A Souvlakian afternoon

Slovakian pics

Czech Republic pics

We left Zakopane in the middle of a downpour, the first real rain we have encountered on our trip so far. We were headed south into Slovakia (nicknamed Souvlakia as it kept coming out that way), but to where exactly we hadn't quite figured out. As it turned out, the bus to Poprad (nicknamed PopRadio) was leaving the soonest and was reportedly the quickest cheapest route, with Poprad being the major Souvlakian transport hub.

The Europe on a shoestring is pretty sketchy with Souvlakian information, I think the highlight of the country was reported to be a big meal at some pub and another couple of castles/churches, the big meal had me interested. On arrival in Poprad there was nothing that scintillated us, and there was an overnight train, we discovered, through to a town in Czech Republic called Cesky Budejovice, a stones throw from our highly recommended target of Cesky Krumlov. The train departed at 11:40pm so we had an afternoon to kill in the industrial town of PopRadio - with the new shopping mall which has been a feature of the emergent capitalism in these former Communist nations. We saw a sign to a steakhouse and went and gorged ourselves, hoping the meal would last us until midday the following day when we would arrive in Cesky Krumlov....

On cue, two and a half hours later, I was starving and all the shops in the station had closed, all that offered food was a chocolates and coffee machine that also did soup and hot chocolate. Soup sounded great to me, so I went through the correct procedures and was duly provided with a steaming cup of hot water - I did smell a faint hint of chicken flavour, and assumed the floaties in it were the source.

An hour later I found another similar machine, hoping the previous machine was broken, I selected 'soup' again. Only to be rewarded with another piping hot cup of water, the flavour possibly a fraction stronger with this one. At least the water kept us warm in the chilly station.

After another night on a train and groggy 3am border control procedures out of the way we arrived in Cesky B. just before midday, the next train to Cesky K. was about to leave so we grabbed a couple of sandwiches and leapt aboard.

Cesky Krumlov is a small old Bohemian town, with a castle spire being the centrepiece, that has the clear Vltava (I think) river wending its way through the town. Although being over run with tourist shops along the narrow winding cobbled lanes and over priced restaurants on every corner, it is a place that will stick in my memory, and not just because of the 5 games of bowling we managed to squeeze into an hour (pay by the hour). But one afternoon I was wandering down into the town from our hostel, about 7:30pm, the air had that late summer feel - you know Autumn is just beginning, the sun was low and hitting the tops of all the little (and big) and old Bohemian buildings with white walls and orange tiles roofs. I had no camera with me, just my eyes, so I stood and watched. One of those European moments that an impressionist painting would do more justice than any photograph.