Day 31 – Monday 8 June

We got up early and were at breakfast at 0700 so we could relax and enjoy a calm start before our taxi arrived at 08:30 to take us to the train station for our trip to Cesky Krumlov at 9:21. We had not exited the station through a main hall, and were impressed that this building was also decorated with art nouveau and deco styles.

The comfortable journey was 2 hours long and took us through picturesque countryside with a few tunnels and woodland areas. We actually saw cows in the fields a couple of times! There were a few tidy small villages along the way, many with nice sized gardens with equally tidy vegetable patchs and fruit trees. Neat piles of fire wood were stacked in attractive ways such as inbetween fence posts to make a solid wall. The train was diesel powered and romped along quite nicely at speeds of up to 160kph.

Before we knew it we had arrived, and commenced the 1.7km walk to our hotel in old town. It started off well until we hit the decent slope into the final part of town. Here Vern had to take both our bags as it was too steep for me to manage with my knee and a 20kg bag. We simultaneously made the decision to book a cab for the return trip after seeing a man of same age having a real struggle going up – pausing for quite some time to recover his breath (and he had no bags).

You walk over a little bridge and under a town arch into the old town. It felt very quaint and on the other side the delightful medieval town with its pastel coloured houses with red roofs lay like a multi-tiered skirt beneath the imposing stone castle with its gay coloured tower.

Our hotel was only a few minutes walk over the lumpy cobbles and welcome respite from the heat of the 26 degree day. We were offered a glass of prosecco and given a warm welcome. Our room is a bit tiny, and a step or two down from our last hotel, however it is clean and functional in this renovated 16th century building.

When we got to the room Vern quickIy realised there was no air-conditioning. I clearly slipped up in booking, normally ensuring there is air-conditioning. We were a bit concerned that we only had one small window, although there is a fan so we will manage with ear plugs!

After finishing our wine neither of us felt energetic, however managed to get ourselves up and out for an explore of the town. It is as charming as the promotional material and reviews say. Very tidy, a river running around the old town, the huge stone castle with its gelato tower all look like it was planned as a Disney medieval project complete with dragons, knights and damsels in distress replica, verses being original (and renovated).

We simply enjoyed wandering, and found a place for early dinner called My Saigon. Not very Czech sounding I know, however it was time for a break and the dining here is quite touristic and not of the best quality according to the reviews. My Saigon however was one of the best Thai restaurants we have been to outside of Australia. I had the duck red curry and it was superb. The crunch surrounding the moist duck was mouthwatering and the sauce light and clean with all the levels of sweet, salty and sour. Vern had an Thai beer and I had double the mls of wine for less than the price of 100ml in other places. It also was very nice.

On the way home there were musicians playing on one of the bridges, creating such a beautiful ambience. We paused, enjoyed and took in the whole package of the moment, feeling so very grateful and content.