Personal Development:
"No one realises how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." (Lin Yutang)
I chose to carry out my Erasmus experience in Austria for many reasons. Among these was the fact that Austria is located in the heart of Europe and gives you a fantastic opportunity to travel and see other countries. With this philosophy in mind, this week my good friend Jack Woods accompanied Warren and I on an adventure to the Czech Republic!
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| Enjoying the nicest beer in the world!! |
Jack, a proud English man is working as a Language Assistant for a year in a local school here in Linz. Warren and I have got to know Jack very well over the past few months and his company is always enjoyable and very entertaining. So, the 'Three Musketeers' packed our bags and headed for our first destination, the city of Ceske Budejovice; commonly known as Budweis. Busweis is a statutory city in the Czech Republic and is the largest city in the South Bohemian region. This city is well-known for having the largest square in Middle Europe and as the place that brews the excellent Budvar beer (Budweiser). I have been fortunate to taste some beautiful beers in Austria but the beers there were simply 'unbelievable' and extremely cheap!
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| Taking in the beauty of Krumlov... |
The next morning came and we had two options; return to Linz or continue our Czech adventure! The decision was unanimous - to Cesky Krumlov it was! Situated on the banks of the Vitava river, this town was built around the 13th century. It truly is an outstanding example of a small central European medieval town whose architectural heritage has remained intact. In fact, I would honestly say that Krumlov is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. Aidous Huxley once said that "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." I have to agree with this. I too, never expected the Czech Republic to be home to so many picturesque towns and cities. The city centre of Krumlov really was a sight to behold. The narrow medieval lanes and Renaissance houses complements the extensive complex of the castle and chateau. Two brown bears also roam the castle moat and prove a somewhat different attraction for tourists - and many tourists there were!
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| Warren enjoying life... |
So a planned one day excursion resulted in a four-day sight-seeing, beer-drinking and very memorable trip to the Czech Republic. I really hope we can plan another venture before we return home!
Our week ended in great style with a victory in the quarter-final of the Austrian Rugby cup. Our opponents were Vienna Celtic RFC in a match that required nothing less than a victory if we were to progress further in the cup. This was without doubt our best performance yet as we taught the Viennese boys a bit of a lesson! On a personal note, both Warren and I were able to score out first tries for the team. A day that will live long in the memory and a semi-final to look forward to next week!!
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| Celebrating a hard-fought victory! |
Guten Abend,
James
References:
- Suoqiao, Q (2011) Liberal Cosmopolitan: Lin Yutang and Middling Chinese Modernity, The Netherlands, Hotei Publishing
- Murray, N (2002) Aidous Huxley: A Biography, Great Britain, Little Brown Publishers
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