With the Festivities of the Five-Petalled Rose approaching, local have been engaged in a debate that could be summarized as: join in or leave town? Some locals don’t like the crowds of tourists; they have begun to feel that the festival is no longer theirs. But there are also those who enjoy attending the event […]

It’s been raining since early morning. That’s the price we pay for having had nice weather all month long. We think about how to deal with today’s farewell BBQ. But in the end, it all turned out better than we could’ve hoped. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did. And that’s that: […]

It’s just after 7am on Wednesday. Four street sweepers pass by, then a truck to take away the trash. The scaffolding disappeared from the house across the street yesterday, so it’ll be beautiful for the Festivities. At 8:45, I leave the house. A piece of an oriel window on the building housing the pizzeria has […]

First thing in the morning, Věra got an earful from a woman at the information center who’s seen our photographs in an article about UNES-CO in today’s local newspaper. She talked on and on about how people are really angry that the project is too little, too late, and how the city slacked off on […]

It’s just past 6:30 am, and the Asian are already here. A little after 7 o’clock, we go to the bus station. We enjoy the empty streets. On the way, we encounter a truck delivering beer. I think about how it’s a shame that the house in town has no garden. I go shopping at […]

The historic center could definitely use some more greenery.  

Dear friends, greetings from Latrán. We’ve just planted some flowers in flowerpots, and are surrounded by dirt and curious glances. I’m going to leave the flowers out till evening and see what happens 🙂 I’m sitting by the computer with a cup of tea, talking with a neighbor. We are both, in a way, home […]

The workmen start work on the neighboring building just after 7 o’clock. One of them arrived on bike. Every now and then, a pedestrian or a car passes by. By 9am, there’s the first group of loud Asians by the change office. The clock tower strikes 9, and it’s as busy here as on Wenceslas […]

It’s a little after 7 o’clock on Sunday. The street is almost completely deserted. The workmen are working on the house that is being renovated. I go to check the grocery store. It’s well-stocked, patronized by locals, with friendly clerks. They even have my favorite brand of milk. But they don’t have Czech apples, and […]

Today, I opened the latest edition of Respektmagazine and immediately came across two articles about the issues we are addressing here in Český Krumlov. Too many tourists, not enough locals, the disappearance of normal life. One article was about Venice, the other about Prague Castle and the surrounding areas. All the things we complain about […]