Em and Gav Euro stylin': The carb overload continues in Czech!

Our last minute decision to include the Czech Republic in our travels proved to be a winner! Beautiful views, great architecture, friendly locals and some ridiculously cheap but great meals have made our last week a very memorable experience.

Our first stop was Ceske Krumlov, a beautiful little medieval town 3hrs south of Prague. Highlights included a traditional Bohemian dinner, kicking back in the hostel enjoying beers and hot chockies, roaming the old town, checking out the view from the castle and cruising along the river that goes through the town on a raft for two. The lowlight was getting drenched on the same raft after we went through some rapids! Walking back home in wet jeans in the freezing cold left us both in a pretty damp mood!

We then spent a few days in Prague where we did a walking tour of the city, scoped out the local bars and saw a bizarre Czech black comedy movie with english subtitles. We stayed at a pretty rowdy hostel and realised that we are definitely getting older when we had to tell the crowds yelling and rumbling outside our door to quieten down two nights in a row. It was at 3 and 5am in the morning though which hopefully provides some justification!

The overall highlight of our time in Czech would have to be our last two days in a small town called Loket in West Bohemia near the German border. It's a cool little medieval town right on a bend in the river and the good thing is it isn't in our lonely planet which has meant a lot less tourists... and definitely no rowdy backpackers! Was great to spend a couple of days chilling out, feasting on more Czech beer and food (including a massive roast pork knuckle) and enjoying the amazing Autumn colours.

A couple of final observations from the Czech Republic...
- You know the beer is dirt cheap when you give the barman the equivalent of A2.50 for 2 half litre beers and he gives you back change.
- It's quite normal for people to drink beer before 10am. - They love their carbs here... every meal is laden with bread, potatoes, rice, dumplings and of course beer with just a token pickled onion on the side for salad!
- They also love their whipped cream. We ordered a simple brownie and ice cream and were greeted with a massive plate piled with what looked like a full can of whipped cream. After 5 minutes of digging we found the brownie underneath!

Next stop is the Romantic Road in Germany and probably weight watchers!!

View of Ceske Krumlov through the castle walls