We had a full week to spend in the Czech Republic. We decided to spend the first three nights outside of Prague and planned it so that we were in the capital city during the week rather than over a weekend – there were a lot more housing options available doing it that way.
After visiting Konopiště Castle, we headed south toward Česky Krumlov, taking smaller highways and back roads. The countryside is beautiful: I had no idea that just over a third of it is forested, 34%. We took our time, stopping on a whim in Pisek after seeing signs for an old bridge built in the 13th century.
We also stopped at a grocery store to buy food for dinner. Exploring a grocery store in a new country is one of my favorite things to do. I like to see what the differences are. One of the things that stood out most was the vast selection of sausages and other ready to eat meats. We picked out a couple to try, though one of them turned out to be Hungarian when we looked it up later.
This is about 60 percent of the sausages available - I couldn’t get them all in without doing a panorama
We bought local cheese, and half a loaf of very affordable bread that Christian ended up liking a lot. It was a light rye with carraway, an ingredient that I realized later I’ve never seen in France. We found our favorite tinned fish: smoked Riga sprats that are not available in France, and we bought all five tins that were on the shelf. We ended up getting five more in Prague. Between the sardines, a jar of dill pickles, three boxes of local cookies, and two cans of Pilsner Urquell that we didn’t have time to drink, most of the weight in our suitcase on the way home was food related.
We also bought beer at the grocery store, and snacks to eat with it, figuring that we should try drinking what the locals do. Christian wondered if he could try it in the car (I was driving). I said that he should check on his phone to make sure that there isn’t an open container law. There is not, but we were both surprised to discover that the blood alcohol limit for the driver in the Czech Republic is zero. Yes, zero. Any alcohol at all that can be detected is over the limit. It seems both bizarre but also probably necessary in a nation of beer drinkers. He opened one but didn’t like it, and ended up dumping it out when we stopped for gas.
We arrived in the early evening in Česky Krumlov and checked into our lovely AirBnb. We had a quick dinner of bread, sausages, and pickled beets, then left to walk down the hill, across town, and up the hill on the other side, a vantage point that our host said offered one of the best views of the city. Unfortunately she was a little vague about how to get there other than “up the hill behind the bus station.” We found it eventually, crossing through a steep patch of forest and then a clearing with long, wet grass, arriving just as the sun was setting. Worth the effort in my opinion.
The town square in the evening, on our way back from the hilltop view
The next day we toured the castle, explored the town, and took way too many pictures. We bought savory pastries for lunch from a small store that had local food: the one that Christian picked out with cheese was delicious. We bought the same thing in other locations two more times in the week, but they were not nearly as good.
In the early evening we climbed the hill behind the castle so I could take my perfect picture of the city:
Then it was time for dinner. I had called two weeks before to make a reservation at Kčrma Šatlava, one of the few times my limited Czech was useful. The restaurant specializes in meats grilled over a wood fire, and is decorated like a medieval tavern. We had a cozy candlelit table for two tucked into a corner, and the meal was delicious, though it probably helped that we were quite hungry.
I had pork belly (pictured below), Christian had a pork chop and we ordered some side dishes and ate everything with Budvar, the original Budweiser.
The next morning we made our way slowly back to Prague, stopping in more small towns along the way. I’m glad that we rented the car and explored – especially since I ended up liking Prague less than I thought I would.
Next up: Prague, and some surprising food discoveries.