Travel Stories - Czech Republic

The bus drives me through the typical Moravian country which is very similar to the previously seen Bohemian plains; here and there a small village, a large pond, a beautiful colored church tower and small wooden houses - lawns, then a piece of forest but it is not really that special. In the city "Trest", which is exactly halfway two children's classes come in and the bus is packed. I almost sing along when we arrive an hour after my departure from "Jihlava" in "Telc". 

The busstation is small and almost empty and there is not much "life" at the train station either. I walk to the center where I pass through the only remaining Medieval gate. The old center is located between two artificial lakes - for safety and for a load of fish - and can be walked through in an hour or so. The most beautiful is the elongated triangular square "Namesti Zachariase z Hradce" where on both sides there are friendly Renaissance and Baroque houses in each style and in each bright color combination. The side where the sun has broken through is car-free and looks beautiful and photogenic. I see stair- and bellgables but also Arab influences and I also imagine myself in Italy. At the column of "Maria" I make a bench dry and get my bread bag out of my bag that I bought yesterday and eat some sandwiches. Then it's time to stop by at the information center - luckily this girl speaks English and I ask for cheap accommodation and bout a timetable for the bus tomorrow. I notice that many hostels are still closed unfortunately. Still she wants to try one option and it seems that the heating is not working yet overthere. I take it anwyay especially for the cheap price they are asking. 

It is a pink building; I knock on a large wooden gate door - without result. I walk past the tall windows and knock on them - even without any response. Then a man comes along riding on a bicycle and he starts talking in poor English and German. He opens the door and walks through an empty building full of rooms. Hastily, on the first floor, he opens a room with two beds and asks if this is allright with me. If I want to throw the keys in the mailbox tomorrow. I receive a receipt after payment of the amount and he hands me three keys in different colors. I thank him, wave him goodbye I take my small bag and walk back into the street where the sun is shining now.  

I walk back to the center via a different route and look again at all this splendor. It is no coincidence that this center has been on the UNESCO list since 1992 and numerous films are taped here. Groups of tourists have already arrived and the police checks all cars all the time - one side of the street is really car-free. I now walk to the castle which is at the end of the triangle - I do not want to get entrance or a tour and walk through an old gate to the castle garden behind it. Surrounded by a low stone city wall I walk a circle around it and sit down on a bench. I read in my book that the city was founded in the 13th century on an important junction between the trade routes between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria. After a while I walk to both ponds and look for a restaurant where I can eat something. In the street where I found my hostel I find a cheap eaterie; I order the daily snack - a potato salad with schnitzel. First I get my half liter "Urquell" beer and not much later my meal. In the evening I go looking for extra blankets and fall asleep quickly. Suddenly I wake up in the middle of the night. I hear a rumble and conclude later that I still have a neighbor. The sounds tells me he’s drunk as a skunk and in his bed without any blankets - it's three o'clock.