Prague to Cesky Krumlov

Friday

While the snow cleared overnight, there was still a lovely soft covering on the ground and the rooftops for our daylight exploration of the Cathedral area around our hotel. The view over Prague from the Cathedral grounds was quite breathtaking. We enjoyed a walk through the Cathedral itself before wandering through the cemetery to find Dvorak's grave.


Phil exploring the statues in the Cathedral park


Louise and her snowman (with nut shell hat and stick pipe!!)


View over Prague from the Cathedral park

We enjoyed looking at the magnificent architecture on our walk along the Vltava River through the Nove Mesto (New Town). As we approached the Charles Bridge and the Stare Mesto (Old Town), the streetscape changed. The buildings became even more magnificent and the streets narrowed to become cobbled laneways, which - of course - we explored at length! The Old Town square was buzzing - crowds of people were enjoying the views of the Tyn Church, the Old Town Hall and the Christmas market! We decided to return to this beautiful place for an evening visit and continued with our exploration of the city.


At the Old Town square in Prague

We wandered through the old Jewish Quarter before crossing the Vltava and walking up a (quite large!!) hill through parkland to Prague Castle. Spent ages exploring the castle grounds and visiting St Vitus Cathedral before heading back down the other side of the hill through Mala Strana (Little Quarter) - intriguing cobbled streets and beautiful houses built in the 17th and 18th centuries.


The Jewish Quarter


St Vitus Cathedral in the grounds of Prague Castle

Strolled across the Charles Bridge (with all the other tourists!) towards the Church of St Salvator where we had tickets for an evening concert. Soaking up the atmosphere of the beautiful 17th century church while listening to a string quartet was a very relaxing way to spend an evening. We listened to some of Louise's favourite's - Bach's 'Air', Pachabel's 'Canon' (you know how much I love this one, Mum) and Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'.


View of Prague Castle from the Charles Bridge


Louise about to enter St Salvator Church (in the background) for the concert

This really is a fabulous time to visit this part of the world, as Christmas is truly celebrated in a big way. The Christmas markets are full of people. Decorations and lights adorn most buildings - everyone gets into the spirit of the season. We did our bit by eating our way around the Christmas market in the Old Town square - sausages, local cakes, mulled wine...yum! Made our way back to the hotel for a much needed sleep - we just about walked our feet off today!!

Saturday

Back into our trusty car for the drive south towards Cesky Krumlov. Stopped in the small town of Kutna Hora to visit Sedlec Ossuary - the crypt of a church which is completely decorated with human bones! It's estimated that the bones of approximately 40 000 people have been used to construct the decorations and displays which include four pyramids, a coat of arms and a chandelier! An awesome sight.


Phil under the chandelier made of bones

Spent the afternoon travelling along tiny, winding roads - passing through little Czech villages - on our way to Cesky Krumlov. Reached our destination just as it was getting dark. Cesky Krumlov is a truly beautiful place. The old town nestles at the foot of the castle on the Vltava River. It features Renaissance and Baroque buildings and tiny cobbled laneways.With the help of the local police (but that's another story - not a good idea to drive into the town square while the Christmas markets are on - but the sat nav said to!!) we navigated the laneways to find our hotel at the foot of the castle.

Enjoyed a delightful (and freezing!!) evening stroll and sampled a couple of the local establishments before retiring for the night. Lots of exploring to do tomorrow!

Monday



Words can't describe the beauty of Cesky Krumlov - so we took heaps of photos!! The prettiest part of the town is quite small and very easy to thoroughly cover on foot - which we did. We spent most of the day generally wandering down the numerous narrow, cobbled lanes. The town is full of galleries, interesting shops, cafes and bars. With the help of a guidebook we were able to identify those buildings of most historical significance (they all looked pretty amazing to us!!).


The well-worn stairs leading to St Vitus' Church - Cesky Krumlov


The cobbled lanes of Cesky Krumlov

Other highlights of the day included a visit to the Eggenberg Brewery (the local beer) and a wonderful couple of hours exploring Cesky Krumlov castle. We climbed the 162 steps - up the spiral staircase - to the top of the castle tower and were rewarded with a fabulous view and an opportunity to take - yes - more photos!!


Guess who's just been to the Eggenberg Brewery shop?


View from the castle tower

Oh and... we're sure we don't need to tell you... but, of course we were compelled to sample more of the local food before calling it a night.

Tomorrow - the drive to Budapest for four days in Hungary!