Krum Here My Lov

Cesky Krumlov is a smallish town, three hour bus ride south of Prague.

The day started with a bus ride. Not just any bus. A bus that had televisions in the back of the seats, with English programing and music, free hot chocolate and free earphones to borrow! I'll take it over another trans-Atlantic Air Canada Rouge flight any day (not to say anything bad about the flight attendants: they were awesome)! Note to Air Canada Rouge: Entertainment for Apple users only =

ridiculous/get your act together.

Triposo, my new favourite app, led us right to our hostel from the bus station in less than 10 minutes. Not that we minded walking. It was the most beautiful Spring day of 2015. Everything was coming up roses; almost literally. The cherry blossoms were out, trees actually budding green, not a whisper of snow to be seen! Our hostel, Kromlov House, is amazing. One of best places we've stayed, ever. Its an old building that was once a bakery and then a quarantine house for those wanting to enter the city, so to make sure those travelling folks didn't have the plague, or any other nasty ailment. And now, its a super atmospheric spot built around a huge two story brick oven with old wooden doors, brass latches, hand hewn wood furniture and lots of great character. The owners told us that when they bought the house nearly twenty years ago, the roof was falling in and the whole house was in shambles. When outsiders were finally allowed back into the Czech after the Wall came down, many of its towns were all but deserted. In fact, Cesky Krumlov itself was practically taken over by forest. Trees were growing out of rooftops, buildings were abandoned, windows broken. It sounds like it was a veritable ghost town. Thankfully the potential of the beautiful city wasn't ignored. Today, it is the Czech's second biggest tourist town.

Cesky Krumlov was stolen straight from a fairy tale. Or, maybe all fairy tales were set in Cesky Krumlov. Either way, you get the idea. Visiting mid-week, in April was perfect. We were able to experience all the atmosphere with very few other tourists.

We had perfectly warm, sunny weather. Conveniently, Cesky Krumlov has a seemingly endless number of terraces, patios and balconies from which to enjoy said weather. Often we were accompanied at these locations by an excellent Czech beer. Sometimes also with a Czech staple, fried cheese, and one special afternoon we even indulged in some local layered honey cake.

It was J who was lucky enough to celebrate his birthday in Krumlov. We hiked to a hill overlooking the town and were rewarded with spectacular views of the town with all its red roofs, the river that hugs it, and the rolling countryside rising up on all sides of Krumlov, as if to try and hide its secret down in the valley.

We splurged on a traditional banquet with a mug of sweet mead. The restaurant's terrace was overlooking the rushing river and there were even fleece blankets to cuddle into as the sun fell behind the town castle. J made 'birthday decrees' like 'You shall not feed the stray cat the ham from your plate,' and “Thou shall not punch the birthday boy on his birthday.” Because it was hisbirthday I had no choice but to bow to his unreasonable demands. Poor cat.

Krumlov was adorable during the day, but it was down-right-magical when the sun went down. If there was a picture beside the definition of a Romantic Evening Stroll, it would be of one of the countless bridges and alleyways that wind their way through Krumlov. You could hardly blame me for insisting that we meander around just one more cobbled corner.

Kromlov House

Private room with a private bathroom 1,000 czk per night.