Czech Republic, episode III
SOUTH BOHEMIAN REGION
The visit of the South Bohemian Region has been composed by 6 beautiful places with amazing landscapes, almost all classified Unesco World Heritage Sites. Between them: Jindrichuv Hradec, Telc, Ceske Budejovice, Cervena Lhota, Vyssi Brod and Cesky Krumlov. Honestly it took me some time to know the names of the towns... Before going to Czech Republic I wasn't able to say where I was going exactly.. :)
JINDRICHUV HRADEC
The central place of the city is dominated by a Baroque sculpture of the Assumption. In this town, you can visit a muzeum where you see the biggest Christmas mechanical crèche of the world: the Kryza crèche! It is in the Guinness World Records. Everything of the crèche has been created by the same artist Tomas Kryza during more than sixty years of his life, with about a thousand characters and 130 moving ones.
Like almost all the cities of the South Bohemian region, there is a castle in Jindrichuv Hradec. Early gothic castle in the 13th century, it has been rebuilt as a Renaissance castle in the 16th, with three courtyards and arcades. The entrance beneath the arcades goes to the garden where a beautiful rotunda has been built as a music and dance hall.
[This is a small note from myself, but I need it: ....................... Try not to take the room 21 at the Hotel 'Grand Hotel'!!!!!! We should have spent 3 nights there. We couldn't sleep 2 nights!! Almost 72 hours without sleeping!!!!!!!! I was so upseeeet!!!!!!!! This room is stuck to a NON STOP Bar 24 hours/24, with rock metal music all night long, so loud that I could even hear the lyrics sometimes!!! Especially when there was a rock concert from 2 to 4 AM!!!!! We had to complain 3 times before having another room. For a night of course nobody would complain but 3 nights, it was just impossible, we were going out of our mind!!!!! The hotel should really close this room, make it as an office or maybe isolate it ...... Since the hotel was full they had to exchange our room with a guy arriving. Poor guy. It's a pity because the hotel in itself is quite nice.]
TELC
Let's continue the visit of this charming region with Telc: this small city is situated in the southwest corner of Bohemian-Moravian highlands, exactly in between Vienna and Prague. It has been declared as a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage, due to its urban conservation, its impressive look, and all the other historical sights.
(This looks like an ink stain in the sky, doesn't it? :))
On the way back, we had a small stop at the Jindrichuv Hradec Narrow Railway to contemplate an authentic steam train with its 30kms speed.
Just want to point out that the weather in Czech Republic is really odd, going from rain to sun, from darkness to blue sky in a couple of hours.
CESKE BUDEJOVICE
Oh! Shame on me! I still haven't talked about... bier!! Czech Republic, country of good biers at low prices, so low that even mineral water is more expensive than a pint of bier. Between the famous biers we can mention Pilsner Urquell, Budweiser, Gambrinus or Kozel (my favorite :)).
To deal with one of them, the bier Budweiser Budvar is produced in Ceske Budejovice since 1895. The term Budweiser can cause confusion because it refers to two biers, the Buweiser Budvar from Czech Republic but also the American Bud produced in the States. This is in fact the oldest commercial conflict still not resolved since nowadays.
In Ceske Budejovice, you can visit the brewery and even eat at the restaurant of the brewery and see strong waiters with bier abdominal muscles. ^^
After the brewery, let's talk a bit about the city in itself. Ceske was founded by Hirzo, a knight of the king Ottokar II of Bohemia. This city has always been famous for the production of its beer, since the 13th century.
The houses in the streets are endowed with pastel colours, and the city is famous for its beautiful town square, the old city hall with bronze gargoyles, and the fountain of Sampson in the middle. The town is part of the Unesco World Heritage since 1992.
CERVENA LHOTA
One more castle just for you, because you deserve it hehe. This Renaissance water castle is built on a rocky islet in the middle of a fish lake. This castle was a property of Slavata and Stillfried families. One curiosity of this place is to see (between others of course) a portrait of Margaret of Carinthia, known as the Ugly Duchess. She managed to get married two times because she was rich. Make your own opinion :).
(source: www.answers.com/
VYSSI BROD
The Cistercian Monastery of Vyssi Brod is located really close to the boarder with Austria. This monastery became the monastery of the family von Rosenberg for ten generations. An old legend says that Wok von Rosenberg, with the willing to reach a chapel to meditate, fell into the Vltava with his horse and prayed to be saved as he was sure to die. It seemed he was saved by Saint Marie and he promised to build a monastery on the place of the chapel.
In this monastery you can see an impressive library with old books in gold covers.
CESKY KRUMLOV
The last visit is probably my favorite one. The landcapes are lovely and it is a real pleasure to have a walk in the narrow streets of the city. It has kept all its originality and fine architecture. And Cesky Krumlov has an impressive castle founded in the 13th century by the family Vitkovci, and owned in the 14th by the Rosenbergs.
And guess what?? It is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Surprised? :)
I must admit I envied people doing canoe on Vltava river.
(Do you see the face of a guy on the wall? brr freaky :))
On the way back home, we were welcomed in France by a beautiful rainbow. And also, which is a bit more astonishing, by the opening of a flower from Canada I have on my balconee. This flower only flourish once a year and only during the night. It opens when the sky becomes completely dark and fades at dawn. The perfume of the flower is also unique! And look at the size and the shape! Wow. :)
