Extreme Delights and Luxuries Bohemian-Style

Hello, welcome to the first stop of this route through Bohemia in the Czech Republic!
I recommend you to leave your car at this car park near the famous Stag Bridge and the old town of Písek.

I have a thing for bridges, I can't deny it. Since I was little, every time I see a bridge, I am fascinated and I want to cross it. Just imagine what it was like for me to see Venice! hahaha...
The thing is that when I found out that Pisek had the oldest bridge in the whole Czech Republic, I didn't hesitate to cross it (several times, by the way).
This bridge has a very funny anecdote: Legend has it that they were going to name it after the first one who crossed it... (pity I didn't live at that time!! as much as I enjoy running... hahaha). The fact is that the first one to cross it was a deer that came down from the forest and that's why its name in Czech means the Deer Bridge.
This noble bridge has been standing since the 12th century, has withstood floods and saw the city of Písek burn in the 16th century. It is an iconic landmark in this town.
There is a series of sculptures that you will see before crossing the bridge, next to the river. These sculptures are made by different artists in "sand"... and if you wonder, as I did, "why in sand?" I'll tell you what a young man I met, a neighbour of the city, explained to me: Because Písek in Czech means sand... hahaha... a long explanation.
Then I did some research and it turns out that the town was named after a very large exploitation of gold-bearing sands.

After taking 20 photos of the bridge from all possible angles (if you are like me) I recommend you to get to this square with the statue of St. Floriana and its small fountain, going along Heydukova street (Havlíčkovo nám.).
It is, in my opinion, one of the most picturesque ways into the Old Town. Passing the square, I suggest you turn right into Smetanova Street, to the square where the Morové sousoší or plague sculpture is... Yes, the name doesn't invite you to visit it, but believe me, the square and the surrounding area are very beautiful.

This sculpture, known as the plague sculpture, commemorates the great plague that struck the entire Bohemian area in 1713. Apart from the sad episode that this square commemorates, it is a very beautiful square. On one corner you will see a remarkable building with frescoed walls and very ornate decoration, which inside is a clinic.....
As it was a clinic and I thought that inside there would be a nice hall or foyer in keeping with the beauty of the exterior... so I went in without asking, like the children. At the entrance a man stopped me and said something in Czech, I asked to speak to someone in English and a nice lady came and asked me if I needed to see a doctor. When I told her I just wanted to see what it was like inside, she kindly invited me out .... hahaha. So, the little I could see inside, it wasn't much. I'll still keep how beautiful it is on the outside!
From here I recommend you to go down another little street that I loved: L Janáčka. This will lead you to the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Apart from the old bridge, this church and its tower are the symbols of Písek. We did not go up the tower because it has a fixed timetable (which didn't suit us) and the guide was only in Czech. We entered the church, which is simple but very beautiful inside, with neo-gothic decoration. They were giving mass and we kept very quiet....
(How strange to hear a mass in Czech!).
The church is open every day during mass time.
Visiting hours to the tower of the church of the Dean of Pisek: September - October: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 h. November - February: Saturdays (except public holidays) 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 h.
The maximum number of participants per tour is 10 people. Tickets are available online or at the Tourist Information Centre in Písek.. You should arrive at the main entrance of the church (on the west side) 5 minutes before the appointed time. The duration of the tour is about 50 minutes.

Time to return to the car after this visit to beautiful Písek to see more wonderful places in South Bohemia.

This restaurant is well located and has a beautiful terrace on a wooden platform overlooking the square where the church is located. Both the food and the service were excellent.
We were served in English and they were very friendly. I had Schnitzel (I hope I spelt it right, that' s how I have it written in my travel diary) with potatoes and blueberries ..... It is a delight!
The restaurant is open from 11:00 to 23:00 h. daily and you can check menu or book a table by phone.
Dobrou chuť! (Enjoy your meal!)

Well, are you ready? This is the main course of the day! (in addition to the Schnitzel, of course...)
I've been lucky enough to travel a lot, since I was young, and visiting castles has always seemed exciting to me (almost as much as crossing bridges) ...and, without a doubt, of the ones I've visited, this is one of my favourites!!! And that's because, apart from its beauty, normally when you visit a castle you can only visit certain parts that are open to the public, but here you have about 5 different tours and you can enter so many rooms that you end up getting dizzy.
In this castle I visited the Representation rooms, which lasted almost an hour and it was fantastic. First of all because it was in English and I was able to understand what the guide was explaining, but also because they showed us, among other rooms... The Library... Ah... I froze, my jaw dropped to the floor and I'm still looking for it... hahaha.... What magnificence!!! I love reading and when I saw that collection of books... I thought: Wow!... how I'd love to have a look at some of them!!! But then I realised that, for sure, they were not in a language I could understand... and I calmed down.
The whole castle really is a place of incredible beauty and luxury in every detail.
Then I did The Kitchens tour (that I really enjoyed) and The Private Appartments, which are also something worth seeing, although they were a bit tedious as the guides only spoke in Czech, luckily there are explanatory brochures in several languages and you end up finding out everything.
Spoiler alert! One of the things that caught my attention was that they had many advances for the time, such as a pneumatic freight elevator, a hoover from the early twentieth century, communication systems with the rooms... How cool!
I left going up to the tower to see the views for the last . The views of the park, which is incredibly beautiful, is what I enjoyed the most! (This visit to the tower doesn't require a guide and you can do it on your own).
Here I leave you the information of the schedules because it varies depending on the time of the year and what you want to visit. You can also make a reservation online for the tour you want to do.

You have arrived in České Budějovice! Capital of beer, sorry..., of southern Bohemia and yes, one of the places with the best beers, in my humble opinion...
I suggest you to park in this car park because in the old town you will see many parking areas with parking meters but with a limit of hours and depending on the area, with a limit of days... So to save you worries, this is a good place, open 24/7 and it's very close to the places to visit.

The first thing I'll suggest you to visit is the Black Tower. Normally tickets to visit it are sold up at the tower itself, and it doesn't include any kind of guide (neither in Czech nor in English).
Guided tours of the tower (in English inclusive) are only available if you book a whole guided city tour. There's no other way. If you want to take the city tour in English (wich includes a guided visit to the Black Tower as well), you must call the tourist office in advance on +420 386 801 413 to book it.
Tourist information opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8:30 - 18:30 h. Saturdays from 8:30 - 17:00 h: Sunday from 10:00 - 16:00 h.
If you don't want any sort of guide to visit the Black Tower (just as I did) please skip this point.

Yes, that' s right, I suggest you see the Black Tower first, the great Central Square can wait, but the tower can't, because it closes at 18:00 h.
Whether you're fit or not, you have to climb to the observation deck at the top of the black tower, come on, you can do this!!! It's only 225 steps, not a big deal!.... Oh.. But once you get up there... Ah... Great prize! A view of the square and the surroundings that will make you forget that on the 167th step you started to feel that little pain in your side or that on the 189th step you were short of breath... You'll forget everything!
The buildings around the square look as small and beautiful as doll houses or buildings in a scale model of a an old train. It's such a beautiful sight!
This tower had two functions, one as a church bell tower and the other as a fire watchtower. It has 6 bells inside, until a telephone was installed the method of warning of a possible fire was to ring a bell and hang a red banner (if it was daytime) or light a red lantern (if it was nighttime).
Here comes the curious fact: The guard lived with his family in the tower, they had a small flat with a kitchen where up to 12 members of a family ended up living! They brought up water and everything they needed with a winch. They raised animals in the tower (geese, rabbits), it is even known that they had a goat for milk. One level below this flat, the whole family used to go to the toilet in two large barrels that were emptied in winter... So the smell of goat was one of the most pleasant things in this place back then... hahaha!
To visit the tower (don't worry, it doesn't smell anymore...) these are the opening hours: From April to June & From September to October Monday closed Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 - 18:00
From July to August Monday - Sunday 10:00 - 18:00
Tickets to visit the tower can be purchased at the tower itself.

Now it's time to take a leisurely stroll around the main square. This Samson fountain is the emblem of the city. When it gets dark and is illuminated, it is even more beautiful.
Around the square you will see that among all the buildings (so very picturesque) one stands out with three towers, emblems painted on the front... that' s the town hall building.
I recommend you to wander along the arcaded tents and narrow streets that open up from the square, such as the Plachého passage with its little charming shops.

In this pub I suggest you try Budweiser Budvar beer, there are many varieties of this beer (non-alcoholic too). I only tried the original one, and I loved it (I tried it twice to be sure… haha). It's the one I recommend.
I propose to just make a stop at this inn to try the famous local beer, because afterwards, I will suggest you to have dinner in another very peculiar place that you will love.
Na Zdravi! (Czech for "cheers").
"But isn't Budweiser American?" Before you get to ask this question in the middle of a Czech brewery (as I did) and to spare you the murderous stares I received, I'll leave you here the clarification of how the story went:
Budweis is the original name of the town in German, which was the language spoken in South Bohemia when King Přemysl Otakar II founded it (back in the 13th century). In the 15th century, the town council set up a brewery (Budweiser) whose lager soon became known as the "beer of kings" because of its excellence and because it was a favourite of several emperors of that time.
By the end of the 19th century, Budweiser beer was widely traded and was almost an appellation of origin. But the mistake was that the Czechs did not register the trademark.
A German brewery employee who immigrated to the United States started brewing beer in the European style that was already so popular and when looking for a brand name, he thought of the known name Budweiser, which was also easy for English speakers to pronounce. Ever since then, both Budweisers have had lawsuits and many legal disputes.
That's the short story of why there are two brands with such similar names.
Now, I ask you… If you've had the chance to try both Budweisers (the American and the Czech), which one do you think is better?

I'll tell you something that happened to me the first time I visited this city:
I met a traveller on the train (he was from Prague). When I told him I was going to České Budějovice, he said to me: When you get to the main square look for the famous (I understood) "loose tile" which it's said that if you step on it you will be lost in the city without finding where your home is until the following day.... (he spoke a pseudo-English that was difficult for me to understand).
Imagine my face when I arrived and saw how big the square was and how many tiles there were... I said to myself: "I'm going to spend my life looking for that loose tile, if it's so famous there should be a sign or something..." (hahahaha.... I can't stop laughing each time I remember it) Luckily I asked a lady who explained it to me well and told me where to look for the "Erratic boulder", not "A Loose Tile" ....
Well, apart from my misunderstandings, I imagine that this famous stone and the gallons of beer drunk around this square will surely have a close relationship.

This great church and the Dominican monastery next to it, are two of the oldest buildings in the town and were part of the fortification that surrounded the town. This fortification bordered the Mlýnská canal.
Unfortunately, I was unable to enter this beautiful Gothic church. It was closed both times I visited this lovely square.
Opening hours are: Monday – Wednesday: 9:30 – 18:00 h. Thursday: 9:30 – 16:30 h. Friday, Saturday: 9:30 – 18:00 h. Sunday: 13:00 – 18:00 h. (You can get the tickets to visit it at the entrance)
Here is an interesting legend I was told about: There is a gargoyle of a dragon, on one side of the church (next to a pipe coming down from the roof gutter) that everyone knows it as The Frog. The legend has it that this frog climbs slowly, without anyone noticing and that the day it reaches the roof of the church, the church will collapse and it will be the end of the world. How naughty the frogs are in this city!!

This square is beautiful and so picturesque. Not for nothing it's the place of choice for the locals, where they hold markets and events of all kinds.
You probably don't know it but you are standing on an underground beer channel.... Mmmmm!
That white building you see on one side of the square, with the facade ending in a tall, staggered point, that is so eye-catching ... (The one in the photo up here, to make it easier.) Do you see it? Good! That's the place I recommend you for dinner, it's a very peculiar brewery. I won't keep you here any longer... Get in there and enjoy!!

Oh... I'm rubbing my hands together remembering the delicacies I tasted in this restaurant!
But first of all, as a starter, I will tell you what I promised to tell you about the Piaristický náměstí and this building. This restaurant is owned by a craft brewery of the same name located on Hroznová Street. The beer served here travels through underground pipes from the brewery, crossing under the square, to the restaurant. "No way...". "Yes!.." The best thing is that this building, which was in a state of abandon until a few years ago, was built in the 16th century and as it was always used for storage (grain, weapons and later salt) it has hardly been modified through time. It is a Gothic building with one of the oldest roofs in the Czech Republic.
But enough with the history, the building is very nice and the plumbing system is very peculiar, but... why did you come here? That's right! To eat and drink!
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 23:00 h. Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 to 00:00 h. Sundays from 11:00 to 22:00 h. For reservations

I recommend you to take a picture from here of the old town, a whole contingent of Japanese people and I assure you that it is a very nice panoramic view. (Well actually I followed them... )

Ah... This street is super picturesque, well many streets in this city are, but this one is among my favourites! I suggest you let yourself be carried away by its charm and walk it without rushing until it ends.

I felt very much at home here... it's small and cosy, homely... and they spoke Spanish! It was great. Also the area where it is located is so nice.
The check-in is until 21:00 h. so maybe it's better to do it and then go for dinner. Check-out is until 10:30 h..
They have their own car park which must be booked separately, in case you want to change your car parking place to leave directly from the hotel the following day. Ah... I almost forgot! The breakfasts here are delicious and very complete!
Sleep well!! :)