The little area of Karlstejn is situated in the Berounka Valley, surrounded by tall, rocky "hills" where the king made his retreat. The town is still tiny, one of the many dots on the railway line along the river. Czech is known for its hundreds of castles and this one, just south of Prague and an hour away from our home, is a mandatory stop for its natural location.
Do you see the conductor walking across the tracks in the first picture. I gave the rail people heartfailure when I walked across it in Beroun because fast trains use the middle tracks and do not stop in smaller towns (and I had not seen the stairs to walk under the platforms -- now I know-- they nicely pointed it out to Lonnie before he did the same.)!!
We followed the red & yellow trail signs out of town, both pointing in the same direction, and ended up on the wrong, but right trail for a photo of Lonnie with the castle in the distance. We followed a family on bicycles up the long hill while he gave a push to his little son. You can rent these sturdy mountain bikes at central railstations, carry it on the train, then get off and ride for the day on the many trails in the country, and return it in the evening. I cannot talk Lonnie into the bike route. "You don't have your hands free for photos and have to be watching the trail". We do enjoy the walking. The trails follow dirt roads along field sides, clearly marked on maps and seem to be public byways; they cross public roads but you generally don't have to walk on one unless it is through a small town. In the end we walked 4.5 hours to about 3 train stops away, along with the others out for the day.
We expect to see many more castles in the coming days. Julie
In the town house picture, you see typical airing out of pillows and comforters that are usually tucked inside sheet bags.
