Day 2: Czech Republic
13 May 2006 |We arrived in Europe very early in the morning. After clearing customs, we were ushered into the hotel restaurant for a buffet styled breakfast. We weren’t very hungry because the people on China Airlines fed us like 20 times before our arrival, but the buffet looked so delicious. So much for our diets!
After eating we boarded our main tour bus for the trip and met the driver. He was a super tall fellow and could speak perfect English. At first, he thought I was a tour guide because I was speaking Japanese, but then he realized I was part of the group. He seemed to be pleasantly surprised. Since there were only 15 people in the tour group, there was tons of space on the bus to sprawl out. Azusa and I quickly claimed the entire back of the bus so that we could sleep comfortably across the large section of seats. And sleep, we did.
When we woke up we had already arrived at our first destination in Europe ÄŒeský Krumlov. Made up of 300 buildings, ÄŒeský Krumlov is one of the Czech Republic’s oldest and most beautiful towns and the entire area has been deemed a national treasure by UNESCO. Most of the city received a Baroque style makeover at the end of the 17th century, but the Italian Renaissance also influenced the town and it’s castle. The buildings give the town a very unique feeling. It was almost like we were transported back in time! Anyways, we only got to spend about two hours in ÄŒeský Krumlov before boarding the bus for Prague. It’s too bad that we didn’t have more time because Azusa and I wanted to try out some of the cafes that lined the streets. There’s always next time, I guess!
This is the view of Český Krumlov from the castle.
We arrived in Prague in the evening, checked into our hotel and then it was straight to dinner. The restaurant we went to was quite charming. They had a polka band cranking out the tunes and riling up the patrons. It was pretty wild. You can check out a video by clicking here. We ate some sauerkraut, some spongy potatoes and steak. It was all pretty tasty. By the time we had finished eating, it was pretty late. Sightseeing in Prague would have to wait until tomorrow.
Next stop: Prague