I guess for any Antipodean or American whose [colonial] national history is ridiculously short compared to the histories of Europe there’s an aesthetic about these historic places that’s really compelling. The sights I’ve seen have left me pretty much agape for the majority of my time in the Czech Republic. (Keep your eyes peeled for the Polish and Hungarian photos too… my jaw has been dropped most of this last section of my trip).
An offhand comment from a friend about this medieval city south of Prague set me off on a google quest to find it and here it is, Český Krumlov a UNESCO World Heritage site in the crook of the Vltava River (yep the same one that bisects Prague). And as the pictures attest, it is divine.
I had the good fortune (completely coincidentally) to be there the weekend of the Five Petalled Rose Celebrations, an annual event to celebrate the Renaissance Period (my favourite) so the town, bathed in gorgeous sunny weather (except on the two occasions when there were thunderstorms and horizontal rain), delightful costumes, and an abundance of period foods, events and stalls. I couldn’t have picked a better time to go… Hence the massive amount of pictures.
Truth to tell, I couldn’t have been more glad I had the chance to go visit.
