Český Krumlov
On the way to Český Krumlov, we stopped in České Budějovice — home of the original Budweiser Budvar beer. Or, as I prefer to remember it, where the Americans stole the name from. Our driver insisted that when we stopped for gas we had to buy a can of the real Bud. Naturally, we did. True story.
Then we arrived in Český Krumlov. Dominating the town is the enormous Český Krumlov Castle, with centuries of architecture piled on top of one another and an almost ridiculously picturesque medieval town wrapped around it. I’d read quite a bit about the place before arriving, but seeing it in person was something else entirely. Absolutely breathtaking!
What really grabbed us were the stories and legends surrounding the castle and the region. We especially liked the tale connected with Witiko of Prčice and the branches of the Vítkovci family, represented by different coloured five-petalled roses. Castles, powerful families, competing houses and coloured symbols? It’s the stuff of Game of Thrones, I tell ya.
