This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 36-year-old bookmark (give or take a few years) and I proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).
Today’s travel notes
Me and the TC spent three days in Český Krumlov, a town in the Czech Republic close to the border with Austria. It’s approximately two and a half hours’ drive from Prague. The town is chocolate-box beautiful, complete with castle, river, and red roofs set of against green green fields.
Word of the day
Sgraffito is a technique for decorating walls, where the artist applies layers of plaster in different colours, then scratches through the layers to create a colourful design.
The book I’m in
We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, by Dennis E Taylor. The TC has just started this book. I predict I’ll find myself tucked into many more of the Bobiverse series.
Travel tips
If you’re driving, park the car outside the old centre and walk into the town. It’s a pretty stroll, and you need a permit to enter some of the streets by car.
Recommended restaurant
Laibon in Český Krumlov. Good food, a pretty view on a river bank, and professional service with plenty of smiles.
The photos
Me and Peg overlooking the roofs of Český Krumlov from a niche in the castle wall:
Approaching the town from the east, you see the castle and an expanse of green:
We entered the old town centre, into a world of coloured walls and cobbled streets:
Framed artwork stood between windows on the external walls of the buildings:
The buildings in the town are liberally decorated with sgraffito drawings, giving the impression of depth on an essentially flat surface:
More decorative buildings in the town centre:
When we were in Prague, we noticed the liberal use of sgraffito too. The next shot in Český Krumlov shows a design with murals as well as abstract designs:
Musicians on Lazebnický bridge:
The town is on the Vltava, the same river that runs through Prague. Here’s an evening view of the Vltava river from Lazebnický bridge:
Český Krumlov Castle, seen from Lazebnický bridge in the evening:
The castle dates from 1240. As is usual for such buildings, it has seen a variety of owners over the centuries. It is now a national monument owned by the state.
Here’s the same view of the castle shot during the day:
The castle has a moat, as you’d expect. Perhaps what you wouldn’t expect is that the moat is home to bears rather than water as a deterrent to unwanted visitors:
The imposing entrance to the castle:
The town, seen from the castle wall:
A corridor leading from one castle courtyard to another:
An archway and decorated eaves forming the exit from the castle grounds:
Back in the town centre, we walked past St Vitus church and popped in for a look. It’s a gorgeous Gothic, dating from the 14th century:
Leaving the old town centre through a decorative archway:
That’s all for today, folks.
Travelling Worm 
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