Český Krumlov

This weekend we went on a trip to Český Krumlov, a charming medieval city about two and a half hours from Prague. It's actually the second most visited destination in the Czech Republic aside from Prague.

from the top of the tower:

Here's the view from our hostel window, which was built in the 15th century!

Český Krumlov Castle - second biggest in Bohemia

The walk way above the arches connects the castle to the theater. The doors separating each room in the tunnel are made out of thick iron to prevent the spread of fires, which was a common problem in theaters back then because they often used fireworks and open flames during productions.

The pit below the drawbridge holds a family of brown bears that have lived there since the Rozmberks added bears to their coat of arms in the 16th century. They looked too soft and friendly to scare any enemies away...

We went on an extensive tour of the inside of the castle. Our tour guide told us that there are 365 rooms! There wasn't time to see all of them, but we did see quite a few and got a glimpse of what the royal life was like back then.

People dined on pewter (not china) dishes - which often resulted in lead poisoning.

Rarrrrr.. so many bear rugs

We learned that only two Baroque theaters are still in good shape - one in Stockholm, and one here at the Krumlov Castle. We went behind the scenes to see how the equipment worked for changing scenes and what it was like to sit where the royal family sat.

Some original costumes from a production of Snow White

Then we walked outside to the beautiful Castle gardens

A close-up of the tower

Hot air balloons floating through the valley - truly magical

More shots of the town, with the Vltava River winding around to the right

The second day of our trip began with a tour of the Eggenberg brewery.  We walked through the factory and now have a new found respect for the beer production.

The tour ended with a stop in the restaurant to sample their yeast beer. (They told us it was good for our skin, Mom!)

Tuesday is a national holiday in honor of St. Vaclav (Wenceslas), so there were festival activities happening all weekend.  There was an outdoor market in the main square with lots of meat - 

and kids performing folk dances on a stage.

We got to see a pretty good live folk performance at night featuring three acoustic guitarists while sipping on some Burčák.  Burčák is partially fermented young wine and really sweet - almost too sweet.  It tastes just like juice!

Another city... conquered.

zoo & sunshine

Classes got out on Thursday and we ran to the Prague Zoo! We could have taken the bus, but since it was so nice out, we decided to walk through the park by our apartment. Since we're in the middle of the city, it was reminiscent of Central Park except WAY larger.

Such a beautiful day!

Camel Back

Sun worshipper

Zmrzlina break!

Monkey Business

The bird exhibits were open, so we walked through and got personal with the exotic species.

Big Guy

Our favorite, the GIRAFFES

There were twelve total!

Stripes

Roo

The zoo was on a hill and we could see the entire city from the top. The leaves are starting to change colors here, which makes us wonder what they do with the animals once the cold really hits.

It was our best zoo trip so far!

Enchanted Forests

This weekend we took an NYU sponsored trip hiking in the Šumava Mountains in Southern Bohemia.  The Šumava mountains (Bohemian Forest) is a large mountain range along the southern Czech border between the Vyšebrodský Průsmyk and Všerubský Průsmyk - near Germany.  

FIRST STOP: Glassworks and grinding plant of glass in Annín.  

Inside the factory: artisan at work

Finely crafted glass balls

SECOND STOP: bunker from WW II

We descended into this historical bunker to find tiny rooms filled with strategic weaponry.  Unfortunately, it was too dark to take any pictures but on the bright side we got a realistic experience of what life inside the bunker was really like (cramped with stale air).

Stop Three:  Hiking at last...

world's softest moss.

We were hiking along and, out of nowhere, came across a miniature zoo with otters.  ummm... what?  so strange.

"Salvador Dali Mushrooms" that Dillon found

Along the trail we found an instrument facing a stream that amplifies the sound of the water.  It was like a water stethoscope!

Day Two:  We woke up to a nice breakfast at the hotel that fueled us for the second day of hiking.

The countryside meadows were so beautiful!  The fluffy clouds coupled with green pastures made it seem like a real life fairy tale.

sun streaming through the forest

After a strenuous hike up the mountain, we reached KASPERK CASTLE. 

playing with stilts

We thought the view from the base of the castle was pretty cool, but then we climbed to the top...

Breath taking!

We got a tour of the inside of one of the towers.  This is a view from inside the palace:

It's hard to imagine what life was like here in the medieval days.  They had a suit of armor on display.  The people back then were so small!  

We took a different route down the mountain, passing through the woods and farmland.

Lizard rescue

On the way back we stopped in a quaint little town for an ice cream break.