The train was a two carriage trundler and we had about twenty stops for a forty minute ride and I doubt if it went above 25mph so it was relaxing.I’m in no rush after all.A few of the scheduled stops they just sailed through.There’s probably one or two places they haven’t stopped at for years,I did like it when we went through a forested area a few times with hundred foot pine trees either side of us…got to Krumlov and,as I normally do,I had a smoke,noticed a supermarket and popped in for some supplies.What I hadn’t noticed was all the other punters where boarding a bus for town.Apparently it’s part of the ticket( nobody told me,well Infact they did but I didn’t have a Scooby what they were telling me) Next train in two hours,ergo next bus in two hours…ho hum a mile walk into town but all downhill.Very downhill…
Cesky Krumlov is what it is.Imagine If the Czech tourist board had said “ has anyone seen that messed up British show from the 60’s called The Prisoner? We want that but more so…” It was quaint,it was lovely,it was hard on the feet cobble bloody stones…lots and lots of craft shops selling the usual stuff to us tourists who usually descend from the hill by bus,walk around for hours never spending enough then pissing off again…The stuff in the shops wasn’t cheap tat either.It was good quality merch aimed at the Americans & Japanese who’re doing the whole of Europe in two weeks and you want their hard cash.It’s not aimed at some bozo who can’t even catch a bus…
I did find a great little museum/shop which flogged repo stuff from the early 20th century.You know those metallic adverts,some of which were decidedly dodgy.You know the ones,happy little black faces selling shoe polish,that type of thing…I asked the woman if she had anything pertaining to my great aunt Anny Ondra,who was a huge star in this neck of the woods and even starred in Hitchcock’s first talkie called “ Blackmail” but nada,zilch,nowt…
So there you have it,Cesky Krumlov is worth a visit for a few hours but that’s it unless you like being on a fantasy film set for a week…of course I walked back up the hill to get my train.Not a hope in hell I was gonna find the bus stop…now I’m happily having a budvar or two in the square and later gonna try my local tandoori before scooting off to Prague tomorrow…
See you all later…
Ps this great weather is killing me.I desperately want to wear my shorts but even though the bites on the legs have healed up they have more scabs than a King’s Cross crack addict and I have to admit I’d be a bit self conscious to have them on display…life can be a beach.
Pps I said yesterday that Ceske Budejovice is weird.Got chatting to a Czech fella called Ludo in a bar by the river via the age old traditional way of google translate.He smoked half my tabs but bought me a couple of beers so all’s fair.He offered to give me a lift to Prague today,I declined,then he wanted me to be his wing man in search of women,I declined and in time honoured fashion made my excuses and left.By this time it was 10pm and I wanted my tandoori…walking to the hotel was about half mile and I saw many of the bars were closing then the Maccy D’s by me was closed and like most horror movies I was getting a bad feeling about this…sure enough the Tandoori was closed too.Now Budejovice is not a big place but it’s not small either however when most bars,Maccy D’s and Indian restaurants close at 10pm that to me is weird…in the wise words of Toyha Wilcox “It’s a Mystery “
2 comments:
Morning owd scabbylegs 😀...I'll tell you weird...I do have a very vague memory of you (or being told by someone) saying about your Aunt being famous !! How's that for recollection of how many years ago. I also remember everywhere shutting at early o'clock in Yugoslavia,mind you there was bugger all to stay open for..folk seemed to work then have an early doors drink,eat then go home !!
Onwards Gareth and keep that fun element at the forefront.
Take care mate..Nige
Yea good memory! There’s a small clip of her & Hitchcock on you tube somewhere.That old dog liked his blondes!
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