Kostel sv Václava, Srbská Kamenice © Ricky Yates
Yesterday was Good Friday and, for the first time in 28 years, I wasn’t officiating at a Church service. So as it was a fine, sunny Spring day, around midday, I set out walking the yellow waymarked route to Srbská Kamenice. This is a walk that I described and illustrated in a previous blog post last August, which you can find here.
Olešský rybnik © Ricky Yates
I first passed alongside Olešský rybnik, which is finally no longer frozen. Instead, it was glistening in the Spring sunshine.
Olešský rybnik © Ricky Yates
Several walkers were having a lunchtime break, sitting on the lakeside benches and enjoying the view.
Path through the forest © Ricky Yates
Walking into the forest, there was plenty of bright sunshine coming through the trees, helped by the deciduous ones having yet to regain their leaves.
Fallen tree © Ricky Yates
But along the way, some detours were required, together with some scrambling over fallen tree trunks.
Another fallen tree across the path © Ricky Yates
This past winter, we’ve had two serious storms which have brought down many trees. The first was Storm Herwart at the end of October 2017. The second was in mid-January 2018. I’m sure the authorities will eventually clear all the paths but they face a massive task.
Another storm damaged tree © Ricky Yates
This is another example of the damage caused by the winter storms but at least this one wasn’t blocking a path.
Kostel sv Václava, Srbská Kamenice © Ricky Yates
After reaching Pod Strážištem, at 396m, the highest point on my route, I successfully negotiated the steep decent down to Srbská Kamenice, aided by my trekking pole. As I entered the village, I caught this lovely view of Kostel sv Václava ahead of me.
Trout © Ricky Yates
At Bar-restaurace Ve starém kráme, I rewarded myself with a beautifully cooked trout, eating fish being the traditional food for Good Friday…….
Pivo © Ricky Yates
……aided by some liquid refreshment.
Whilst I was there, Ve starém kráme became very busy with visiting Germans, many of whom like me, had been out walking and now wanted a late afternoon meal. I felt quite proud of myself being the only person in the whole room speaking in Czech with the waitress. She very much appreciated me doing so, wishing me a ‘Hezký víkend!’ with a broad smile, as I left. I did respond, ‘Vam také!’
Suitably refreshed, I then headed off on the shorter green route, back to Stará Oleška. The total round trip is about 11-12 kilometres which I can normally walk without any problem. But at the end of the day, my body was busy reminding me that I hadn’t done a walk of that length for a few months!
Ve starém kráme decorated for Easter © Ricky Yates
Budvar… good choice 😉
I enjoyed “walking” with you on this walk and visiting your post from last summer which I had missed. I do love posts like these! That is a pretty long walk, I’d say… we had the same thing happen on our hike Saturday which I am still sore from. There’s just no opportunity with our continuous winter for good hiking (in good temperatures!). That restaurant looks delightful too… I do always feel good trying my best Czech with the waitresses. I think they do appreciate it, seeing how many tourists from Germany they get who don’t speak or try any Czech.
Also, very interesting tidbit about Good Friday + fish. I didn’t know that, but just so happened to have fish that night.
Hello Cynthia & thank you for commenting here once again. I like your unbiased comment about Budvar 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed both versions of the walk. And I concur entirely with you how this long winter has curtailed opportunities for a good hike. When you haven’t walked a reasonable distance for a few months, you do suffer when doing so once again. I hope you’ve now recovered from your soreness.
With regard to speaking Czech in bar-restaurants, I always take the view that I am not a tourist – I live here! Therefore I’ll do my best to speak Czech. Sadly, most German visitors make no effort at all to speak Czech. They just assume that the staff will speak German 🙁
Hi Ricky,
It’s great to see the days getting longer and the weather improving little by little giving the chance to escape into the countryside for a good walk! 😉 Kate and myself do some walking everyday for health reasons but we are usually confined to tarmac roads for the winter season – a very long winter season this time round. We always look forward to the spring ‘dry off’ that allows us get out in the woods and on the mountains near our home without the problem of bringing it all home on our boots. Walking on tarmac can be tough on feet and joints and the luxury of soft moss or pine needles beneath your soles is a great joy. Keep up the good work Ricky and enjoy your idyllic setting in ‘the nature’.
All the best, Sean.
Hi Sean,
I concur with you entirely regarding the increasing hours of daylight & the improvement in the weather. It has been a long winter here, too. There is some walking on tarmac roads on this route, particularly in the village of Janská & part of the green route back out of Srbská Kamenice. But like you, I much prefer to be ‘off tarmac’ with a bit of ‘give’ in the ground beneath my feet, provided it isn’t too muddy. I do promise to keep up the good work 🙂