Cesky Krumlov

Got here on Sunday and found(actually called ahead) Skippy's Hostel, run by a woman of Cuban/Czech parents, a singer at heart but runs the hostel to live here and sings only locally for the love of it! Great people, great place...went to hike to a nearby Celtic ruin(first by short train trip) and due to the fact I neglected to ask which direction to go on the path, I of course, lead us in 180 degrees wrong so after hiking up up up when we were supposed to be next to a river, we eventually went down down down ina circle and Bons hip was not too happy(Bon wasn't too pleased either as you might imagine!) we missed the train back and ended up waiting an hour for a bus! I enjoyed the hike tho, thru pine forests, but it wasn't really a path...more a two rutted kind of road and even paved in some places, but no cars! Mari here, fortunately I chose to go on my own hike up to a shrine overlooking the town and had a wonderful time taking in the views, the birds and the beautiful green forest with wildflowers.

I am a bit exhausted by the sameness of everything, but here it is a big tourist area...horse trail riding is big as well as mountain biking and hiking...plus there is a fine river which winds its way thru the town and has an number of spillways which add some "rapids" excitement so rafters, canoes, and kayaks abound all day long(water is quite warm being only waist deep or less). It is a well-to-do area, lots of new housing(tile blocks covered with stucco and tile roofs) a sign of their economic situation is we see LAWNS more than gardens here except flower type!

Once again, in the countryside the lack of any fencing...typical of most of E. Europe...Bulgaria,Romania,Hungary,Slovakia and now here...rolling hills interspersed with fields of grass hay, pine and deciduous forests thru which they have numerous marked trails for the above mentioned walks, they are not really hikes in that the trails are easy up and down(except where you get off them, ha!)

Like I said previously, we missed most of the festival but got a flavor in the afternoon of the first day when they had the closing in the center of the "old town" with costumed guys and gals doing their medieval stuff, plus singing and drumming, marching and cannon shooting, flags/banners...didn't see jousting tho!

I did go on a solo hike the next day and visited a village 6 km away, had a beer and headed back in a circle--3 hours walk was enuf. That nite Mari and I went to listen to none other than the City of Santa Barbara, CA, Choir on tour, an hour of very talented folks(looked like 60-80 of them), mostly very traditional and religious/spiritual/semi-patriotic songs.

The weather has cooperated fantastically, sunny but enuf clouds to keep it from getting too hot!

06/18/2005

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