The next day was in Linz. We elected to take the excursion to Český Krumlov, a quaint mediaeval village back in the Czech Republic. This town was largely untouched by WWII, so the castle and town are like they have been for hundreds of years. After a walking tour of the town and castle grounds, we all sat down for a traditional Czech meal and then had some free time to spend money on stuff we didn’t need. We also climbed the tower of the castle and looked at the museum inside the castle tower during our free time. Despite the hour and fifteen minute drive in each direction, we arrived back in Linz in time to walk around the town a bit and get some Linzer tortes.
Our first glimpse at a portion of the castle.Our guide, Stephan, did a great job showing us around the town.Two movie stars we met during the tour. Viking provides a “Vox” device with an ear piece. This allows the guide to narrate the tour without yelling or bothering others not on the tour.Another view of the town.School is ending soon in the Czech Republic. There were many school groups in town. Here you can see one school group rafting down the river.The castle walls. Here you can see how different sections of the castle were built in different decades with different styles.The town was hosting a group of high wire enthusiasts. In many of these pictures you can see the lines high over the river or town.Approaching the castle.The castle was built over many decades. The castle, consisted of five courtyards, each built in a slightly different style. Many of the walls had frescos on them. This is the archway leading from the castle to the town.The town from the castle walls.The government is in the process of adding a military museum to the castle. Here are a couple of cannons on display.They claim that this is one of the first two breach-loading cannons ever built, but the guide was a little hazy on the specifics other than that it was produced by Krupp.Another of the courtyards. We later climbed to the top of that tower.Another courtyard picture.Many of the walls were painted to look like large bricks, but the walls were actually just flat plaster.Another view of the faux brickwork painted on the walls.Karen and JJA gingerbread shop in town. Cookies and booze seem like an unusual taste combination.We had a traditional Czech meal in several courses in a restaurant, called the Water Mill.The meal consisted of a very tasty soup. Then a tray of meats, including duck, chicken, beef, and pork, was brought out family style. This included red cabbage. Like most means over the past two weeks, vegetables other than cabbage were in short supply.Many of the buildings in town were decorated with these detailed frescoes.Another view of part of the town. The buildings were painted in a number of pastel colors.Český KrumlovAfter lunch we were released for some free time. We chose to climb to the tap of the castle tower.The tower from below.Candy in the tower with the town in the background.A view of the town from atop the tower. You can see some of the high-wire lines in this photo.
After a little shopping we boarded the bus and headed back to Linz. I don’t fee like we missed anything in Linz by spending the day in Český Krumlov. It is a largish German city with a handful of churches to see. We had a couple of hours to walk downtown and shop for Linzer tortes to bring home. The shopping area in Linz was just a city street and was not really unique or quaint.
