Travelling Worm

A bookworm's travelogue

Category: Czech Republic

  • Walkway above the treetops in Lipno nad Vltavou, Czech Republic

    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 took the short drive from Český Krumlov to Lipno nad Vltavou when we were in the Czech Republic earlier this week. Just outside the village of Lipno nad Vltavou is a ski resort and entertainment complex, including a treetop walkway.

    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

    Dress warmly. It’s a trifle chilly when you’re above the treetops, even in September.

    Recommended restaurant

    Cafe Retro in Český Krumlov. A haven of good food and professional, friendly service.

    The photos

    Me at the bottom of the treetop walkway in Lipno nad Vltavou:

    The ski lift offers a good way to get from the village to the treetop walkway:

    Another view of the walkway tower:

    Half way up the walkway, and half way up the tree trunks, I sneaked up on a bird. It’s as well to keep behind these creatures, as their front end has a tendency to nip:

    Approaching the top:

    The view from the top is stupendous. This is not it:

    The TC, bless her cotton socks, was close to the top of the tower when she took the above shot. She gets a little nervous around heights, and didn’t care to take her phone out of her bag at the very top. I stayed safely tucked into my book too, just peeking over the top to take in the view.

    That’s all for today, folks.

  • Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic

    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.

  • Charles Bridge (Karlův most) in Prague

    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 recently spent a few days in Prague. While there, we saw the Charles Bridge (Karlův most) from the water and the land.

    Word of the day

    Most is the Czech word for bridge. Knowing that helps when you’re reading signposts and maps.

    The book I’m in

    Semiosis, by Sue Burke. Man meets plant on a planet far away, some time in the not-too-distant future. Your faithful bookworm highly recommends this book. It feeds the intellect and entertains the mind.

    Travel tip

    Visit the bridge early in the day or out of season. It can get pretty busy.

    Recommended accommodation

    Vienna House Andel’s Prague, Stroupežnického 21, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov. Elegance and comfort combined.

    The photos

    Me on my way to Charles Bridge (Karlův most) in Prague:

    Me and the TC took a boat trip up the Vltava river on morning. That’s an L not an i in Vltava. Evidently the name comes from the Old Germanic wilt ahwa, which means wild water. The Vltava river runs through the centre of Prague. Eighteen bridges cross the river in the city. One of them is the historic Charles Bridge, seen here from aboard the boat:

    We crossed the bridge on foot on another day. Approaching the bridge on the east bank:

    From where we stood on the old city side of the bridge, the western riverbank beckoned:

    In the glow of early evening, we walked through the arch of an imposing tower that leads onto the bridge:

    Crossing the bridge watched over by an array of saints:

    One of the saints was executed by being thrown off the bridge into the river. Parts of the decorative plaques at the base of his statue have been rubbed to a gleam by passers by. Touching the plaques is supposed to bring good luck. It looks as if a spotlight is shining on the images:

    As usual, Jonathan has found a spot to show off his glamour:

    An archway at the western end of the bridge glows with promise:

    Through the archway into a warren of picturesque streets like this one:

    That’s all for today, folks.

  • Senate of the Czech Republic, Wallenstein Palace, and an eery dripstone wall

    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

    Prague has long been on the TC’s bucket list, bless her cotton socks. And we made it! This post is an account of our visit to the Wallenstein Palace, which currently houses the Czech Senate.

    Word of the day

    Semiosis is the process that goes on in our brains when we convert a sign to a meaning. The sign is usually related to language, and can be something like a spoken word, a written word, a traffic signal, and so on.

    The book I’m in

    Semiosis, by Sue Burke. Man meets plant on a planet far away, some time in the not-too-distant future. Your faithful bookworm highly recommends this book. It feeds the intellect and entertains the mind.

    Recommended accommodation

    Vienna House Andel’s Prague, Stroupežnického 21, 150 00 Praha 5-Smíchov. Elegance and comfort combined.

    The photos

    Me and a wolf-bearer in the gardens of the Senate of the Czech Republic. We’re standing in front of the famous dripstone wall that guards one side of the grounds:

    The gardens of the Wallenstein Palace are open to the public. The TC and I wandered in quite by chance and stayed to explore. The palace was built in 1623-1630 as the home for a powerful military leader and duke, Albrecht von Wallenstein. Alas, he only lived in the palace for one year before being assassinated.

    A view of the gardens looking towards the palace main hall:

    The open hallway at the far end of the gardens, known as the main hall of the palace, contains a plaque announcing the Senate of the Czech Republic. The blue flags on either side celebrate 30 years since the end of Communist rule:

    Below is a section of the hall’s highly decorative ceiling. The middle fresco shows Albrecht von Wallenstein as the god of war in a horse-drawn chariot:

    And this is what you’ve no doubt been waiting for, dear reader: more of the famous dripstone wall. At first glance, this worm assumed the wall was a modern addition, but it’s part of the original Baroque complex that houses the palace. Seen from afar, the bits and pieces of the wall look like skulls. As you get closer, you realize they don’t represent anything in particular. The designer’s goal was to make you peer and wonder. In some places, it seems as if you should be able to peek through the outer layer into hidden chambers beyond. But when you get close, there’s nothing to see. Eery and grotesque:

    This plaque stands in front of the wall to describe the wall and its purpose:

    A peacock wonders whether it’s greener on the other side. She hopped over the hedge just after the photo was taken:

    That’s all for today, folks.