25 August 2009

Cesky Krumlov's State Castle


The state castle of Cesky Krumlov is about 15minutes walk away from the town hall centre. This castle is by far the most picturesque and colourful castle i've seen. It is grounded on top of a 'peninsula' which has been sculpted by the Vltava river. Once you walked towards the Castle Park, you will come across a splendid view of a part of the town.

There are hair-raising tales and legends of the castle grounds that i'm glad i do not know of, and come to think of it, i really wouldnt have the guts to walk that side of town at night.

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Breathtaking view from the castle grounds

In 1992, the entire castle complex was included in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage monuments.



.Resident bears.


Once we've entered the castle complex, i went berserk. I was deliriously happy from the pure sight of SNOW! even after a few snowball attacks.

Coming into my late late twenties, i've finally had the chance to build a snowman. It's a he, and he's a hunk.

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23 August 2009

Food in Cesky Krumlov

All things quiet except for the clopping of our shoes on the cobbled streets, we stumbled upon this quaint restaurant called Svejk, at Latran.

Josef Svejk is a character of a novel, The Good Soldier Svejk, by Jaroslav Hasek. It is a novel inspired by the author's participation in the 91st Infantry Regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I. It is said that this novel depicts comical episodes of anti-war messages; illustrating the pointlessness and futility of conflict in which fifteen million people died.


Fully ignorant of what history rested on this restaurant then, we were more interested with the menu. We loved the potato with mushrooms and bacon so much, we actually attempted our own version when we returned home.


Another interesting and popular dessert in Czech is Trdelnik, which we didnt have room left in our tummy to try. It's a sweet pastry made from rolled dough, wrapped around a wooden stick, baked over open fire and topped with sugar and walnut mix.

10 August 2009

Cesky Krumlov

Here's a whimsical town we covered in our Europe stint: Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic.


We had a boo-boo moment traveling to this town. On arrival in Amsterdam at the beginning of our trip, we purchased what we thought were bus tickets to Cesky. And much to our horror when we arrived at the bus station, we were told the tickets we have on hand are train tickets. The stress is utterly damning esp. when you're luggin' a giant suitcase in the snow. Alas, we bought tickets from a blind guy ... just in time.

As we got closer to the town, it got whiter and whiter..
Cesky Krumlov is a small city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. When we were choosing among the many places in Europe, Boonboon set his mind on Cesky when i told him it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Amazingly, it was also ranked 16th of the top 100 historic destination around the world in 2008.

Also, "UNESCO rated it so highly that it featured second in importance on their World Heritage list behind Venice, and with good reason. Cesky Krumlov was badly damaged by the floods a few years ago, but it is now largely back to its best. This sleepy town curls around the Vltava river in a swish of churches, old town houses and a picture-postcard-perfect castle, which hangs high above the scene."


This place is one of the highlights of our trip. The architecture of the old town and castle dates from the 14th through 17th centuries, mostly in Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. It is so so beautiful, and unbelievably magical. It looks like a town out of a cartoony fairytale. You just have to see for yourself =)


The town was very deserted except for a handful of tourists, probably due to the fact that it's winter or simply because it happened to be a Sunday! Most shops were closed, but it's quite an experience browsing their shop fronts. Their door flaps and window sills are all decorated to wow the young at heart.

By night, the town is extremely spooky and almost pitch black, barely lit up by old-fashioned street lamps every few metres.


.The brave ones on a ghost trail tour.

I would definitely recommend making a stop at Cesky Krumlov for a day, if it is in the path of your destinations. And especially during winter. =)
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