Boxcar to the boonies in Southern Bohemia: Cesky Krumlov.
PHOTO LOUIS ALCORNThe journey to Cesky Krumlov from Prague lasted a total of around six and a half hours. The last hour or so of the journey certainly topped the rest as we boarded onto a rather shabby “third world train,” as described by my traveling partner, and headed straight into the Czech countryside. Each station we stopped at contained nothing more than a simple wooden outhouse to keep passengers out of the rain or snow. We hadn’t seen a paved road for nearly the duration of our ride until we arrived at Cesky Krumlov.
A famous rally race takes place in the town each year and I’m convinced that our cab driver participates annually. The narrow cobblestone streets were hardly wide enough to fit the width of the car, but this didn’t stop the Czech Parnelli from zooming up and down the hills. Upon entry to the center plaza, the contents of an entire tourist bus had just poured out into the road. In turn, our man simply revved his engine and slowly meandered through the clueless crowd before nearly peeling out around the next corner. Ultimately, we reached Hostel Skippy greeted with the warm welcome of our host mother and the multiple hand painted wooden signs reading “Enjoy life” and “Life is good.”
As suggested by our host, we ventured to a little restaurant situated in a small alleyway outside of the center square of the small town. Walking through the back rooms of the restaurant lit by kerosene torches, we began to catch on to the medieval ambiance of the place, once utilized as a prison and torture chamber. An open wood fire decorated the interior of the restaurant, which is where they slow cooked the variety of meat dishes on the menu. Everything was top notch…and cheap. Perfectly seasoned sirloin steak, ½ a rotisserie chicken, sweet corn, grilled camembert, and a Czech beer called Budweiser set us back only about $14 USD a piece!
PHOTO LOUIS ALCORNDay two in Cesky Krumlov, our host commanded that we enjoy the terrace above the river, so we naturally obliged. After nutritionally satisfied with breakfast, we ventured to the castle that features a moat filled with bears and an overlook of the entire town. We walked through the pouring rain in the castle gardens, determined to go on the designated hike through the forest at the back of the garden. After arriving, we found the gate locked and were forced to scale the wall like any medieval invader would do. On our hike we encountered an abandoned tower in the middle of the forest that Napoleon built for his true love, but never finished. It sat in desolation in the middle of the wilderness as a symbol of a half-hearted attempt to unlock a young girls heart. Maybe he should have stuck to conquering Europe.
The next leg of our trek took us to an abandoned church on the mountaintop overlooking the town. We reached the top only to descend back into the city center. Dinner that night consisted of “medieval-era Czech food” of which I tried the mixed pheasant plate. The meat tasted like a darker, gamier turkey.
Standing above the town, I noted that to a large extent, urban sprawl had yet to corrupt the city. Cesky Krumlov represents an isolated element of time’s past. Aside from cabs and buses, everyone walks from one place to the next thanks to the way the town was initially designed. The old, walled city had been created to be self-sufficient as the ease of mechanized transport had yet to infect the world with its presence. The old town center makes up much of the contents of the city where traditional restaurants still serve medieval meals for tourists and locals alike. Overall, my little trip to a seemingly random city in the middle of nowhere exposed me to an element of Urban Design that is hard to find in today’s renovated, modern cities. Even though Cesky Krumlov has been slightly modified by the recent influx of European tourists during the summer months, it still holds its original character and serves as a rather impressive preserve of medieval urban design.
PHOTO LOUIS ALCORN