Cesky Krumlov (2011) |

Cesky Krumlov (2011)

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Impressions…

We drove here directly from the Munich airport. The drive was very interesting – most of the way was on “back roads” and we saw very few cars or even signs of people. I’m not sure what we would have done if we had car problems.
The GPS got us here, but was worthless in trying to get into the walled part of the city. We had to park in a public lot and walk until we found our way in. When we got to the hotel (The Old Inn), someone drove me to our car and I followed him to the hotel’s parking spaces. He drove me the rest of the way to the hotel.
One person at the hotel was semi-fluent in English. Others, including the one who drove me to our car, did not appear to be.
When we got there, there were lots of tourists. As it began to get dark, they all got on their buses and left. We noticed others starting to come into the square – many others. Most were in family groups and all appeared to be local. We had arrived, without planning to, on the night of the lighting of the Christmas tree in the square. It was obviously an important event to the community. As far as I could tell, we were the only ones there who were not local. We asked the hotel staff member about dinner and she said nothing was available until after the lighting of the tree.
The hotel has an underground restaurant (Restaurace Katakomby) with very narrow circular stairs leading down. It is carved out of the stone and I assume has looked the same for centuries. I like to try local foods so I ordered an appetizer called “traditional goose liver in pork fat.” I assumed the liver would be cooked in pork fat – but it was cold and covered with about an inch of lard.
The walled part of the city – almost completely surrounded by the Vltava River – is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Castle Český Krumlov is the second largest castle in the Czech Republic.
We took a private tour with a local guide. She told us that the communist government had left the historic city center untouched. She also explained that “local” didn’t mean your family had been there for generations. The communists assigned people to cities.
The Christmas Market was very small – maybe a dozen stands, all in the center square – and just for the night of the Christmas tree. The next day the stands were all gone. All of them were by locals. One was by a family selling leather and fur items made from animals they had trapped themselves.
In most markets, the Gluhwein (hot spiced wine) is mostly the same from one booth to another. Here, the Gluhwein was made in a large iron pot over a wood fire.

Don’t miss…

Lighting of the Christmas tree (if you can find out the date)
Guided tour by a local (and not one of the tour guides who ride buses in and out of the city)
The castle and the beautiful views of the city
The Old Inn (There are other hotels, but this one I know is very nice and right on the square. If you want to get to know the city, stay there and don’t take a bus from a larger city.)
St Vitus church

If you drive…

Get detailed directions from the hotel to their parking. Also get a phone number so you can call from the parking area.
Read about driving in the Czech Republic, especially on the main roads. I don’t have any experience on any roads except the “back roads”, but I’ve read things from others that would make me cautious.

Beaten path index: 4.1 (See the key here)