Great day

I had an excellent day today. I selected this day for my trip to Český Krumlov because the weather forecasters only promised only this one dry day all week and I knew I'd want to be on my feet outdoors in Český Krumlov. Later the foresters teased me by saying it might rain after all, and it sure looked like rain this morning. However, the clouds parted about the minute our bus pulled into town and by lunch time I forgot about rain altogether.

I did discover one little problem arising from my weather-forecast-based travel planning. The castle is closed on Mondays and the big museum in Prague is closed on Tuesdays. Had I known that, I might have cursed the weather and reversed my plans for today and tomorrow, but so far I don't mind. I got inside enough museums today that the castle museum seems like a small sacrifice. And, late in the afternoon I noticed people in the turret at the top of the castle tower. That area interested me more than the rest off the castle, and it turned out to be open.

I even met a few people today, most importantly a very gregarious group from China. They invited me to eat lunch with them, and I nearly did. Ultimately, however, I ate alone because the Chinese contingent never quite pulled itself together all at once to go to the restaurant. I chose a different restaurant, also on the river, where the staff spent lots of time chatting with me.

The first time I came to Cesky Krumlov, about 15 years ago, my wife and I rode in by bicycle on a day trip from somewhere in Germany. We added this as an optional excursion from an organized bike tour. I remember that we rode hard in the rain and pulled into town at about 2:00, wet and hungry. Most of the rest of our group had arrived earlier, by bus. All I really remember about the town was sitting on the plaza enjoying a miraculous interval of sunshine and eating lunch.

Today I did not have to hurry at all, at least not after I caught the 7 a.m. bus from Prague. Leisurely, I walked and explored museums, gardens, serpentine cobbled streets, shops and exhibits. I even had time to sit down a few times to look around or write post cards.

I am very grateful for such a fine day.

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