Can you say Dramamine? I popped one in my mouth even before we left Vienna! I don't know how Meagan and Pam made the trip without any. We met our driver, Lucas (a young man from the Czech Republic). He picked us up in a van, loaded our bags, and off we went. It was such a pleasure not to have to be herded onto a bus with 25 other tourists. Our shuttles were arranged just for us, which meant we could easily talk with each other and with the driver. In spite of the fact that I was drugged up, it was so interesting to drive through small Austrian and Czech villages to get a sense of how people lived in the countryside. We also passed through an old communist check point, which was a stark reminder that not too long ago, the border between the countries had been closed. Finally, after many tight curves, we arrived at the Hotel Bellevue in Cesky Krumlov. By now we had learned that our resident math major, Pam, was so good at figuring tips. It was best that we let her handle this job as well as navigating our trip. Thank you so much, Pam!
Why are we visiting Cesky Krumlov? It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose history stems back to the Middle Ages. This Bohemian town was ruled by 3 wealthy families who constructed and enhanced a huge castle within the city. The castle is even surrounded by a moat (now dry) that through the years has been guarded by a bear. The little town is filled with a variety of architectural styles and medieval structures. The Vltava River twists its way through the town, which makes it a great spot for locals and visitors to travel down the river in flatboats or canoes. We watched as many people took advantage of such activities and even walked about the town in wet bathing suits. Ew!
When we first arrived, we had a few hours to kill before our hotel room would be ready, so we parked our bags in the lobby (for anyone to take!) and set out to explore the area. I changed only $20 Euros to the local Korunas since we were only going to spend one night in town. Our local guide was to pick us up at the hotel at 5:30. Her name was Teresia (sp?) who was actually a French/Business major studying in Lyons, France. She and I had a lot in common! Her family still resides in Cesky Krumlov on the outskirts of the town, but she related that her grandfather lived in one of the houses close to the castle at one time. These tours are invaluable to help understand the history of the cities that we are visiting. I almost wish we had gone on this tour earlier in the day to better understand what we were seeing. Nevertheless, we enjoyed exploring.
Our room in the Hotel Belvedere was on the fourth floor of the building. The only problem was that the elevator only went up to the third floor. We had to carry all our bags up a set of stairs, but this was Europe. The room also did not have air conditioning, but it had a small set of windows that looked out over part of the city. Fortunately, it was cool enough that we were not bothered by the lack of air conditioning. I didn't even worry about bats coming through the window at night. The hotel served a nice breakfast with access to the all-important coffee machine. With the push of a button, our cups were filled with small cappuccinos or a melange. Yum!
I enjoyed this city. Next time I visit, I would like to find the old theater and take a tour of it. It would also be interesting to tour the castle. We did not have time to explore these places in depth this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment