Cresky Krumlov and Passau

Left Prague this morning.  Our driver took us two hours south to a town called Cresky Krumlov. It is in the Czech Republic close to the Austrian border.   It was a walled castle town which has been very well preserved.   The town had a combination of baroque and renaissance buildings.   Many of the foundations of the buildings were from the 12th century.

 

The Krumlov Castle with the Vltava River
The Krumlov Castle with the Vltava River

The Krumlov Castle is the second largest in the Czech Republic.  It even has a bears den and a baroque theatre inside.   We saw the bear’s den but no bears.  Probably too hot for them in the sun!  The town and castle are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  I could have spent a whole day here.  it was like being at a Renaissance Fair on steroids!

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The Vltava River makes and s turn here.  It starts here in the south and is  much smaller than it is in Prague.  You could rent kayaks  and rafts to go around the town.   I so wanted to do this but could not find an accomplice.  Could have used daughter Kate at a time like this.

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We left the town around 2 and headed west along the river to get to our ship in Passau, Germany.

After settling in our cabin on the Viking Prestige, we found Judy and Lauren who were joining our group for the cruise.  We had a fantastic dinner.  I had mushroom dishes galore.  It is mushroom season in Germany.

To my surprise while we were enjoying coffee, the wait staff brought my a flaming birthday cake.  While I was talking to Malcolm, she whispered to our waiter about my birthday.   Of course by then I had a some wine and beer, so the deed was pretty easy to accomplish. Thank you, Joyce!  Fortunately it only had one candle so my age still remains a secret to the others.

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All in all, we had another great day with lots of new experiences!