Cesky Krumlov

It is rare to visit a place that exceeds the high expectations surrounding it, but Cesky Krumlov managed to do just that. At a time when I’d grown tired of quaint Central European towns with their winding rivers and highly-perched castles, Cesky Krumlov was a breath of fresh air, even in spite of its river, castle and general quaintness. The simple, natural beauty of this region – the gold-tinted foliage, rolling hills and the untouched, frozen-in-time buildings – are made to be printed on a postcard.



The castle was the biggest surprise. Unlike its more staid and stately cousins in Karlstein and Konopiste, the wild colors of Krumlov Castle give it a real uniqueness.



Our hostel also added to the captivating coziness of the town. With the barely-above-freezing temperatures and a nasty bone-chilling rain outside, our comfy spot at the Dilettante’s Hangout couldn’t have been more welcoming. We were treated to a warm, roaring fire not only in the “lobby” of this house-cum-hotel, but also our own personal fireplace in our private room, the Buddha Suite.







The second day was kinder to us. Apart from some threatening clouds, we had glimpses of sun and even a little warmth. We visited the sister museums – of Torture, then of Wax – for a fun change of pace. The Torture Museum was legitimately creepy and was even housed in what could have been an old dungeon (or a wine cellar.) The lighting was dark and some really macabre displays and photos were showcased. Added to the atmospheric music and occasional shrieks of a special effects CD, it was great spooky fun. The Wax Museum had its share of spookiness too, mostly from the “Woman in White” display. The woman figure disappears mysteriously and is replaced by a white owl over and over on a loop. It was all tricks of the light for sure, but nevertheless impressive. The other figures on display were, for the most part, less scary and ranged from 18th century royalty to modern-day personages like Vaclav Havel and Bill Clinton.



We spent the rest of our time exploring the castle grounds (it was too cost-prohibitive to visit the interior) and taking in some of the beautiful scenery. There was a bear moat that people were crowding around, eager for a look at the two bears that live there.






The tower was open so we shelled out a few crowns to climb to the top and were treated to some gorgeous views, at least once the annoying tour guide and his 35 tourists moved out of the way of the one and only door to the top.





By the time we had to catch our bus, the bad weather was returning as we were on our way back to gloomy Prague.