Hrensko and Decin Weekend

Last weekend it was off to the north of the Czech Republic, right on the border with Germany. Which means that menus and signs were in two languages that I don't understand! So I felt doubly isolated. How nice. The area where we went is called "Czech Switzerland" because it looks like Switzerland. Curvy rivers and huge rocks and smallish mountains. Lovely scenery.

We arrived late on Friday at our pension. On Saturday morning we took a boat down the river from the little town of Hrensko to Decin. It was a rainy but pleasant morning. I like being on the water. It always lifts my spirits.

Trains ran continuously right alongside the river, which I thought was awesome. I squealed like a child every time I saw one. Except the children I were with did not squeal since trains are not as cool to them since they see them all the time. We were right on the border; that train is in Germany and the other bank is Czech land.
This area used to be populated mainly by wealthy Germans who built beautiful houses right on the water. But after World War Two the Czech people expelled the Germans in retaliation for the Nazi occupation of their country. A lot of the gorgeous houses, (most are very German looking) are sad ruins now since their owners were kicked out and the money left with them. This area would have been something quite spectacular to see before the war! Large, handsome houses built right into the rock with glorious views of the river.
We took the same boat back to Hrensko. It is an adorable little tourist town with cute hotels and shops. Most of the buildings seemed to date back to the beginning of the 20th century. I know that because they had dates on them. You can't see it in the picture, but this one had "1904" on the front.

The town is sandwiched between rock walls in its own little valley. I didn't feel claustrophobic, but it might be a little close in the winter when there is a lot of snow.

Next to a gorgeous hotel was this not-so-gorgeous-but-perhaps-more-interesting building. I told Honzik it was my house and he thought that was very funny.Here is a house I would like, though. It was tucked back behind a big cliff face. Love the stone, love the shape, love the stairs and the balcony, love how it is slightly set back from the street. Wish I could have taken a tour, but I felt creepy enough to be sneaking back there to take a picture.Next to the house was this funny little statue stand. (The whole town was covered in stalls selling the same exact clothes and shoes.) Jesus is in the middle with Mary, next to a naked Greek lady, some birds, some gnomes, and a few naked Greek men. Awesome.

We hiked a few kilometers into the woods to take another boat ride, this time in a non-motorized ship. It was mossy and green and watery.

The house at the bottom right of the picture is the ticket office. I don't know if the back wall is rock or if they built something against it, but the building sure is pressed into the stone face.

This is the sort of boat we took, but ours was a bit bigger. There were three or four of them anchored in this tiny, still cove before a short waterfall.The rock formations on either side of the narrow river were strange and expressive. The man rowing the 20 or so of us up the river named the various rocks and told us what they were. A crocodile, a family with a mother-in-law, etc. I couldn't understand what he was saying but I didn't care because he was so cool. He looked like a pirate. A rag wrapped around his head, gold earrings, grey grizzled beard, striped shirt with ripped sleeves, and even a skull and crossbones tattoo on his forearm. My description makes him sound like a Halloween pirate, but he was much more authentic than that. He really is an old sea-faring man. A sea dog, even.

A longer hike and we were back at the pension. There was a country music festival going on in the dining room. I couldn't fall asleep because the American country songs and the Czech versions and the unique Czech songs were so loud. It was sort of great to hear "Leaving on a Jet Plane" sung in Czech with one chorus in English, though.

The next day we drove to Decin, the bigger city. Apparently it is still trying to recover from expelling the Germans. It was more industrial and not quite as adorable as Hrensko, but it had its good points. Here is a view of the river.

This is the prettiest street in town, in my opinion. Up on the cliff there is a white castle.

You can see it better in this picture. We hiked all the way up. But not before letting this train pass. Cool, right?

I was a touch disappointed when we got to the white castle because it is actually just a mediocre restaurant. I was hoping it was a museum or still-lived in palace with a weird dowager duchess or something.

Although the tea and strudel were nothing special, the castle/cafe did offer a nice view of the Decin Castle. I thought it was a monastery and had created an elaborate daydream about the monks copying manuscripts in their silent and massive library, but turns out it was a fort and then a castle and then a garrison for German and Soviet troops in the 20th century. Though it must have been quiet at some point because Chopin was able to concentrate and write his "Valse in A Flat Major" at the castle.

Apparently the water levels can be very extreme in Decin. It can flood and cause bridges to fail and barges to crash into the city, or the water can disappear and cause equally disastrous results. There is a stone in the river that is only visible at very low water levels. It reads, "If you see me, then cry." Poetic, eh?

Next stop was the Decin zoo. It was like a big petting zoo with a few "zoo" animals thrown in. There were horses and goats and squirrels, but also two huge grizzly bears, a lynx, and a leopard. I liked the bears best.

The boys were perhaps most excited about the awesome playground at the zoo. They climbed rope ladders and walked across beams and swung from trees until both of them fell down and got minor scratches. Which you would think were major, life threatening catastrophes by the way they cried and suffered. They were so tired by this point! Here is Lukas, who was out within minutes of getting back in the car.

Another busy weekend!