Once again I find myself blogging from the train. This time we’re en route from Linz, Austria, to Munich, Germany. We got into Linz this morning (Friday) via shuttle from Cesky Krumlov. So, before I go any further about our current location – this train is really sweet – let me catch everyone up on our last 2 days’ worth of exploring.
We arrived into Cesky Krumlov from Prague on Wednesday afternoon by way of two trains, the second of which was a super-slow, three-car local train that took us through a half dozen or more little towns in southern Bohemia. The countryside was really beautiful, with lots of rolling green hills of forests and pastures that reminded me a lot of the North Carolina mountains and foothills. We got into the train station in Cesky Krumlov and made the 2.5-km hike with all our gear down into the town and to our hostel. We were amazed by how nice the place was for its inexpensive cost – just about $13 per person per night.
While Anna and Megan napped that afternoon, Rob and I walked around the town a bit before hiking up a hill in a residential neighborhood that had a great view of the city. The town itself is nestled in a small valley, surrounded by a large bend in the Vltava River. There are a series of weirs in the river that create cascading waterfalls, and the waterfront is lined with different shops and restaurants. We made our way back into the city and walked up to the castle which is a huge complex up on the side of a hill, very reminiscent of Prague. Probably the coolest thing there was that the moat at the entrance to the castle wasn’t filled with water – it was a bear pit! Three stone bears were prowling underneath the walkway into the castle – pretty cool if you ask me!
After a little more wandering we went back to meet up with the girls and head out to dinner. We went to a restaurant on the river, the Czech name for which translates into “The Two Marys.” They served traditional Czech food and drinks, and we had a feast of chicken, rabbit, pork, potato cakes, millet, and almond mead that filled our bellies and made us quite content! It was all delicious, and on account of being quite content we made our way back to the hostel to catch some rest.
The next morning was slow and lazy, perfect for the sleepy, fairy-tale type town. After lunch we all reunited from our time exploring individually and decided to brave a rafting trip down the river. For about $15 you can rent a raft and all the necessary gear, put in at the town, and be picked up about 15km downriver. It was so much fun. We took beer and snacks, and actually stopped at a campsite along the way to get some refills. The scenery was beautiful, as we paddled directly through forests of huge evergreens growing steep up the river banks, then later through beautiful fields and wide parts of the river where locals were wading out and fishing. Once again I was reminded of western NC by all the scenery! We made it to our rendezvous point a little chilly but having had a great time, and were driven back to Cesky Krumlov within ten minutes.
After some down time to shower and warm up we headed out to Nonna Gina’s for dinner, an Italian restaurant that was supposed to be a hot spot for locals. We enjoyed personal pizzas, pastas, and a bottle of Montepulciano, all of which was delicious, before having some tiramisu for dessert. It was a great meal for our last night, and we headed back to the hostel right after dinner to get a good night’s sleep for all of the next day’s (today’s) travels.
This morning we woke up and headed to catch the shuttle to Linz that I mentioned before, saying goodbye to the romantic little town on the Vltava and heading toward our next destination of Munich. We’re more than halfway there now, about to stop in Salzburg before heading on for another hour and a half or so. I can see the northern part of the Alps out the window, larger than any mountains I’ve ever seen before! Also, the train we’re on is really awesome: called the Railjet, it’s Austria’s high-speed train line, and it’s the smoothest train I’ve ever ridden. We’ve been doing over 200km/h, which converts to about 120mi/h!
More updates to come soon. Much love to everyone back home!
Cheers,
Sam
Part of the castle at night, as seen from our dinner location on the Vltava.
The cathedral on the Vltava, right across the river from our hostel.
Cesky Krumlov as seen from the hill that we hiked.
The bear moat inside the castle!
Lots of red roofs as viewed from the castle.
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