Hotel Bohemia Ceske Budejovice

... a “bear-butt” Sunday morning before we left, but just briefly before he retreated back under the bridge, so they do exist!

After our tour on Saturday I explored the square and the little Christmas market, enjoying a cup of hot punch (passing on the significantly stronger Grog), and doing some window shopping. Saturday night we had a reservation at a restaurant that does a traditionally medieval meal. We had hot mead, soup ...

... this modern beautiful German train with LCD screens displaying information and comfortable seats, now here we were on a Czech train that looked like it needed to be wound up before it could go anywhere! There wasn’t even an engine carriage! Just two little carriages that drive themselves! It even had bench seats!

Somehow this train managed to get us there though, and once we arrived I realised that once again I had forgotten to look up how to get to our accommodation. I ...

... her that we would pay as we go. She didn't speak any English at all so Brian ended up having to call her daughter-in-law to explain it. This Czech lady was so funny. She'd alway look nice, but also walk around in her bathrobe and curlers in her hair. Every night she would come in when we were making dinner to remind us it was quite time after 10pm.
We spent very little time in Ceske Budejovice actually. The fist day there we took a bus to Cesky Krumlov ...

... to all of the other rafts and canoes floating by. Ahoj is simply a greeting in Czech, but maybe this is where the pirates got it from? After weir 9, 8 and 7 we did not see weir 6 for a long time. We began to worry after about 4 hours that we had somehow taken a wrong turn as weir 6 looked to be about the half way point on the crude map that we had. When we finally got over weir 6 we stopped for a celebratory beer and realised that the map probably wasn't to scale. Our ...

... after experience turned out to be beyond what I could ever hoped for. The solitude at times like this is calming, I don't feel lonely and I have no need for anything but what is in front of me at this moment. Sometimes slowing down and not rushing around looking at buildings is the best thing to recharge the batteries. You search for beauty and find your soul. I sometimes wonder what possesses me to travel, to discover and explore the unknown. There is more to be ...

... he doesn't think there will be any. So I ran as fast as one can on giant medieval cobblestones in flip flop sandals. Sure enough they are all booked. So I have learned and I now ask, "Can you check all the buses please?". The answer comes back, "Yes I see 6 seats on a bus but I can't book it now, it is too late, but if you come back in the morning at 9 am I will be able to sell it to you". So she seemed confident so I am going to be as well. If ...

... a way that didn’t feel tacky or overdone and there were no overhead power lines strung up between buildings to blemish the view of the charming streetscapes (a particular regret of mine in most European Old Towns).

From afar, the brightly coloured brickwork of the exterior of the castle looked as if it had been carefully put together by master craftsmen. But once up close it was clear it was an illusion – the masonry had all been ...

What to do on the weekend.. oh what to do.. oh right.. visit another brewery! The Anheiser-bush company is currently in litigation with the ACTUAL or should i say ORIGINAL budwiser company in Ceske Budjovice. Needless to say, this trip was destined to be great.. If my first campaign to the Pilsner brewery was a success.. this would be as well. I managed to get into the city via train in the early afternoon ...

... few new facebook friends whose couches I hope to crash in the future. Oh facebook. Two things I learned from the other backpackers: 1. King's Cup is a game played internationally. (Though Irish rules run slightly differently. Ex: Ace touch your face...and so on) - - - and by the way, beer is only 20 Kc, or $1 (don't worry Robie, I'm drinking very responsibly)!!! 2. Never Eat Shreaded Wheat is a phrase used everywhere to remember the cardinal directions of the map ...

... platform. With half worried expressions of confusion, a chick who sounded fairly Aussie questioned whether i spoke any English, and began to discuss with her whether or not this was the right bus. Its always good to meet people who are heading the same way as you, making it more somewhat fun if you all end up in completely the wrong city. So i once again met up with a group of Aussie chicks, Queenslanders Tiff, Therese, Lizzy and Renee, and rode together in the gloomy nastiness ...