We had a long weekend here last weekend, thanks partly to St Cyril and St Methodius, who came to Moravia to propagate the Christian faith in 863, and who, as a result, gave us the day off on Thursday.
Special thanks also to Jan Hus, who thoughtfully arranged to be burnt at the stake the following day in 1415 giving us the Friday off.
Despite a not too promising weather forecast, we decided to take advantage of the weekend to go camping in the very west of the Czech Republic, to the area around Frantiskovy Lasne, where I hadn’t previously been. We had a really nice weekend. Nothing too special or amazing to report really, but it was great to sit by the side of the beautiful lake where we camped, and to walk though the forest and across summer meadows, stumbling on the occasional castle.
We found one castle that I particularly like. I have decided that if the Czech Monarchy is ever restored, and I am made an Earl or a Duke or whatever, then this is the one I’d like. Seeburg Castle http://www.seeberg.cz/cz_hrad_seeberg.htm. It’s very old, beautifully restored, and not too big, so there would be plenty of room for visitors, but not too much wasted space.
We visited on 07/07/07, which – as has been widely reported – was a very popular day for weddings. So popular in fact that there seemed to be one happening every 30 minutes (and we arrived at nine in the morning!). While it would easy to remember one’s wedding anniversary, paying twice the going rate for flowers, and finding it impossible to book a reception venue seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
Interestingly, a lot of the castles in the region are no longer in ruins. Perhaps because the area is so close to the German border a lot of them seem to be being bought by foreigners who are restoring them. In fact everything in this area, including isolated villages in the middle of nowhere, seems to be tidier, better preserved and maintained than most of the Czech Republic
So all in all a nice weekend.
James and Markéta 