Česky Krumlov
We got our bags packed, had breakfast and were off on our day trip to Cesky Krumlov. I had picked up a map of local area cycle routes yesterday and today we planned to put it to use. The route (No.12) was well marked and we were able to pick it up as a dedicated paved bike road along the river edge as it passed by the city centrum. As we neared the edge of city, the bike path turned to crushed gravel - hard packed and quite navigable with my skinny tires. The bike lane eventually dumped us onto a minor road that led to the next town. The bike route followed some very minor country roads; most were about one car width. They were always paved though sometimes not in the best repair. A new section of the route led through a wooded glade down a very steep lane to the river. Where the route met the river, there was an encampment of ‘river rats‘. White water Kayaking is quite popular here in the Czech Republic.
As we neared Česky Krumlov, we misinterpreted a Bike Route sign and continued on the secondary road instead until it brought us to the main auto route from Ceske Budejovice to Česky Krumlov. We were about 3km from the center of the old town. At this point, we could either backtrack and pickup Bike Route 12 or take the busy highway with no shoulder. We took the busy highway. Once we reached Česky Krumlov, the hardest part was finding a way into the old town. The next few minutes were not too pretty, lots of heavy traffic, stress, confusion and missed signals. Daniel and I got separated and it took a little while to figure out what happened to each other.
After several false starts we finally got into the oldest parts of town. All the streets were cobblestone and congested. Not with cars but
pedestrians. For the next hour we walked our bikes through the busy narrow streets. At one point we were approached by a kindly older gentleman who
invited us to eat in his restaurant located on Soukenická (a side street) just off the main square. When he also offered a place to lock our bikes off the street, we accepted.
http://www.ckrumlov.cz/obr/zamek/oinf/3430b.jpg
Česky Krumlov Links...
http://www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/atlas/i_cmm.htm
http://www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/region/histor/i_hireck.htm
http://members.fortunecity.com/allan51/cesky.html
Following lunch, there was little left to see or do in this tourist focused
town, so we reconnected with Bike Route 12 and began a climb out of the
river valley. Shortly after we left Cesky Krumlov the bike path turned
into a single track more suited for mountain bikes than for our touring
wheels. This was the section of Rt.12 that we missed on our inbound leg.
Eventually this single track connected with a ‘real‘ road and back to the
part that we had covered on the way in. Except for a little shortcut, we
retraced our morning route and reached the square In Ceske Budejovice just under 8 hours after
we left.
Friday, August 3, 2001 19:22PM
A thunderstorm has broken over Namesti Premysia Otakara II (the square outside our hotel suite window). The square which has always
maintained some level of activity is almost deserted. The rain and wind are so hard that water is blowing into the closed locked window of
the hotel room.
The recumbent has elicited lots of comments. There doesn‘t
seem to be any Czech word for it. Having someone along that can catch the
Czech words has helped. If the Czechs come up with a word, I may have a part
in its naissance (birth). So far here are two that we‘ve heard:
Ležitskě Kolo - lying
down bike.
Modernǐ Kolo - Modern bike
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