When we were planning this trip, one of the first places that we decided was a must see was Cesky Krumlov. I don’t know if it was the stupid accent we used while saying the towns name or the photos we found online, but something told us we would love it.
After a pain free train trip from Prague we arrived at the small train station in Cesky Krumlov. We hiked down the steep streets to the old town. I know it seems of late that we are constantly visiting old towns with castles, but this place felt different. Even the tourists seemed different. Gone were the English tourists out for a stags do, hens night, or just to get drunk. They were replaced with mostly Asian tourists, which as you can imagine made us feel right at home. Initially we had planned to stay just two nights and had booked a cute cottage like room above a souvenir shop. The rooms window opened to the main bridge through town and we were delighted that a busker with a classical guitar had set himself up on the bridge providing a musical background to our relaxation. It felt like a breath of fresh air to be in this town after the big city of Prague, and indeed 2 weeks of big cities. Both of us relaxed and felt more at home right from getting off the train.
Over a couple of amazing local beers we had a deep and meaningful discussion which ended in us deciding to change our plans and instead of heading back to Prague for another two nights we would extend our stay here. We changed our bookings and booked our additional nights in a two room apartment with a large couch and a kitchen less than 100 meters from our first accommodation.
As for Cesky Krumlov itself, the small old town nestles into the bends of a river that has carved a distinct S shape with two circular town areas. On the opposite site of the river are the high castle walls of the beautiful Cesky castle. The castle and gardens are stunning and free to explore yet some additional areas you need to pay to enter. The tower provides an amazing view of town and the surrounding area.
We also entered cool underground area which had been totally ruined by some self centered artist with a huge ego…as you can tell the “art” was shit but the area was really cool.
In the moat of the castle lives a bear (or some bears). To be honest we thought it was a joke when we saw the sign that read “don’t feed the bears” but once we were at the top of the tower we could see a bear patiently waiting for their lunch.
Given the fact we had extra time in Cesky Krumlov we didn’t do a lot extra. We had many coffees in cute cafes, many beers in cute pubs, relaxed, and got our travel mojo back. After travelling for almost 2 months being constantly on the move is exhausting. But on the final day, we spent exactly 37 minutes outside in order to get food – the rest of time was spent lying on the couch and watching movies/reading books. Much needed!
Next stop Olomouc with renewed energy.
2 Travelling Kiwis 
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