D19: YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF ÇESKý-KRUMLOV?

We left Prague under the direction of GPS Schatzie who got us out of town cleanly. Experience from driving distances in Europe has taught me that I need a stimulant to be totally alert. Coffee usually solves that problem and we are now ever on the lookout for places that serve coffee for the road.

That usually turns out to be McDonalds. There are a surprising amount of them in the center of European cities but their popularity has spread to the edges of town and they are usually called McCafes and identified by the golden arches.

We found one of those on the edge of Prague and drove right in. I don’t recall seeing the McCafe format in the U.S. but the few we’ve visited in Europe are super neat, clean and efficient. Most have a separate coffee bar where you can get anything that Starbucks or Peets has to offer.

Ready for the road, we headed toward Çeský-Krumlov, a picturesque medieval village located in the Southwest corner that is Czechoslovakia’s second most popular tourist attraction. The road surface was geared for fast traffic but reality took care of that. There were spurts of the top speed limit (60 MPH) but longer periods of 20 MPH when traffic piled up behind a slow moving vehicle. I honed my Audi Driving School skills at sudden acceleration followed by quick braking until I managed to pass the farmer on his tractor taking produce to market. Did this a number of times.

Way out in the Czech countryside there’s not much of a choice on radio, so Louise plugged my iPhone into the Bang & Olafsen system for some music. Suddenly I hear a familiar voice through the speaker. It’s that of Roger Carroll, one time big Los Angeles DJ on KMPC radio. It was a recording of Roger’s popular program for AFRTS (American Forces Radio & Television). The program was originally recorded in 1984 and aired on AFN. How it got into my phone I’ll never know, but the irony was not lost on us.  Here we are listening to  a program that might been heard in this very region some 31 years ago, only then the listening would have been clandestine while waiting for the Communist nightmare to end. We enjoyed the music of the ‘80’s for almost an hour but it was like being in a time warp.

We reached Çeský-Krumlov near dusk and went for a walk in the almost deserted medieval town. If you ever wanted to visit a site that is frozen in time, this is it. Unlike many similar towns, autos are allowed but on a permit basis and not for any length of time.

We’ve learned that the best time to visit a popular site is at night. The tourists have gone, the locals come out and spots are available at the restaurants. This one had a special on Beef Stroganoff and a table on the patio.

During the twilight hours it’s easier to imagine what this place was like in its heyday. The Vitava River flows in a tight hairpin around the castle located high on a convenient peak. Must’ve made it much easier to pour hot oil down on invaders in the olden days.

Also made it easy to control the river traffic just in case you wanted establish a toll booth…usually a heavy chain stretched across the river. As we ate our stroganoff we made plans for our return the next morning.

We were housed at the Pension Gardena, an especially handy place to be since it is just opposite the entry to the old town. An unhandy feature is the lack of an elevator for those heavy bags we’re lugging around.

The owner, Vincent, (Vlatov to his friends) came to the rescue. He grabbed the bags and two-timed it up to the first floor without breaking a sweat. I don’t think he even heard my advice, “Keep your mouth open, or you’ll never have children,” as he charged up the stairs.

Breakfast was the usual fare only less to choose from. One table was filled with girls from the U.S. studying history on the “Junior Year Abroad” program. An American woman, living in Prague for 13 years, was their overseas instructor. We asked if she’d seen any changes in American teenagers over the years. “Yes, definitely,” she said. “With the availability of iPhones, computers and other devices, attention span has shrunk to almost zero. During the bus ride from Prague, I describe the country; its people and their way of life. Instead of listening, they are texting their friends or each other, checking Facebook or listening to downloaded music. I’d be surprised if they even knew they’d left home.” It was little consolation that we saw the same thing happening with European kids.   We’re sure the girls pictured are the exceptions though,

Things had a different look in the morning as we crossed the footbridge into the old town. For one thing there were people floating down the river on inflatable rafts.

Also, the streets would soon be crowded and all the good photo spots taken…but only temporarily.

The castle looked less mysterious in the daytime. It was hard to realize it was home to the same family for three centuries. Why they moved out in the 1600’s is the mystery now.

My nose for a good photo spot pointed to what appeared to be an aqueduct adjoining the castle that could lead to a great Kodak Moment. When we learned that 162 stairs would have to be climbed to get there, our interest suddenly waned.

We decided to use an old trick and follow the tour buses. They led us up a hill to a viewpoint the overlooked the river and the castle. Not the best photo spot, but better than having to climb those circular stairs. Maybe in our next life.

Good friends Janet and Don Dolan visited here some years ago. They mentioned something about storks nesting in chimneys and thought it would be a great photo. That meant more climbing so we settled for a shot of this manhole cover instead. Look closely and you’ll see the name Çeský-Krumlov embossed in the cover. Our guess is that is probably the last modern improvement installed in this living medieval museum. Perhaps not. Flush toilets would be next.

Next stop is located on the banks of the blue Danube…Vilshofen, Gemany.

Louise and Ray