Time for us to leave Germany and change countries - we are off to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, a place we have never been. Destinations make it on our itineraries when random google searches result with pretty, quaint scenery - so this beautiful cobblestone village with a castle makes the list!
For our 4-hour drive from Munich, rather than drive our rental cars (with expensive fees for leaving the country) or take a long train ride via Prague, the most reasonable way for us to get to CK is to hire a private driver through eushuttlebus.com. I highly recommend them!
Automatically we make up pseudo names for our destination: Crunchy Town and Krusty Krumlov, but the locals refer to it simply as "CK". Cesky actually means Czech (or Bohemian) so many towns start with it.
We all are instantly bewitched by Cesky Krumlov, except maybe Kate who is tired from the drive and wants to know why I picked such a touristy place. (There are a lot of people here.) Jeremy says to me, "This is a lot cooler than I thought it would be," to which Kate warns him, "You're going to go in the blog now."
Svornosti Square in the center of Cesky Krumlov
We are staying right next to the town's square, but have arrived 30 minutes before checkin. So we stow our bags and plop down smack in the center of town to enjoy our picnic lunch.
Eating lunch under the plague column on the square
Waiting to check in to Castle View Apartments, recommended by Rick Steves
First on the list was a private tour which I arranged through Wiseman Free Tour. Our guide was Jan (pronounced "Yawn"); he was excellent. He told us so many enchanting tales about the history of the town, mesmerizing us even more.
Cesky Krumlov surprised us with its Renaissance architecture, maze-like alleyways, and medieval pubs
Cesky Krumlov is dominated by its 13th century Castle
The castle's tower is the symbol of the town, and nicknamed "birthday cake" by the locals. It towers over the Vltava River and even over the church tower of St. Vitus.
Learning about the bear moat and outer courtyard
Bears have been kept in the bear moat since 1707
Lonely Planet describes Cesky Krumlov as one of the most picturesque towns in Europe
My "twins" didn't realize until 6:45pm that they are dressed the same. As a joke we start calling them by the other's name.
Even with a bad exchange rate, $1.50 for a beer is crazy cheap! Each beer set us back 30 koruna.
Eggenberg, the local brewery, makes s delicious dark smoked beer
Silly tourists!
It's a good thing we are no longer in Berlin. Yesterday and today they've had the 'heaviest rain in a century' with water levels reaching up to knee height, and subways flooded!
