Cesky Krumlov - 24th-26th Feb

Cesky Krumlov is a lovely little town situated in the South Bohemian countryside. It sometimes feels a bit like the back of beyond (in fact, my train here from Ceske Budejovice only had one carriage, and I could probably have run faster!), but it's good to be somewhere this relaxing after the busy tourist bustle of Prague. I arrived in Krumlov about 7 on Saturday night, and took the long and winding road [sic] from the station down into the town centre, and even at this point the views struck me as amazing. From the slope where I was stood there was a great view of the castle on the Old Town wall, all lit up and everything :) I tried to take some pictures, but none of them came out too well :(

My hostel was also rather quaint - much smaller than the others I've been in, run by an American couple, it feels more like a Bed and Breakfast affair, only without the breakfast. Very homey, and it has a huge dragon on the door! It's called Krumlov House, and I highly recommend it to anyone coming here...which I highly recommend everybody to do!

After lying around for a while, I finally went out to eat something, opting for an old bohemian platter - Rabbit, smoked gammon, dumplings, millet (not mullet) and salad. It was meant to be for 2, and despite the fact I asked for a one person version, I still couldn't finish it. Awesome, it was. After that, myself and an American chap from the hostel checked out the "Horor Bar", an interesting little place with a gothy/gory feel, and some other bar, where I discovered the dark version of the original Budweiser (Budvar). All in all, a good night!

Sunday morning I took the liberty of rising late and slowly, before ambling out to explore the town. It really is small, so this only took a few hours, but I could probably have wandered around happily for days just soaking up the atmosphere...weather was lovely, and it's very picturesque, situated in a meander of the Vltava river. Everything also has a very ÿe olde worldy feel to it, I just hope it stays that way as more tourists discover it over the next few years. After enjoying half a roast duck at the local Eggenburg brewery for lunch, my afternoon had much the same kind of relaxed feel to it, ending in a local teahouse which offered over 50 different teas from around the world! All in all, a very pleasant day, if not much to actually write about. Krumlov was definitely one of my favourite places so far :)