Třísov

I just returned from a 5 day trip throughout the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. About 45 students from the USAC program went by bus to see some of the coolest castles and most important cities in Europe. The blogging of this trip will take several days and there will be many pictures.

We started our trip by going to Třísov, a little town in the south of the Czech Republic. It was sprinkling when we got off the bus which stopped in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Finding the castle was our goal. The landscape was magnificent. There were miles and miles of grassy fields scattered with trees that appeared to be on fire due to the changing leaves. (I love fall). The few houses that we saw had red-roofs to keep with the Czech tradition. We walked along a path that wound through the woods. Most of this walk I felt like I was walking through people’s backyards.. it was so refreshing, the air was crisp (unlike the stale bus), and very peaceful. After about 15 minutes we came upon Dívčí Kámen Castle… or what used to be a castle. After visiting my fair share of castles this trip I have been most impressed with the ones that barely exist anymore. It’s so cool to stand where something used to be and imagine what life used to be like. So we got to the castle, threw a random football around and headed back to the bus… next destination Český Krumlov.




Of the entire trip Český Krumlov was my favorite. It is a tiny town that is tucked inside a winding river. It was so peaceful and friendly and had a great.. and very entertaining… nightlife. We stayed in a quaint little hostel called 99 in a room called ‘show white and the seven dwarfs’…. I think I was Sleepy.. or maybe bashful since in the middle of the night a random man walked into our room and jumped on top of me. … ok ok… here’s the story: So we had a little nap time once we arrived at the hostel and just as we were waking up from it a guy popped his head in. I said ‘hello there sir, who are you? would you like to come join us for nap time. You can come lay right here signaling to my bed.” This was all in fun and I was just being friendly me trying to meet new people. The guy told us, in his Australian accent, that he was looking for someone and might make it back to hang out at like 3am.



So the ladies and I had a good laugh and went back to our business which just happened to be a guided tour of the Baroque style Český Krumlov Castle. Apparently the castle is very close to its original state. Our tour guide was a friend of Jan (the main USAC guy) and was originally from Florida. He made funny jokes, gave good information, and later played his guitar and sang songs and eventually smoked ‘grass’ with a few people from out group. My favorite part was the ballroom (of course) which had walls painted in the most peculiar fashion. There is no real explanation for the artwork but has something to do with people from all over finding each other at a masquerade ball in a way that is confusing with mirrors. Some people in the murals images face others and if you follow where each of them is looking you can see that they are all communicating with people throughout the room. The song Bohemian Rhapsody is inspired by the castles ballroom as well. It is awesome.. and I may eventually do some research online to learn more….. maybe.





After the castle we ate traditional goulash at a brewery. The dinner ended with the whole group singing ‘American Pie’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish you were here’.. and others… it was a blast. After we went to a club and started the dance party… as usual. I am embarrassed and excited to say that I have begun to recognize techno songs that have been played in every club we go to. How fun!


After the club I hung out at the boy’s hostel, where they had a pub/most happening place in town. The walk back to our hostel was spectacular. It felt like we (my friend Heather and I) were the only people in town. The sky had cleared and, although it was cold, it was calming to wander the cobblestone streets. I went to sleep and around 3am a man jumped into my bed. Haha..I was surprisingly calm when this happened. I may have still been sleeping when I said ‘hello there, who are you?.’ At this point I thought it was a random person who had drunkenly stumbled into the wrong room. He informed me of who he was and we let him hang out for a bit because he was harmless. It was probably one of the most entertaining things I have experienced at that hour of the night. To make it even more entertaining one of the funniest people in the USAC program came in the room demanding that the Australian man (Dean-pronounced Dane) took off his clothes and got into her bed because it was her Birthday.



None of this is probably funny to those reading because it was a ‘had to be there’ situation. I write it because… well maybe so I won’t forget. What a night! Český Krumlov is my favorite and for a $10 bus ticket I have no reason not to go back and never return…



Soon to come: Austria, Hungary and beyond….