Tursko

We left the very pleasant city of Olomouc after having a final mid-morning stroll through its cobble-stoned streets. In terms of mainstream tourism this former royal capital and ecclesiastical metropolis appears to be somewhat off the beaten track. Throughout our time here the streets have been sleepy and the shops selling bric-a-brac, few. At its height this city was as great as any of the capitals of Europe. At a different time in our travels we would have been much more willing and enthusiastic about plunging into its history. However, over the past few weeks we are avoiding history burnout and have kept museum visits to a minimum and have been content just letting the architecture and streetscapes speak for themselves. Olomouc had a lot to say whenever we were ready to listen. As you have gathered from our last two blog posts we have chosen to listen less to the past and have foregone haute-culture in favour of taking in more light-hearted present day fare. This too has been great fun. Our trip has been like having 30 different vacations back-to-back.

We drove west for a little over three hours today. We are still in the Czech Republic and staying just about 15 minutes from the outer limits of Prague. We are in Tursko, a sleepy village of 700 people. It boasts one restaurant and one grocery store. It is a village without any intuitive layout. That the restaurant and grocery store in such a tiny place are hard to find is testament to this fact.

Our accommodation is the bottom floor of a house. The owners built a new upper storey and have rented out the downstairs for the past few years. We have three bedrooms which is a treat for the girls. The quirky tiling and woodwork defy description and I am not sure photographs really do the combined effect justice. Let’s just say this place is a one-of-a-kind creation. I just hope that whoever chose the finishing materials was just being frugal rather than trying to fulfil a dream of being an interior decorator. All that said, this place is close to perfection where it counts. It has wireless Internet, secured parking, the much coveted appliance trifecta of dishwasher, washing machine, and microwave and a stocked fridge (contents included four half litre bottles of Czech Beer and a bottle of Russian Vodka) all for $81 Canadian a night. Only Abby feels short-changed because our home lacks a toaster. I guess she will just have to drink up.