CZECH REPUBLIC

September 26. PRAGUE TO CESKY KRUMLOV  It was our last morning in Prague.  Our train for Cesky Budejovice left in the afternoon.  We packed up our bags and left them with the reception at our hotel and grabbed a nearby tram all of the way across the river to see another sunlit view of Charles Bridge from the bridge below it.   From the far side of the bridge we found our way to a well known bagel cafe.  Bagels are not local food but little else that we had eaten during our time in Prague had been either and the sound of a bagel with cream cheese was too good to pass up!  

We had seen an Art Nouveau glass shop on our walk to the castle the day before that we searched out again.  After having seen numerous Bohemian glass shops in Prague we had determined that the traditional style just wasn't to our taste.  They were beautifully ornate pieces of glass but too much so for us. Instead we were drawn to the later Art Nouveau style that was also famous in Bohemian at the turn of the last century.  Unfortunately, the shop below the castle didn't provide such a wide selection.  And another shop in Old Town fell short as well.  It looked like we would leave the Czech Republic with any glass memorabilia.

Tired and sniffly we had a final coffee at our cafe on the square before retrieving our bags from our hotel.  We grabbed some snacks at a market for our train ride and headed for the train station.  The train to Cesky Budejovice wasn't too crowded and the Czech countryside was beautiful.  We changed trains in Cesky Budejovice to a smaller train for Cesky Krumlov.  It was only a two car train and ended up cozily packed with people heading home or away for the weekend.  It was dark by the time we arrived at Cesky Krumlov and for some reason the small train stopped short of the front of the station so we were a bit unsure if we had reached our final stop.  We jumped off and I ran up to the station and confirmed we were in the right place.  The train didn't look like it was going any further but quite a few people had stayed on board so we weren't the only ones who were confused.  Rob had noticed a Japanese couple sitting near us and they also kept peaking out of the train like they were wondering what to do.  Finally we motioned to them that it was Cesky Krumlov and they looked relieved.  Having learned from our trip to Suzdal, in Russia, we followed the local people and hopped on the first bus that we saw.  The train station was some distance to the old town and we weren't keen to walk in the dark and there were no taxis in sight.  The driver nodded when we mentioned old town but looked confused when we tried to explain where we were staying.  Nonetheless we rode until he signaled us to get off.  In Suzdal we had watched while all of the locals quickly boarded a local bus to get into town, only to later learn that the buses came very infrequently and possibly only when the intercity transport was due to arrive.  The bus driver in Cesky Krumlov let us off at the far end of old town from where we were staying but the walk was manageable.  The Japanese couple walked along with us through the night lit cobblestone streets of the town.  There weren't any people around and the soft glow of the lights with the regular clopping of our shoes along the cobblestones made Cesky Krumlov seem like another world and another time.  We walked along together until the Japanese couple broke off to go to their hotel.

The staff at Hostel Merlin looked relieved that we had finally arrived.  The cozy hostel stood along the river at the south end of the old town.  The river almost entirely surrounded the old town area making a bulb shaped "U" that had once served to protect the city against intruders.  Our room was upstairs and at the end of the hallway, in what once was an old home. The ceiling in our room slanted steeply  with white walls and thick wooden beams but our beds fit underneath and a small window looked over the roof and down to the river.  The shower, toilet and kitchen with a small eating area were at the top of the stairs at the opposite end of the hallway.  It was quiet and created an old world ambience that matched the old town.