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.