made it harder to be out and about to explore the town, but easier to duck into cafes and restaurants and share adventure stories with fellow travellers. A lot of people I met were doing similar if not longer trips than my two month trip. It turned out that we all had very similar itineraries. I did not manage to get to Poland, but I heard that Krakow is a wonderful city to visit.

For the last two days that I was there, the weather went back to being sunny and gorgeous. I did some great little hikes which was really refreshing. I am now in Prague, the capital city of this country and am enjoying the bustle of the big city all over again…

Can’t believe that in less than a week I will be back home in Vancouver!!  

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