Castles and Rocks

The last time I was in Česky Raj was about a week before I met Leoš.  It was during Covid and people were only traveling within the Czech Republic.  It was nice to return to the area after the world has gotten back to normal after Covid. We went to 3 different areas in Česky Raj.  First we went to Velečovské Skalní Byty, an area that had several stone "apartments".  I remember going to this area 4 years ago, but I didn't make it to the "apartments" area.  It was pretty cool to explore around them this time around.   Then we went to Hrad Trosky, an area I had never been to.  It was cool to see the ruins of the castle and walk up the steep stairs to get to the view point.  It was really nice to see all the valleys around the area.  They even put on a show for kids in the area.  The last stop we made was to Hruboskalsko, an area where we saw really tall stones. There were so many narrow passageways between the stones. People were climbing the really tall stones and it was a bit nerve wrecking to look at them.  It was such a neat area to walk around and we had to walk in between the stones to get to other parts of the area.  The view points were really nice and it was great to have a weekend in nature.

                                                                    a very deep well

                                                                        map of the area

                                                            looks like a skull

                                                                I had to take a photo here again

                                        had to stop at the bistro next to the parking lot for lunch

                                                           

                                                                goats chilling in the shade

                                                                   

                       memorial for Czech climbers who lost their lives climbing around the world

Bike Ride

The last time I went on a long bike ride was a few years ago.  I've been wanting to show Leos the long trail I used to go on and it was finally time.  There was a public holiday and the weather wasn't too hot, so it was the perfect time to go.  I have no idea how I was able to remember the trail, but somehow I did.  It was a great workout and nice to be biking in the forest after sometime.  I hope to do it again soon. 

                                            I took a picture of my bike like this years ago

                                                                now there are 2 bikes

                                                                our destination

                                                    nice to chill on the bench for a while

                                                                    the lake closer to the village

                                                                relaxing on my hammock

July 4th

Last year Leos and I went to Manifesto Market for the 4th of July.  It was pretty fun because they had a hot dog eating contest.  They wrote that this year there would be an Elvis Impersonator and stands selling American snacks.  We went with expectations for the event and it was a pretty big let down when it comes to activities. We didn't see the impersonator and there weren't any stands selling what they said they were going to sell.  The food was good and the live music was good, but it didn't feel like it was an event specially for the 4th of July.  They said there would also be fireworks, but it was raining, so I don't know if it got canceled or not.  I'm not sure if we will attend next year.......

                                                            Manifesto Market

                                                                spicy chicken sandwich

                                              listening to the band in the rain under my umbrella