Long delayed, but finally here is the second of the 'final trip' trilogy. I will separate the post into the different destinations again.
Písek
From Zvíkov, our starting point on the second day, we continued south for roughly 25 minutes along back roads to the town of Písek. The main boast of Písek is its bridge, which is widely regarded as the oldest bridge in the Czechlands. While certainly not as ornate or impressive as the Charles Bridge, there is certainly something to be said for its knack at 'hanging in there' throughout the countless years of war, flooding, and other potentially bridge-bashing events that might have come its way.
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| Walking through the Palackého Sady |
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| Czech field trips |
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| Písek Kamenný Most, the oldest bridge in the Czechlands |
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| There was a sand sculpture exhibition/competition on the riverside |
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Vendula was not intimidated by the dragon and even went so far as to face it one-on-one
to a staring contest, which she unfortunately lost |
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| A little girl peeking out of the cannabis shop |
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| Bike against an old wall mural |
Zlatá Koruna
After a tour of Písek we continued on our merry way about 70km to the south, ending up at the Cistercian monastery (no longer functioning) of Zlatá Koruna, or Golden Crown. This monastery was founded back in 1263 to help with the bolstering of southern Bohemia's spiritual prestige. For more detailed information on the monastery,
here is a site that provides a small history.
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| Close-up on Our Good Little Lord's knees |
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| A view of the Gothic windows from the monastery's inner courtyard |
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| Courtyard of the monastery, wall of the monastery, and forest out past the walls |
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Map of the ancient world. If you click and zoom in close you will be able to see
all of the believed locations of various biblical events. Ironically, the Garden of
Eden is in Syria |
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| Inside the monastery halls |
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A glimpse into the inner courtyard of Zlatá
Koruna |
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No secret what type of emotions this donation box
is trying to evoke... |
České Budějovice
The last stop of the day was the city of České Budějovice, capital of South Bohemia and home to the world-renown Budvar Brewery. This town had a pleasant atmosphere and was maybe ever so slightly under-explored by us, as time was against us with our evening arrival.
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We were fairly tired by the time we arrived in
České Budějovice... |
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An interesting exhibition was going on during our visit. If you look in the background
you can see an elevated walkway crossing the main square. The fountain in the middle
of the square, the iconic Samson's Fountain, was encircled by a huge black wooden wall.
The way into that small space was through this walkway. Once there, it was you and
the fountain in a much more intimate and enclosed environment than would normally
be the case. This project was meant to inspire discourse on public space and feelings
towards it. What happens when you 'capture' something that is public and everyone is
no longer able to see it? What feelings arise? Entry was free. |
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| Samson's Fountain from the inside of the exhibit |
We finally ended up in the absolutely magnificent Český Krumlov for the night. This brilliant little town will be the settling of our next fairy tale.
