Happy Travel Tuesday! I am back from the English camp in the mountains, exhausted and full of good stories (which I will be sure to share!). However, I couldn’t wait to share more about my new favorite little Czech town, Cesky Krumlov (chess-key krum-LOV, in case you were wondering).

After our boating trip in Cesky Krumlov, we came back to finally explore the old, UNESCO heritage streets.

Cesky Krumlov has been the star of many movies, and for good reason. The cobblestoned streets are charming and full of cute little shops, and there are dozens of tiny little alleys everywhere, which is one of my favorite things! One of the best things about the streets and the alleys in this little town is the fact that as you wind down one, you’ll suddenly be faced with an incredible view of the castle, a little peek of the river, a glimpse of one of the many gorgeous churches.

There are so many things to do in Cesky Krumlov, and we definitely did not get a chance to do them all. I recommend going medieval there, as the town in designed for it! Here’s how:

1. Sample hot mead at the Tavern of the Two Marys.

I was pretty exhausted after the boat trip, so we hunted down an old tavern, the Tavern of the Two Marys, where we had been wanting to sample some hot mead. The location ended up being right on the river…perfect!

We “sampled” two giant mugs of homemade mead, almond and cinnamon flavored, as well as trying out a medieval cabbage pastry and traditional Czech cake. Both of the cakes were somewhat dry to me, which is supposedly authentic, but they tasted delicious with that mead. Especially the almond mead!

If you want to go really medieval, there are many other items on the menu, including a giant medieval feast!

2. Go to the castle and happen upon a movie being filmed.

If you want to shell out the moola, you can go inside the castle. This time, we decided not to, but luckily you can walk through the castle grounds to the entrance, which gives you a stunning view and the feeling that you are at a castle. While we were there, we happened to wander onto a movie set! Some movie starring Adrien Brody was currently being filmed in Cesky Krumlov and the set we walked into looked just like a medieval marketplace might look.

3. Try the local beer.

The Eggensberg brewery is located here in Cesky Krumlov. You can taste the beer all over town. I would recommend going straight to the brewery for a taste or a tour if you fancy, as it is housed in this amazing old church. The bar was actually full when we were there, so we didn’t get to taste it at the brewery, but it still was a beautiful building to see!

4. Eat at Na Louzi.

Although not quite medieval, this restaurant bar has been around for about a century. The wood paneled room, the community seating, the meat-and-cheese dishes, and the local beer all make it feel like you’ve stepped back in time.

5. Find the bear pits.

Right at the entrance to the castle, there are giant bear pits that hold, you guessed it, a family of European brown bears. Bears are seen as sacred symbols of power throughout Europe (apparently neither Czechs or Russians refer to them directly), and one of the most prominent historical families in Cesky Krumlov, the Rosenbergs, were no exception. The brown bears have been there since around 1707 as a gift to the family to demonstrate their connection to other great families in Europe.

6. Wander around the Main Square. 

Wandering anywhere in Cesky Krumlov is the best thing you can do, I think, but make sure to find the Main Square. It’s well-preserved and not difficult to imagine the place as a medieval market…especially when you see the occasional horse! Of course, it’s not medieval times, which means the place is overrun with tourists, but if you find a quiet corner to soak up the sights, you will love it.

7. Rent a boat and float down the river to the Zlata Koruna Abbey. 

What is more medieval than an abbey? Even though we didn’t actually go inside the abbey, it was an awesome ending to our river float to watch it approaching from the alley. I would like to go back and visit one day–maybe after I’m a little more prepared for a day-long river event!

8. Find the Gypsy Pub. 

We didn’t actually have a chance to do this one, but it’s highly recommended. Roma, formerly known as “gypsies,” have traditionally be persecuted throughout Europe, and continue to be so (read more about it here). However, Cesky Krumlov is one town where Roma and Czechs seem to live peacefully, and this pub is a demonstration of that.

9. Stay at Krumlov House in their riverside cottage. 

It’s not too medieval (and let’s face it, I definitely did not want to deal with a “medieval” bathroom), but it was certainly cute and old-fashioned. Since Krumlov House is a hostel, it’s also a great deal, even for the cottage, which is a small apartment complete with a kitchen.

10. Finally, climb up for a higher view of the town. 

Seeing the town from a distance, it will make it even easier to imagine how little it has truly changed in centuries. Plus, it’s beautiful!

Each week Bonnie, Jessi, Camila and I choose one post from the previous link-up to feature. Be sure to check out their blogs to see who they chose!

This week I am spotlighting Sarah from Daydreams of Summertime and her post about the Poppy Installation at the Tower of London. I was immediately struck by her incredible pictures of the installation–those colors!–but the more I read about the reason behind the installation, the more I loved it. The installation is a beautiful way to commemorate every fatality in World War I. Her pictures and story make me feel like I am seeing it myself. Be sure to check out her post to read more!

Ready to link up?

1. SHARE a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between! Just make it about traveling somewhere!

2. GRAB the lovely button above. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention Bonnie, Amy, Jessi and Camila in a link!

3. LINK-UP goes live every Tuesday at 0800 GMT. Make sure to comment here, on the co-hosts blogs, and visit around!

TIPS:

1. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future link-ups!

2. The last Tuesday of every month will be a themed prompt if you want to join in!

3. HOP around and meet new travel loving bloggers! Check back to visit some of the newer travel posts!

This past weekend was our first getaway from Prague into the countryside of the Czech Republic. We chose Cesky Krumlov, which turned out to be the perfect weekend spot.

Cesky Krumlov is simply adorable and even though I forgot my “real” camera (for shame!) I filled my phone (and E’s!) with a plethora of pictures from the medieval city.

(And don’t worry…I will almost share them all!).

We arrived Friday night and immediately collapsed into our little “riverside cottage” that was straight out of a Tolkien novel.

The next, after sleeping in a bit (we needed it, although I normally do not recommend this on weekend trips–but the Black Lung refuses to go away, so we gots to sleep!), we immediately set out to finally see the town.

We’d walked about half a block before we were waylaid by a rafting/boating shop. I’d heard that a highly recommended activity in Cesky Krumlov was to raft/canoe down the Vlatava River (the same river that runs through Prague) to a nearby abbey. We saw the shop and thought we would check out prices, planning to actually go boating either later that day or the next.

“Do you want to go now?” The shop owner asked after some basic questions.

“Well we were going to eat first…” We were hesitant.

“Eat here.” He pulled out a brochure of a riverside pub, and we were sold.

Immediately we went down a steep, narrow alleyway to the river and hopped into the waiting raft/canoe.

(I’m not sure what to call it–but it was reminiscent of an inflatable canoe).

I loved this spontaneity as usually I have every trip planned out. In this case, a little more  planning might have been nice because this was not just the leisurely trip down the river I had imagined. There were small rapids and we got soaked!

Luckily it was a gorgeous day, and they’d given us a dry bag when we hopped in the boat (why this wasn’t a clue to how wet we would get, I don’t know).

Despite a more wild ride than anticipated, I was immediately enchanted. We got into the river just before the big bend that reaches Cesky Krumlov, so our first daylight (and non-misty) views of the town were from the water. We could see the ancient castle, the riverside buildings, a canal, and several churches, not to mention the slanted cobblestone streets. I risked the wet and snatched a few pictures in a non-rapid area of the river.

Not too long after leaving town, we were suddenly in the wilderness, or so it seemed. Thick forest surrounded the river, and there wasn’t another boat near us. Despite the occasional riverside pub, we didn’t see another soul for miles. I was not expecting this but the peacefulness was so needed after our hectic month in Prague.

The river started to get a little busier as we neared the riverside pub our guide had recommended to us. We even saw some locals searching for mushrooms, or “mushrooming,” which is apparently a popular Czech pastime in the warm months.

(As far as I can tell, it involves searching the forest for edible mushrooms! We saw some people with serious baskets or buckets, but one old man with his dog filling his hat. It sounds really fun, maybe someday I will be invited to go…).

We arrived at the pub and after a mishap trying to land (where one of us got really soaked), we climbed up into what turned out to be a Czech campground, complete with beer, sausages, a variety of drinks, and even goulash!

We were eventually able to snag a spot by the campfire, drink some beers (or rum and tea, for those of us freezing ones) and share a sausage. Everything was delicious, as it always is after you work for it! We made some Czech friends by the fire (that we later saw cruising the river with a bachelor party, on a boat that included a grill and a blow-up doll) and eventually took off for the abbey.

I didn’t enjoy the second half of the trip as much as I had the first, so by the time we arrived at the abbey I was ready to get out of the boat and since our ride was waiting (we made an arrangement with the raft company for a ride back, since I hear it’s difficult to get a canoe upriver), we only saw the abbey from afar. Still, it was a lovely, spontaneous trip through the Czech forest, and I can’t wait to get back to Cesky Krumlov and explore more!

Stay tuned for more Cesky Krumlov!

Welcome to Travel Tuesday!

Each week Bonnie, Jessi, Camila and I choose one post from the previous link-up to feature. Be sure to check out their blogs to see who they chose!

This week I am featuring Clem and Marcella from What a Wonderful World and Marcella’s post about The Lavaux Valley in Switzerland. Switzerland always holds a special place in my heart, and I love learning about places to visit there that I haven’t yet! This beautiful visit was all because of a spontaneous wine tasting, and what better travel story is there than that?  Thanks for sharing, Marcella and Clem! Be sure to visit their post to check it out.

Ready to link up? 

1. SHARE a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between! Just make it about traveling somewhere!

2. GRAB the lovely button above. If you run into trouble, just make sure to mention Bonnie, Amy, Jessi and Camila in a link! 3. LINK-UP goes live every Tuesday at 0800 GMT. Make sure to comment here, on the co-hosts blogs, and visit around!

TIPS:

1. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future link-ups!

2. The last Tuesday of every month will be a themed prompt if you want to join in!

3. HOP around and meet new travel loving bloggers! Check back to visit some of the newer travel posts!