Today we actually stuck to our plan to visit Cesky Krumlov. We had a relaxed start to the day because Cesky Krumlov was only 6 miles from our campsite.
My databases showed four different possible parking places for motorhomes and more in hope than expectation I put the co-ordinates for the most central car park into SatNav. As we arrived it was clear that I had been overly ambitious: the car park was full. Fortunately however, as we were considering where to pull over to reprogramme SatNav, we saw a parking area on a side road, which was free of charge and had a Basil sized gap.
When we park Basil in a town we, like every motorhome owner, has to consider whether to leave the curtains and blinds open, so if someone breaks in the burglar is exposed to the outside world as our alarm goes off, or alternatively close all the curtains on the basis that any potential burglar then will not know whether Basil is occupied or not. We tend to use the second rationale and close everything up. So far we have been lucky, but even though we have had second locks fitted to the main doors and an alarm system installed, motorhomes are very vulnerable to break ins.
Cesky Krumlov Castle
Cesky Krumlov is a small town. In the 13th Century a castle was built on a high point next to a tight bend in the Vltava river and a town then grew up round it. It has been given UNESCO World Heritage status because it is said to be an outstanding example of a small medieval town, where both Baroque and Renaissance elements remain intact.
Cesky Krumlov
There is one long main street, which crosses the river and leads past the castle entrance to the town’s market square. It was, yet again, a beautifully picturesque town, with every street and square lined with original houses, with not a single modern building to be seen. The castle is not so much a castle in the sense of a huge fortified structure which could withstand sieges, but rather a palace cum manor house enclosed by some fortifications.
Cesky Krumlov Town Square
There are no individually significant buildings, but it is the town overall which is to be admired. A place just to wander round and if you have time and money, to sit and have a meal at one of the many restaurants and watch the world go by. And it would be the world you would be watching. We had anticipated, that being a small town in a fairly remote part of Czechia, Cesky Krumlov would be relatively quiet. We were wrong. It has definitely been discovered by tourism and today East Asian’s outnumbered Europeans.
Cesky Krumlov
So far the town has remained relatively unspoilt. As I have mentioned there are plenty of restaurants and there are also many many shops aimed at tourists, but at the moment they are fairly upmarket and tasteful. Sarah had great enjoyment shopping in the shops lining the lovely cobbled streets and some of our nearest and dearest will be receiving gifts from Cesky Krumlov.
Cesky Krumlov with the castle in the background
We had a lazy lunch, picking up a slice each of excellent pizza and following it up with the traditional cylindrical sweet pastry called a trdelník. We have seen trdelnik cooking in towns all over central Europe, but had never previously tried one. We will not be consuming another. Maybe the one we bought, which was cinnamon flavoured, was a bad example, but it was really too dry for our tastes.
Me with a church tower growing out of my head
We eventually tore ourselves away from Cesky Krumlov, which is another town which is definitely worth making the effort to visit, if you are anywhere in its vicinity. These medieval Central European towns and cities are coming quick and fast and it is difficult to rate one against another, but Cesky Krumlov is right up there.
Window of the day, in an Ecclesiastical building
SatNav was set for Regensburg in Germany, our next stop, although it was too far to reach today. The roads to the German border were through lovely, rural South Bohemian countryside and as a result of this and other experiences in rural Czechia, we can categorically declare that Czech roads are far better than those in the old East Germany, which is a surprise.
After crossing the barely noticeable German border we stared looking for places to stop for the night. We have found a purpose build Stellplatz (48.801307,13.541311) on the outskirts of Freyung. It has got full facilities, although you have to pay for electricity and topping up with water. All this for the princely sum of €6.