A weekend in Southern Bohemia – Part II

On Saturday we were after a more cultivated experience so we chose to visit Hluboká nad Vltavou. We were surprised to find out that there is a beautiful big lake near Hluboka, as well as a new zoo and a golf course. The lake is suitable for swimming and is lined with camping lots and small cabins.

The town itself looks “new”, I guess the municipality has a considerably high income from all the tourists. This allows them to keep the town center renovated, making it very picturesque. There were hoards of people wandering around and when we reached the main square we understood why. There was an annual wine festival being held this weekend. The main square was lined with small stalls offering wine, food and souvenirs and there were also folk concert on a big stage in the center of the square.

We decided to check out the castle first and have a close look at the stuff offered at the festival later. The castle is beautiful and everyone visiting the area should see it, at least from outside.

We wanted to see the interior of the castle, but because there were so many people around, there was a 3 hour wait for a tour and we didn’t want to wait that long. So, we just wandered around the castle and park for an hour or so.

The gates of the main entrance to the castle are decorated with a metal crow poking out the eyes of a guy that looks suspiciously like a cossack. Typical cossack styling! I mean the moustache and hairstyle.

We saw a wedding photo session taking place inside the castle. See the bride inside the glass winter garden?? The place is perfect for weddings, it's very romantic! But there is an absolute lack of privacy there, tourists are everywhere.

The wine attracted many people. There was a wine tasting inside one of the buildings on the main square but also there were many outside stalls offering wine and most importantly this year's Burčák.

Husband was driving so he didn’t have any but I drank a couple of glasses. We also tried something that I wanted to try for a long time – Kapří hranolky or Carp fries! It’s a dish that was apparently invented in the famous Šupina restaurant in Třebon. It’s basically boneless carp marinated with some spices and deep fried. It is very greasy but surprisingly tasty! I have never tried the original version though. This portion with a slice of bread cost 60 crowns and there is lots of carp for that price., it's very filling.

The same stall also sold different kinds of smoked fish, we bought some too.

There were also different sausages, trdelnik, pancakes, potatoe pancakes and other traditional festival and fair food. We might be returning next year!