Cesky Krumlov

Having left our sliding door and curtain open through the night meant we have finally overcome the air conditioning problem in that we can't keep the room cool at night. Problem solvered! Mind you, each time I did wake up through the night we seemed to be in a lock so I figure we must have passed through about 5 locks last night! Up fairly early as B and I both have 8.15 starts for our respective tours. She and two of the girls are off to Salzburg for the day so I've told them all that I shall expect them all to be singing tunes from Sound of Music and dressed in curtain material upon their return. D, G and I are off to Cesky Krumlov. M, roomie, J and S are having a day on board the ship. We actually disembark in Aschach, but are docked only long enough for those going on tours. As soon as our coaches have us on our way, our ship goes on directly to Passau where both our tours will board this afternoon. Weather forecast for C.K is 17-19 so it is finally t shirt and light jacket time, plus don't forget to take your sunnies. On our 1 HR 45 minute drive to CK we pass gorgeous countryside. In the distance we can see the Alps. The initial area we are driving through I s prone to flooding so I'm unclear why they have been allowed to build there. The last major flooding was in 2013 where water was up to first floor levels, the height of our coach. It is a lovely drive through farming communities, little villages that are postcard scenes at every turn. Then we are through forests, past lakes and rivers. CK is only fairly newly arrived on the tourist maps as it is only newly peeking out from behind the old Iron Curtain. It is undergoing major renovations to bring itself back to its original state. I loved it! The city has now been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage listings. Situated in the Czech Republic (which does make it a bit of a nuisance when you have Euro on you and they want payment in Czech Kroner), it is built around a 13th century castle with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. The castle area is second in size only to Prague castle in the Czech Republic. It has 2 bears living in the moat that surrounds the entrance to the castle. We didn't get to see them as I think they must have been sitting in deck chairs under the bridge to the castle, watching tv, but one of our group later showed us a photo of one of the Bears he saw in the moat. This little medieval town is simply gorgeous with its narrow and steep winding cobblestone roads and paths. Lots of quirky shop frontages. Had to stop at a jewellery one and couldn't leave without a little purchase for myself... Had lunch at a restaurant that Daniel our guide suggested. I had a beef stew in a bread roll and D and G both had the lentil soup in a bread roll. Just lovely and very filling. Had plenty of time for our own wandering on our own. Hope the girls in Salzburg are having as good a day as we are. 2.30 and time to head to our coach and head to Passau where our ship should now be docked. More beautiful countryside as we leave the Czech Republic and are back into Germany. As we cross through the border we had been forewarned to make sure we had our passports on us as there may be spot checks. Clearly they are now trying to stamp down on the refugees but maybe it is too little too late. There is however, no road block or police at the checkpoint so we drive through easily. Into Passau about 4ish and onto our ship. We could have a walk around Passau if we want, but I've had enough walking for the day and am happy to head to the cabin to put my feet up. B arrives back from Salzburg about 20 minutes later and I'm bitterly disappointed that there isn't a dirndl, apron, lederhosen or Sound of Music CD in sight!!! But by all accounts they have had a great day too. On our ship, alcoholic drinks are included with lunch and dinner, but you pay as you go at other times. We have all been given 3 drink vouchers for use today so all head to the lounge where we start to use our vouchers prior to dinner. At 6.30 we have the 'Bavarian Devils' come on board to entertain us. There is a bit of oompah music, lots of clapping, some thigh slapping and sing along music for us. We all get right into the spirit of things and have an absolute hoot of a time. Then it's dinner time and then back to the lounge for last drinks. B had initially offered to give me her drink vouchers in the morning, but somewhat surprisingly when it came time to actually order a drink this evening, she had a change of heart... Indian giver! LOL... But she made amends when she asked Gabor the pianist to play ABBA for me!!! We really all had a great day and our fun evening simply topped it off. Time for a hot chocolate and Mozart ball in bed before lights out.