On the way to Cesky Krumlov from Bratislava we were fortunate to find our way to the Brno Autodrome which regularly hosts Moto GP and World Superbike events . Just as we arrived a club ride day track session was getting started so we had a bit of fun watching the bikes take to the circuit at great speed.. A stroke of luck in a trip that does not always run as smoothly as we would like it to.

 Booking an apartment in the middle of the old town of Cesky Krumlov seemed like a good idea at the time. However the only road in was right through the middle of a small cobbled town square and over an extremely narrow bridge. I really don't know how we managed to arrive without hitting a pedestrian. 

I had read that this town was a miniature version of Prague in that it was set on a river and amongst many attractive historic buildings. Well this was certainly true. It was a beautiful place and clearly alot of people must have read the same literature. The town was filled with tourists, not just Europeans and Americans as we had encountered in Prague but many Chinese and Japanese tourists as well. 

Despite the crowds it was definitely worth a visit. The intriguing architecture appeared to be stacked up in line on the hillsides and along the river banks creating a picture postcard world and a photographer's paradise. The castle was compact and easier to access compared to others we had visited. The climb up the castle tower via several narrow winding wooden staircases and ladders was not for anyone with a fear of heights but the view from the top was awe inspiring .

It was reasonably easy to escape the majority of the crowds if you could find a shady table in pleasant spot in the dining precinct by the river. As the waters of the river were quite fast flowing it was a popular place for a bit of white water rafting. The more energetic visitors paddling down the river looked like they were enjoying themselves and getting a tan while providing entertainment for those of us who were seated in the restaurants and bars on the river banks.

I'm not sure what it is about clocks in this country but each town and city we visited had a unique clock in the city square. Prague had its anatomical clock and Olomouc had a smaller version of the same. Cesky Krumlov had several town clocks that all chimed on the quarter hour right through the night. I guess this was endearing in a way or perhaps annoying depending on if you are a light sleeper or not.
 
So after a couple of nights in Cesky Krumlov it was back to Prague for one night. Not alot of time to see much more of Prague but to be honest we were weary of the mobs of tourists. We did manage to get a bit lost and inadvertantly see another side of the city just a short distance away from the old town. Not suprisingly we found we didn't need to stray far to reach areas more frequented by locals than tourists. There was no shortage of shops and restaurants in the outdoor walking mall that spanned several blocks. Still, we had definitely had our fill of crowds in any form and ready to board our plane bound for Mallorca off the coast of Spain. We were looking forward to a bit of country living for a few days.