I’ve gotten to go hiking twice this spring and it’s easy to see why the Czechs enjoy hitting the trails on the weekends… The scenery is beautiful and there are literally thousands of miles of trails to explore.  On the first trip, Stan Zelenda and Zdena Lustigova (colleagues from Charles University) suggested that we take a leisurely (ha!) stroll in an area north of Prague. 

We stopped first in Melnik, where the Vltava and Labe rivers meet.  Although the Vltava is the larger of the two, the merged river is known from then on as the Labe (or Elbe, in German). Here is where the two rivers come together.

Next, we traveled to the Kokorinsko region, north of Melnik, and prepared to walk for maybe a couple of hours.  This is a protected area (sort of like a national park) and the hiking trails are beautiful and … steep. The region is known for its sandstone boulders that have been sculpted by wind and water.

When we got to the top of the trail we were rewarded with an excellent view (although there was a bit of humidity in the air).

At this point, we’d already been on the trail for a couple of hours, and it was a long way back to the car… but ultimately was well worth it.

The next trip was supposed to be a biking expedition, but because of imminent rain we decided to go hiking instead.  (You know, it seemed to make sense at the time, but the logic of that decision now escapes me.) Anyway, this trip was me, Stan, and Oscar (a student from Spain) and we headed southwest of Prague, to an area near Karlstejn. We abandoned the car and hiked about a mile through a rolling wooded area to this fairy-tale castle tucked into the hillside.

The timing was in our favor and although it eventually did begin to rain, we were roughly 100 feet from a café, where we sat out the storm and had lunch.  Next, we headed west and tramped over hill and dale, enjoying the beautiful spring weather and meeting dozens of other hikers on the trail. Seven kilometers of up-and-down later we arrived at the village of Svaty Jan pod Skalou (roughly translated: St. John Under the Rock).  I thought Stan was kidding when he pointed to the wooden cross up on the hill and said, “That’s where we’re going.”  (It’s that little teensy thing about a mile up in the air …)

This is one section of the trail on the way up, and it’s actually steeper than it appears.  Although there are stairs, at times it was like going up a ladder. And, of course, just to make me feel bad, a couple who looked to be in their mid-70s were hiking down (and looking fresh as two daisies) as we were heading up.

So, here’s proof that I did, in fact, make it up there.  (Me on the left, Oscar on the right.) Unfortunately, it had begun to rain again, so I believe here I’m saying, “Take the picture already so we can get out of here – I’m freezing!” 

Ideally, I'll get to go biking at some point before I leave, but I think I'll opt for a flat-land journey!