It was another beautiful day in central Europe, so we decided to head to a small town in the Czech Republic that is just a 45 minute drive away from Linz. Kathy’s mom and brother were free as well so they came along for the day as well. Its always fun travelling with friends and family even if it is only for a day!

Český Krumlov is a beautiful little town that sits along an S curve of the Vltava river, which gives the town a very unique waterfront. There also just happens to be a large castle/fortress on top of a hill overlooking the town which provides some pretty stunning views of the town and countryside. Without a doubt, Český Krumlov is one of the most picturesque little towns we’ve ever visited. It was also really easy to stroll around in the town and just enjoy the ambiance of the pedestrian streets with a plethora of cafes, small knick-knack shops, streetside snack vendors, and restaurants. It is the quintessential small European pedestrian-friendly town.

We stopped for lunch at a small local restaurant where I had some roast pheasant (a bohemian specialty) and some warm spiced mead (also a bohemian specialty). The pheasant was a bit dry, but that mead was quite tasty! After lunch we wandered about aimlessly some more, checking out random little shops until we happened upon a cafe and went inside for some coffee (Austrians do love their coffee!). We chatted in the cafe for a while before heading back out into the small city streets in search of the famous “Trdelnik”, a sweet pastry that looks like a little chimney coated with sugar and cinnamon on the outside and chocolate on the inside. It indeed lived up to its fame, for the Trdelnik was incredibly tasty (albeit a bit too much chocolate for me). Before we made our way back home, we stopped to get some Czech beers. What is the point of a trip to the Czech republic if you don’t try some of their amazing beer??