The stellplatz at Dresden was out the back of a motorhome dealer which was very handy as it meant we could stock up with bits and bobs for Frosty. Useful as all sorts of bits were going wrong and needed fixing (still are).We had a long drive to Prague where we’d arranged to meet the Baileys. Plenty of rain and rough roads made the going tough so it was a huge relief to pull in beside them at our riverside campsite rendezvous. As it was still raining, we pulled our awning out for the first time as did they meaning we had a good sized covered space between the vans.
The evening was spent chatting around the campfire until late while the kids watched a DVD.
Next day we all jumped on the train to Prague sent off by the lovely campsite owner who furnished us all with the correct fare in Kronas and shooed us off insisting she would finish off the laundry for both families.
It was a weekend so Prague was very busy – I think the busiest any of us had seen on our respective trips. It was also bitterly cold but we had a great day including a lunch and a couple of tasty Czech beers.
We all hiked up to the top of a nearby hill where there was a ‘mini Eiffel tower’ to climb. Seemed like a good idea at the time but the spiral staircase up to the top was rather exposed and we all suffered from varying degrees of vertigo. Great views though.
Then we made our way back to the station, getting lost and ice cream along the way.
Again we bid farewell to Bailey, Jen, Harrison & Thia as we followed through with our brief Poland excursion which I’ve already covered here. It was another monster drive to get back from Auschwitz to Cesky Krumlov where the Bailey’s were waiting for us and we stopped off on the way at a nice Dutch owned campsite on a lake in the country.
When we arrived in Cesky, we settled in to a nice quiet spot in an almost deserted campsite and Bailey and I took the chance to pop to the local village pub for an hour or so – first time either of us had had any sort of social activity without the kids for many, many months.
Next morning, the Bailey’s introduced us to the world of geocaching.
If you don’t know what it is, it’s a kind of worldwide treasure hunt using GPS coordinates. People hide stashes in various places with some trinkets you can swap with your own if you like, or just sign the logbook. Great for people on the move like we are as they are absolutely everywhere.
Then we hit up Cesky Krumlov which really was a lovely little town. We wandered around the castle, including its moat with bears, and the town before finding a spot to eat on the river.
We all chose the ‘Bohemian Feast’ and even the kids loved it. After that the adults had a quick drink in the pub while the kids got lost in the ‘mirror maze’. On our way home, the girls decided it was their turn and stayed back for a couple of drinks and I took the kids to the circus which happened to be set up next door to where we’d parked the vans. It was past closing time but they let the kids have a go on the dodgems anyway.
Then it was goodbye to the Baileys for some time. Sad to part company after such good times and the kids have also become great mates. We can’t wait to see them in the UK in December. We enjoyed the Czech Republic although the weather took the shine off a little and Prague definitely needs a revisit – next time at night and without the kids!!