Turning 40 in Praha . . .

The Czech Republic was pleasantly traditional, warm and welcoming.  We spent a week camping just outside the city in a ‘rural’ campsite called Camping Sokol where I celebrated turning 40.  A short walk and 20 min train ride found us in the heart of Prague – a fabulous, bustling, colourful, magical city that we explored on foot for a couple of days.  Alternately we could also catch a 20min bus and then a 20min ride on the Metro.  We ate traditional foods, sampled Czech ice cream, browsed marionette and babushka shops, walked across Charles Bridge (many times) and took a cable car to the top of a hill that gave us 360 degree views of the entire city.  Good times were had here – including our first restaurant meal for quite a while at a little Italian café right next to the Astronomical Clock.  From Prague we headed south through the Czech countryside towards Lake Lipno where we found peace and quiet and our first red and white toadstools.  In fact we had the best toadstool hunt ever under the trees shading the banks of the lake.  A great place to regroup, the girls spent the day playing down by the lake dodging fishing lines and built rock campfires and mini dens.

This was our first impression of the Czech Republic as we crossed
the border from Germany!

Details like this barn roof are dotted across the countryside.

Most photos I have taken have been out the front window of Swifty
as we've flown along the roads.  It took me ages to get this shot of
hundreds of birds sitting up on the wires.  Something we saw a lot of.

Walking into the Markt Platz in Prague.

The Czech marionettes are incredible.
And yes - we splurged and bought ourselves an
original handmade wooden marionette.

We loved the signs hanging in the front of the Czech shops.

Prague is so picturesque.

The girls with Charles Bridge in the background.

Every where in Europe people have placed initialed
padlocks on bridges, statues, train stations.
It can be very off putting (but also makes for great photos).
These locks were on a statue on Charles Bridge.

The girls crossing Charles Bridge for the first of many times.

The cable car we took to the top of the hill overlooking the whole city.

King Wenceslas Square.

We loved seeing the trams tearing through the cobblestoned streets.

At night the city was just magical.

These buskers in the Market Platz were fantastic.

Our favourite Czech pastries - Trdelnik.

Amazing doors.

Yum Yum

You come across some unusual sculptures down the backstreets.
This one we found in a courtyard near a contemporary art gallery.

The afternoon lighting illuminates Prague.

Tilly about to enjoy a Smurf flavoured ice cream in Prague.
A lot of Smurfs had to be squeezed to make this one icy treat.

The public transport in the Czech Republic was a pleasure to use.

They make seriously big pyramids out of their haystacks in the Czech Republic.

We came across some lovely towns including this one - Pesik.

The reflections in Pesik were worth stopping for.

The toadstools from Lake Lipno.

Lake Lipno was very photogenic in the morning . . .

in the afternoon . . .

You need lots of wood to see you through winter in this neck of the woods.
This photo is for you Mum.  Thought you might like these stacks.

and at sunset . . .

The medieval town of Cesky Krumlov was just amazing.

As you walked to town through the castle and around its walls you could
peer through these 'windows' and see the entire town laid out down below.

Fortunately we are still seeing some autumn colour.

We spied these haystacks driving through the Czech countryside.

 

The photos of Germany I promised . . .

In Nordlingen the street lamps had been decorated
with knitting and croquet.

We walked the entire circumference of the wall
in Nordlingen - it took us nearly 2 hours.

The rooftops of Nordlingen from the wall.

The girls loved exploring Rothenburg ob de Tauber -
known as the Christmas town all year long.

Just a few of the beautiful cuckoo clocks we came across.
We had intended to buy ourselves one but there were
just too many to choose from (and we liked the really expensive ones!)

A typical street in Rothenburg ob Tauber.

The girls walking through RobT.

The actual tower that inspired the fairytale Rupunzel.
While we were there a medieval festival was taking place.

Some of the knights in Neustadt's Medieval festival.

The statue of The Pied Piper in Hameln.

The rat bridge that spans the river where The Pied Piper
supposedly drowned the rats of Hameln.

One of our bike rides to Fussen with the Bavarian Alps in the foreground.

One of the streets in old town Fussen.

The river Lech.  It doesn't show up in the photo but its waters
are a bright cloudy aqua colour flowing straight out of the Alps.

We started to see a few fields of sunflowers as we drove through Germany.

Germany's environmental conscience so impressed us.
Whole towns were covered in solar panels.
Huge fields were planted with solar panel farms.
At each campsite you had to recycle everything and seperate all your waste.

Just one of the many solar panel fields we came across.
And not only in Germany - we saw some in the Czech Republic also.

One of our campsites along the Romantic Road.

Couldn't resist taking this photo for all the Aussies out there.

Following the Romantic Road to the Grimm Bros . . .

Bypassing all major cities in Germany we made a bee line for Fussen in the south and the beginning of the Romantic Road route (aka Romantische StraBe).  Covering 440 kms we wound our way through pretty countryside, forgotten villages, past Chateaus and Castles, from Fussen to Wurzburg. It was frustrating at times (we nearly gave up on day one when we couldn’t find any of the brown signs we were meant to be following) and incredibly beautiful most of the time with character buildings, pumpkins on doorsteps and cow festivals.  Having conquered, and for the most part enjoyed, the Romantic Road we decided to tackle the Fairytale Road – following in the footsteps of the Brothers Grimm.  Unfortunately sign posts were non-existent and maps equally so but we did our best with what we had and found ourselves staring up at the balcony Rapunzel would have let down her hair from.  We drove through the woods Red Riding walked through to Grandma’s house and the forests Snow White lived in with the seven dwarfs.  In Kassel we visited the Grimm Brothers museum where we learnt all about the fairytale tellers and in Hameln we walked the cobblestoned pavements where the Pied Piper played his pipe and the rats followed him down to the river and drowned.  Yes we realize that these people were not actually real, but as you explore the places that inspired their stories it is hard to distinguish fiction from non fiction.

It was amazing and surreal turning a corner on the motorway
and having the Bavarian Alps right their in front of us.

Across the lake looking towards the Alps.
This is Hopfen am see - the little town we camped at for 4 days -
in a five star camping ground with amazing showers!

Glenn woke one morning early and stuck his head out the door
to find us shrouded in fog.  We stayed warm in bed while he ran
out and took some awesome pics.

A photographers dream at sunset.

While we were at Hopfen am see a local orchestra put on a free
concert with the stars up above and the Alps across the lake.
It was an amazing setting for some wonderful music.  We packed
our picnic blanket and some homemade wraps and had dinner while
we listened with the locals and a few other tourists.

Neuschwanstein Castle (aka Cinderella's Castle) taken from
a swing bridge we walked to.  We were all disappointed
that alot of it was covered in scaffolding -
but it didn't deter from the magic and beauty.

One of the views on the walk to the swing bridge
at Neuschwanstein Castle.

Our two princesses.

Waiting for the cows to return from the Alps at the Buching Cow Festival.

The cows arrived with their owners having walked down
the main street of town.

Each cow is decorated with a garland of flowers to celebrate
coming home from their 100 day break up in the Alps.

Everyone was dressed in Lederhausen and traditional costume - even the farmers.

Everyone dresses up in traditional costume.
This festival is one of the oldest
and most celebrated festivals in Bavaria.

Taashi up close and personal with one of the returning cows.

Tilly wasn't so sure - this is the closest she would get.

After the cows have been celebrated the whole town
sits down to beer (for breakfast).

A family affair.  As the cows prepare to go back to the farm
the farmers collect their gear and head home too.

Check out these giant pretzels - so big we couldn't finish them.

MORE PHOTOS TO FOLLOW (AND COUNTRIES)
HAVING A LOT OF TROUBLE UPLOADING AND
INTERNET CONNECTIONS IN ROMANIA (WHERE WE ARE NOW)
AREN'T THE GREATEST.