Day 7 and going Bohemian

Masné Krány

MainSquare, Budweiss

Bar 13, forever a favourite

We leave Prague with the hope of returning and head South towards České Budějovice (computer says no, it's called Budweiss in German). We are soon driving through the rolling farmland of southern Bohemia and in no time we are in town. After a few wrong turns and upside-down maps we found our hostal – U.  Vlka and our room was huge, about the same size as my house. It’s just outside the small but beautifully formed old-town, 3 minutes walk. Language is a bit of a problem in a place like this but negotiations were successfully concluded via a smattering of basic English, German, and graphics oh, and a bit of theatre. It was lunchtime so we headed down-town and our instincts took us to a restaurant called Masné Krány http://www.masne-kramy.cz/. It had been the butchers market but was renovated while still keeping the original alcoves. A very different atmosphere and very tastefully achieved. Service was top-class and the food was excellent. I had strips of beef in gravy with a cranberry sauce on the side, they’re very big into their berry sauces here, or should that be ‘berry big’ Someone had to say it. The local brew is, of course, Budveiser, the Original, so it flowed. Another curiosity in these parts is that they just keep bringing you beers, even if you don’t ask. I went for a stroll around the town and picked up a map at the tourist office. I asked them where the best traditional Czech bar and cuisine could be found and they duly recommended the place we had just been – nice one. I had spotted a bar earlier  which had whetted my appetite, ‘U Tří sedláků’ on  Hroznová 37 and had a wonderful few pints there, as everyone else seemed to be doing but I’ll credit them with multiple neurons. Went back to the Hostal, pried Willy away from his iPad (actually, I had the mega-siesta) and headed back into town. Everything shuts up early here so we ended up on a fancy terraza on the main square where we were served the most revolting lime-flavoured beer, the taste stayed with me for hours. The high-point of the evening was, without doubt, discovering ‘Bar 13’ on Plachélo 15. Pints at 18CK, that’s about a Euro and the Barman had no intention of closing. Choice conversation ensued and we ended up wearing the seat cushions on our heads, as you do in České Budějovice  (computer says no, it's called Budweiss in German)..