Saturday, 3 November 2012

Fall Adventures

Wow October has come and gone and Christmas seems right around the corner. It has been a busy fall season and I was very thankful for a couple days off for our Fall Break at the end of October. Since we had a few days off a couple of us decided to explore more of the Czech Countryside. We hopped on a bus and headed for the Southern Bohemian Region of Czech Republic.

Český Krumlov

Located a 3 hour bus ride south of Prague is a quaint little town called Český Krumlov. A beautiful little town with small Czech eateries, the winding Vltava river, museums, fun little shops and a castle complete with a moat containing bears! We were blessed with sunshine on our first day as we wandered the castle grounds.

     










We stayed at the Hostel Merlin which like most hostels was just right for our needs: a bed, a bathroom and free coffee.
We tried a variety of traditional Czech foods including a delicious meal at a Medieval style Czech restaurant called the Two Marys (U Dwau Maryi)


 






Took the time to stop into Shakespeare and Sons, an English Book Store, and drool over their children's section. One thing I miss is being able to get children's books from the library for teaching.

We also took a tour of the Baroque Theatre. It is one of the oldest castle theatres preserved in Central Europe an at the same time it represents the most completely preserved baroque theatre in the world. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but given permission to use the ones on the website.








 




Entering the castle grounds you cross a bridge and below the bridge you may get to see the moat bears. Our first day they were hiding but on day two they came out for a brief moment.

 

 

Stopped in to look at a marionette museum. Amazing craftsmanship and so detailed.



 


 











 What I love about wandering through these places is seeing the great history that is represented. The craftsmanship, the creativity, the hard work and years of toil and hardship are visible around each corner and on each brick. Amazing gifts God has given us to create such things.