What a stress! Will tell you all the good bits then the stressful bit – doesn’t seem that bad now but at the time I was nearly beside myself.
I caught public transport early in the morning to the bus station to catch a bus from Prague to Cesky Krumlov for the day. It is a 3 hour drive and all went well. Bus was good, they played Kung Fu Panda on dvd, but I spent more time watching the scenery out the window.
Just as well I packed my rain coat and umbrella, and wore warmer clothes. As we arrived in Cesky the rain started and pretty much it either poured or we had sunshine alternating all day.
Cesky is gorgeous – thank you so much Mary!! It is a mini version of Prague, a town on the banks of the winding river, cobbled roads, quaint shops and an amazing castle. There were a lot of tourists but that is to be expected on a Sunday. Lucky for me it is Five-Petaled Rose Celebrations time, where the locals wear costumes of noblepeople, courtiers and townspeople, and they hold parades and performances during the day. It made for a great atmosphere.
I went up and explored the church, going up the round town to ‘manage’my fear of heights (notice I don’t say conquer) and to make the most of the spectacular view. I was going to also check out the theatre (only one other Baroque theatre is comparable to this one and it is located in Sweden) but I was either too late or the tour was sold out. I also tried to wander the palace gardens but just as I headed out, it poured with rain!
There was a market at the castle and it was one of the best I have ever been to. The quality of products on sale, food, leather goods, crafts etc were exceptional. I had a local beer – was really great.
I then just wandered around the town, looking in shops when it rained, otherwise listening and watching street performers. Cesky has such a great feel about it, especially due to the time of the year.
The comes the stressful part – my bus back to Prague was not departing from the same stop we arrived at, according to my tickets. I eventually found the stop, but there was no reference to my trip on the information board, no other people at the stop (was expecting a few to be heading back to Prague like me) and when I tried to ask people, they kept either directing me to the main bus station or gave me a blank look. I quickly ran (and I mean ran!) up to the main bus station to see if anyone could help me. Information was closed, and people I asked either did not speak English or didn’t know the answer. By this time I had thoughts of being stuck in Cesky all night – it was nearly 6pm by this stage. I headed back to the bus stop on my ticket, still no one else there but as luck would have it, the bus did come, 10 minutes late. I was very relieved to get on, and even more relieved when at the next stop so many people got on that there weren’t enough seats. Some people nearly had to stand the whole 3 hour journey back to Prague! Anyway, maybe I got too stressed but it was a good reminder to make sure I know all the details on the ticket when I buy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment