Strejda Ken & teta Arlenka (& their dog) sitting out in the garden beside their stone house, with apple & plum trees for shade and mountains in the background. It is Scotland of course, so it has just rained.
Some more pictures from our recent trip to the Czech Republic (part 1 here). After our cycling adventures we ended up in the picturesque town of Český Krumlov for the Five Petalled Rose Festival (and met up with a few friends from Perth). The festival happens every year but this year it marked the 700th anniversary of the town's existance so it was a wee bit special.
The river Vltava loops it's way around the old town of Český Krumlov making it great fun for an endless stream of canoeists and raftists, who could - if they liked - go around once, hoick their boats out of the water, walk a few metres and do the same thing over again.
it was a bit wet this morning
Loads of medieval type things happening - markets, street entertainment, a massive costumed parade - strangely not out of place in the cobbled streets of the old town - and more importantly lots of laid back eating and drinking - wandering around with beer in hand wondering why we're not allowed to do the same back home.
Men with tight trousers on horses about to show off their manly jousting and general horsemanship skills. This was just a rehearsal before they got all dressed up for the proper do the next day but much more fun as it got a bit busy then. A lot of strutting going on. Most impressive.
A sneak pic of the them all dressed up. Ken must have stood on somebody's head for this as the rest of us couldn't see a thing.
The grand parade as seen from our friends' rather plush hotel accomodation in centre of the old town. 
We were very lucky as Ken's long-standing buddy Aleš Dvořák (brewer at the massive Budvar Brewery, tank commander, and a bit of a star in the brewing world) comes from Český Krumlov and let us have the run of his childhood apartment -which was still packed full of the fittings and furniture from the 60's and 70's and a real joy for me. Not quite the old town but with a grand view of the castle. Perfect. 
I'm not one for buying things for myself when I'm on holiday but I came across this bangle and leather brooch in a wee shop in Český Krumlov and I had to have them! The bangle is made of coloured acrylic and is printed with lots of great fat woodland creatures. Thinking now they would be great for the shop - unfortunately I didn't think to ask about the maker at the time.
A few pics from our recent cycling trip to the Czech Republic. The start was the Budvar brewery in České Budějovice (funnily enough!) and from there we headed north. The plan was to travel light, follow our noses and arrive back in four days time. And the rules were....No 1: REMEMBER WE'RE ON HOLIDAY!! Well...there was only one rule!
there was a lot of this!
Bechyně from the 'Rainbow' bridge
...and a lot of this! This was only puncture no 1.
Dobronice u Bechyně 
We cycled over every kind of surface, on main roads, country roads, cycle lanes, forest tracks, muddy farm tracks, riverside paths and even over fields (although I think we may have strayed a bit there).
Zvíkov Castle. Beautiful and dramatic Gothic castle which sits out on a peninsula where the river Otava runs into the Vltava. 
day 3:
The brewery at Zvíkov (Pivovarský Dvur Zvikov). We stayed here (it has rooms I'll have you know!). Enjoying a rather strong beer at 10 in the morning. Thanks to the lovely brewer (who was all strapped up after a car accident) for his hospitality. 
A beautiful ride along the river to Písek. A way we would have almost certainly missed if we hadn't been abducted from the higher ground by a retired gentleman on his bike who showed us the error of our cycle-ways. This was by way of a very welcome riverside drinkery (where Ken's tyre exploded and the fourth or fifth repair was made) before being escorted into Písek where we were shown the sites. Thanks Písek Pavel!
Písek with the oldest bridge in the Czech Republic
enjoying the countryside.
Kratochvíle, a Renaissance Chateau built in the late 1500's for the last generation of the Rožmberks. It was extremely hot when we got here but I managed to get a quick walk round the gardens while Ken took in 'everything' from a bench in the shadows. Like every bit of water around these parts the moat here is full of carp. It's very hypnotic just sitting there watching them.
We had a quick peek at Holašovice -a UNESCO world heritage site- seen as a typical example of so called "rural baroque" architecture in South Bohemia. And also a source of well needed water before we both expired. Culture over we headed back to České Budějovice to drop of our bikes at the bike-shop. And then it was off on the bus southwards to the lovely little town of Český Krumlov for the Five-Petalled Rose Festival (pictures soon) and a bit of relaxation.
