Day 16: Český Krumlov

Who wouldn't have guessed that provincial Czech Republic would be different than Prague. But I tell you, Český Krumlov (Chesky Kroom-lawv) was something all of it's own. About two hours from Prague, we pulled up to this place and about a hundred feet into the air were these aqueduct like arches. They were passable, there were people on them. But they were built into the hillside about three or four tiers of stone arches high which connected two massive stone facades of a castle that peered over the little hamlet. We came under the arches into a horizon of red rooftops, winding streets and towering steeples. There were no roads wide enough for cars in the whole of the town and yet cars came down them anyways. It's terrible but it made me think of what Hogsmeade must be like from the Harry Potter series.

The first thing we did was throw on swimsuits and go rafting down the Vltava. She is neither as wide or as mighty as she is in Praha but there were three rapids and shoots our unskilled team of writer-rowers managed to traverse without incident. The scenery was unpercievable, is that a word? It was so idyllic, so quaint that it didn't seem real, even though we were in the middle of the river on a raft and all around us and undeniably were quiet rows of trees, with the brick houses set back from the road, birds scattering from a blue window in a boarding house or cafe, couples dining along the river and children waiving, "Ahoij!" from the banks. 

This was the real Bohemia, a haven for gypsies, alchemists and other societal outcasts. It's a tourist attraction now, sure. A favorite day-trip away from Prague but it was compelling to be in the real Bohemia. I've seen several kids wearing shirts around Prague and the Republic that say "There's only one Bohemska" and ain't it the truth? More accurately it would read, "There was only one Bohemska" A little snide and contrived for a shirt but I've been toying with buying one just for the hell of it. We ate lunch on a terrace with a view of the village in the valley below and talked about Kafka, it seems to have become a recurring theme of the trip.

By the time we had finished we really didn't have time for anything; we honestly didn't experience much of the town at all-- but by God we got a good look at it. I bought some cheap relics of the Soviet era, celebrating 10 years of occupation in the Czech Republic and Kody and Matt bought Cuban Cigars for our last night in Prague. We ducked into a bakery to sample the local delicatessen faire, I joked with the waitresses in Czech, "Bez práČe nesjou koláČe" and they cracked up. It means "without work, there can be no cake." Irony in a town where it doesn't seem like anyone really knows what work is. If only.