A Week with Bryan

My friend Bryan, who also works at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Central Corridor Project), came for a visit and a cycling holiday. Here is a quick summary of what we did during his first week and a half.

Prague
Notes from our adventures with my Mom and Aunt in Prague can be found at this post.

Rafting
On the last Saturday in April we took advantage of the annual opening of the flood gates at the dam in Řimov and floated on the Malše River from there almost to our front door in České Budějovice. The water was still not very high and there was little danger, but it was plenty of fun for the whole family. We packed all of us and Bryan onto a raft. The Chrdlovi family, and several others they know from around the country, and dozens of other boaters also went. After a beautiful day in the sun, we gathered at Chrdlovi's for a BBQ.

From 2010-04

From 2010-04

Divči Kamen
Of course. Also biked a good bit with Caleb.

From 2010-04

Jindrichuv HradecThis historic, old city had been on our list for some time. Kristine told us she was going and we were welcome to accompany her, so we went along. The main goal was to see the castle that belonged to the Hradec family, and the thing we most wanted to see in the castle was the kitchen. It is a still-functioning Black Kitchen that was famous for giving porridge to the poor on Maundy Thursday. Alas, it was not open for tours yet. Still the castle was nice and the Roundel Music Pavilion was beautiful - prompting Kristine to declare that next time we are here we will plan a trip for when we can go to a concert in the pavilion. Later we biked to Hluboka to get a picture in front of the castle then raced home to get Caleb to orchestra practice.

Česky Krumlov
We biked from Česke Budějovice to Řimov to Zlata Koruna to Česky Krumlov (with Silas in the child seat) and wandered around the gardens and through the castle courtyards. We ate at a tavern where they cooked our meat over a fire in the dining area. Tired out, we took the train back home.

From 2010-04

Treboň and Horseradish
Kristine took us along to the nice city of Treboň - the Carp Capital of the World. Bryan and I biked there and back. Tiring. Nice castle grounds. We also walked along a big carp pond to the masoleum of the Schwarzenberg family. That night Kristine and I went on a date to an orchestra concert. Bryan came along. In Czech they call the third wheel, the extra guy along on a date, "horseradish."

Hardware Store and a Sigh of Relief
Tired, we biked around town and took it easy. Bryan found a wrench at a hardware store, but we couldn't find a bright blue jumpsuit that is typical of laborers for him. Caleb came home from school a happy man. It was his last day. They were so nice to him. In celebration, Bryan and I took him biking on a hard ride to the base of the hills west of town and Kristine took him to a fancy restaurant. Lucy finish up school on Thursday the 6th because she didn't go biking to the Alps.

From 2010-05

Plzeň
Went and visited our friends Maruška and Madla. We ate phenomenal svičkova, hung out in the garden, and when to a WWII historical reenactment as they were celebrating the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Plzen by US forces.

Biking to the Alps
This semi-epic adventure gets its own post - coming out shortly.




Bryan's Thoughts
We ran out of time for Bryan's thoughts. We put Bryan on the train this morning.

-Peter