Orlík nad Vltavou

...a farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after moments or a lifetime is certain for those who are friends. ~Richard Bach

Yesterday, I traveled into south bohemia again in search of another castle I had read about. It is not far from the two places I visited in June and much enjoyed, Březnice and Blatná. I traveled by bus from Smichov to the small village of Orlík nad Vltavou, about an hour and a half from Praha. The castle is small, and is actually a zamek(chateau). It sits on a outcropping of land, surrounding by water. The water is recent, as a dam was built in modern times on Vltava, causing the reservoir, which now encircles this castle. Orlík in Czech means eaglet; Baby Eagle on the Vltava ( nad vltavou )

It was a gorgeous day. And a hot 36 C. I ended up taking this boat ride all the way to the end of the reservoir to the dam and back, a 3 hour round trip. It was enjoyable, relaxing. What a wonderful day for a boat ride. I was envious of all the people swimming and using this recreational area to its fullest. The islands and land on all sides was dotted with tents, little campers and chata(small cabins).

I missed the stop at the castle, as I still do not have the hang of the buses here and recognized this as the bus drove away. Luckily the next stop was the village, so I walked back the couple miles. I love the Czech back roads; All tree lined and close to the road. The first tour of the castle was small, which was nice, as it was only 9:00 when I got there. I was the only English speaker; surprise. Ne..

Only one bus was coming through the town in the afternoon. I was early, as is my curse, but there was a nice hospoda(pub) on the town square, so hey, a cold Kosel would do just fine. Met some other folks waiting for the bus as well, wondering what time it was suppose to arrive. I pulled out my handy IDOS printout and we all understood each other fine. The bus went south to Pisek and from there I changed to a bus back to Praha. A seemingly long ride back in a hot bus. A nice day, and a nice hour 12 hours away.

Got back around 7 and took a tram to Vinohrady to this pub I like; u Pošty and enjoyed a relaxing dinner and a glass of vine. Seems I am doing that a lot lately. Traveling alone gives one pause to think of friends, nice memories while here and of life; traveling with someone, well, that would be nicer on many levels I am sure. Cheers +72