Author: marionvermazen

I am a traveler, hiker, avid reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, Spanish and French language student, knitter and genealogist. I am retired after working for almost 30 years in the Computer Industry. I live in Reno, Nevada with my husband Duke.

Český Krumlov

Before this trip I had never heard of Český Krumlov. The town is recommended by Rick Steves and judging by the number of tour groups we saw today it is clearly a very popular tourist destination. I love this town. It is well preserved, historic and not too touristy. Today we took it easy, walked around the castle and explored the town.

First we explored the streets and walked across the various bridges to look for a place for breakfast. You can see the castle tower here.
We ended up at Dtunken Coffee
We had toast with Camembert cheese and pickled apples.

After breakfast we went to the castle.

There are bears in the moat.

Next we climbed to the top of the castle tower.

Duke looking at the view from the top of the tower.
The stairs to the top were quite steep.

As we continued through the castle we went across the bridge from the castle to the gardens. You can see the bridge here.

Here we are on the bridge.
Here we are in the gardens
Duke had fun in the maze!
After we finished at the castle we went back to the Easter Market and had garlic soup in a bread bowl.
We also had a potato pancake with cabbage and ham. They were both yummy!

It was especially fun to watch the kids on the carousel. it is hand operated with wonderful carved animals.

I especially liked the bear.

We went back to out pension for a rest. About 7:30 we went to dinner at a restaurant called Papas. The ambiance, service and food were all fantastic.

My duck with dumplings and cabbage.
Dukes beef with wild cranberries and dumplings.
Dessert

Munich, Germany to Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

Our bus left Munich this morning at 8 am so we had to be up early. We had breakfast at 6:30 then walked to the bus station.

The sky was pretty and only partly cloudy in Munich.

The bus ride was about 5 hours. We travelled through Germany and Austria before entering the Czech Republic. This is a new country for both Duke and I. Our first stop in the Czech Republic is Český Krumlov.

As we drove east the clouds closed in and it got cloudier and colder. This is Český Krumlov from the bus station.
Here we are at the bus station in Český Krumlov, Czech Republic.

From the bus station we walked towards the place where we are staying, Pension Kristian. We knew that we couldn’t check in until 3 so we found a restaurant and had beer and pizza. We worked on the NYT Sunday crossword puzzle to kill time while we waited.

Here is our view as we walked towards the old town.
We learned that the word for beer in the Czech language is pivo. That’s the first word Czech word I’ve learned!

We were at the door of Pension Kristian at 5 til 3 waiting with another couple. But it wasn’t until 3:01 that they opened the door and let us in. We have a very nice room. We will be here two nights.

Our room in Český Krumlov.

After a short rest we went out to check out the Easter market in the square nearby. All the food looked so good that we had a hard time deciding what to eat.

The Easter market.
One of the many food stalls at the Easter Market.
Sausage and beer made a great dinner.
Fresh hot flatbread looked good for desert.
Here I am with my flatbread and beer.
The carousel.

Munich

Today we explored Munich.

Munich City Hall
Marion at Marienplatz
We stopped at the Hofbräuhaus for a snack.
Beer and a pretzel.
Bratwurst and sauerkraut. And the white shredded stuff is horseradish. It was all delicious.
One of the Hofbräuhaus waitresses.

We enjoyed window shopping on our way back to the hotel.

It was tempting to buy a hat.
A yarn store. I had to go in.
Dirndls and lederhosen

For dinner we went to a nearby brewery.

Schiller Bräu
My chicken cordon bleu
Dukes roast beef

Zurich, Switzerland to Munich, Germany

This morning we went out to the airport with Rick and Elaine to see them off on their trip home. We had a wonderful time traveling with them.

Rick and Elaine checking in for their flight.

On the way back to our hotel Duke wanted to visit the Easter Bunny but I told him No! He’s too old.

Duke looking at the Lindt chocolate bunny and the line to visit the real Easter Bunny.

At about 1 o’clock we walked to the bus station and caught a bus to Munich. Duke booked the front seats on the upper level of the bus so we had a nice view for the 4 hour ride.

On the bus for Munich.
The view from the bus.

In Munich we walked to our hotel.

Munich train station. It’s right next to the bus station.

For dinner we went to Café am Beethovenplatz where we ate last time we were in Munich. The atmosphere, the music and the food were great.

Café am Beethovenplatz
Dinner

Lucerne to Zurich

Duke planned for us to return our rental car to Basel airport which is just over the Swiss border in France, because if we returned the car to a country other than France, where we rented it, there would have been a $2000 surcharge!

We left Lucerne relatively early this morning so that we could return the car by 11. We got to the airport with no problem but when we got to the rental car return counter the lady said that we needed to return the car to the French part of the airport and we were at the Swiss part of the airport. It turns out that the airport is divided in two. We followed the signs to Car Rental (CH). We should have followed the signs to Car Rental (F). We packed up our bags again and got back in the car. It was about a ten minute drive to go around through customs to the other end of the terminal. But we got it done and successfully returned the car.

From the Basel airport we took a bus to Basel train station and then a train to Zurich where we are tonight.

First attempt to return the car at Basel Swiss
Successfully returning the car at Basel France
Having a snack in Zurich train station while we wait for the train
Deciding which snack to have was a challenge!

Once we had checked in to the hotel in Zurich we went for a walk down to Lake Zurich and then stopped for beers along the river.

Enjoying our beers in Zurich

For dinner we went to a nearby beer hall.

My bratwurst and Rosti
Duke’s Pork Liver and Rosti
Enjoying our last meal together for this trip.

Rick and Elaine fly home tomorrow.