Saturday, September 4, 2010

West Bohemia Day 1: Hidden Loket




I'm spoiled. I know this. Nearly every time I venture out of my little home I find some bit of adventure. This weekend was another lashing of adventure and being utterly spoiled. H. and I didn't have a big summer holiday so we've been planning long weekends out of Prague exploring edges of the Czech Republic that we haven't been to. We decided to spend this weekend in the western border region. Boy, what a treat!

We stayed in the little town of Loket. Loket is literally translated as "elbow". The name of this town is fitting because it consists of a castle on hill nearly completely surrounded by the Ohre River, this meander of the river reminds one of the sharp bend of the...elbow! We arrived and I was like a kid at Christmas. I didn't even want to unpack, I just wanted to get to the center and see the castle. Walking into the city you feel as if time stops and you are transported back to a place where time moves slower.

Just as I was saying this to H., a group of goats came strolling down the street in the opposite direction. Hmm, that doesn't seem very 2010. And then, some way behind the goats came a policewoman. Her face was red and she was prodding the goats forward with terms of endearment sprinkled with curses. We didn't hide our laughter. I whipped out the camera and snapped photos in between giggles. The policewoman was not nearly as amused. We continued on our way, leaving Miss Police to the herding.

What is delightful about Loket is that there are tiny pockets of cuteness everywhere. The square is surrounded by brightly colored buildings from the 16th century. The streets leading to the castle contain statues of lions and gnomes and saints. The castle makes you believe in fairy tales and happy endings. The river passes quietly along gardens of perfect rows of perfect flowers.

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