POST SCRIPT

So what did we achieve:

• We completed 313 km on the beautiful Vltava river in 12 paddling days and 2 rest days.
• I confirmed for myself that kayaking is a great activity for all ages and that the kayaking communities in the UK and the Czech Republic are full of helpful great fun people.
• We raised the profile of the plight of the Czech Heroes who had been members of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War only to be savagely persecuted by the communist regime after their return to Czechoslovakia.
• As at 31 December 2009 Jerry Hermansky and his accountant Guy are still negotiating with the UK Charities Commission to confirm our charitable status. Once we have this status we will receive the pledged money from those who have generously pledged their support. We are in close contact with Mrs Siskova of the Czech Ex RAF Association and we will be making a presentation to her in the New Year.

Friday 22 May

JOURNAL - DAY 14

Down to Branik at 8pm. Stan from HG Sports had very kindly lent Petra a Necky Kayak for the day so that she could accompany me on the last 9 Km to Charles Bridge. A gentle paddle which took less time than I had estimated and therefore involved us hiding near the bridge before the appointed time of arrival. A wonderful arrival organised by Jerry and his team from Interlink cs. A great thank you to them and all those who made up the welcoming committee! Stan very kindly returned the kayaks to Branik whilst I took the tram home....dressed in a dry suit! So ended the easy part of the expedition.

Thursday 21 May

JOURNAL - DAY 13

Nearly there! A very comfortable night in a campsite close to Prague. The manager is a charming former colonel who retired from the Czech armed forces in 1993. He was extremely helpful and I certainly made welcome use of the campsite's excellent hot shower. Set off early and walked round the Vrane dam. This dam was even more amusing as a swan had taken up residence at the exit slipway from the river. It was guarding its mate who was on the nest with a cygnet. After the usual huffing and puffing (from the swan) it let me past. Another dam on the outskirts of Prague required another walk however this time I was assisted by Jiri from Slovakia who was out for a bike ride. As luck would have it he is also a very keen kayaker.

Then the last push for Branik where I stored the kayak ready for the official finish on Friday.

JOURNAL - DAY 12

DAY 12:

It rained steadily and continuously from 0230 to 0830. In the morning a rather weak sun appeared which made everything a little muggy. It was good however to get clear of the sluggish expanse of Slapy although I was a touch surprised that surmounting the Slapy dam involved a 2km walk with a kayak! Then I was on the Stechovice stretch of the Vltava. A lovely, narrow, meandering river which conjured up thoughts of the logger rafts of the past.

Although it might not seem like it today, this part of the river used to belong to the most wild and dangerous but unbelievably romantic stretches of the river. Wild weirs, treacherous rocks but also a blissfull paradise of wild and untouched nature and its inhabitants. All that made what was called Svatojanske proudy (St. John's Streams) an unforgettable place.

The last raft could be seen here in 1943 during the construction of the dam at Stechovice. The fame of the rafters slowly disappeared in the 1950s when this traditional vocation died out.

Since the olden days, it is believed that it is near here the very centre of the Czech kingdom can be found. At first three wooden crosses marked the spot - in 1878 an unknown benefactor had three stone ones erected in their place. These can be still seen here to these days.

Following pictures also bear witness that this river can be and has always been a dangerous element:

Ice-flooding in 1940 destroyed the town of Stechovice and its remnants were to be seen along the river banks until May!

During the thousand-year flood in 2002 water completely overwhelmed the Slapy dam and went over the top

Fortunately unlike the trek around the Slapy dam, the dam at Stechovice ONLY involved a 300m walk. Then on to Davle and approaching the outskirts of Prague at a place called Vrane nad Vltavou. I discovered a campsite where the owner helped me get the fully loaded kayak ou of the water, across the river bank and in to his campsite. Amazing! It is called Club Lavka Skochovice.

Now only 12km to Branik tomorrow but with 2 dams to negotiate. Probably arrive between 1300 and 1400. But remember the Czech Few team will actually finish at 1100 at Charles Bridge on Friday!

JOURNAL - DAY 11

DAY 11:

Richard says:

"Still on the Slapy! It seems to go on for ever. This particular stretch meanders lazily all the way to the dam. From my camp site at KM 126 I plodded NE towards Prague eventually coming to familiar territory around Zivohost. We learned to paddle here last year and what we thought were huge expanses of water then now seem very small. As it is not the weekend the river is wonderfully empty other that the odd squadron of Sentinels.

The highlight of the day was being offered a pivo by a couple of old boys as I paddled past Nova Zivohost on my way to my planned camp site at Zivohost KM 102.

Finishing at Charles Bridge (km 50) at 1100 on Friday 22 May is immovable so I plan to paddle on Friday from Branik (KM 61) leaving at 0800 to cope with weirs etc. This means the I have 41 KM to cover in the next 3 days.

I hesitate to say this but it is not raining!"

Petra says:

"Although it might sound a bit trite, every day one can indeed learn something new. As I was browsing websites dedicated to Vltava and its sights, I found a site that once again ties this whole paddling project of the Czech Few closer to what happened in Czechoslovakia almost 7 decades ago.

Vltava Line:

Even to these days you can come across the remains of a fortification system that was supposed to help the Czechoslovak army defend their country in 1938. You can run across them mainly near the borders but also in Prague and other places. Today they are lonesome ferroconcrete monsters, mostly covered by moss, sometimes scrawled by sprayers.
They remind us of very meaningful and grievous events from the Czechoslovak history. Today only few fans are informed about the reasons which caused a construction of one of the most perfect fortification systems in the world during the thirties of the 20th century and their story of devotedness.
Adolf Hitler had won the elections in Germany in 1933. The young Czechoslovakia had to secure its borders against a surprise German attack. There were two concepts how to do it. The first one - to build a large mobile army, and the second one - to build border fortresses. The first one had a big disadvantage. Czechoslovakia was too small to build a mobile army powerful enough to stop the substantially bigger German army. However the second one had its disadvantages as well. Had the fort line been broken, there would not have been enough strength to prevent the enemy units from entering Czechoslovakia. The second concept won in the end, because of the idea that fortresses could have stopped the enemy as long as the Czechoslovak allied forces (French and British ones) entered the war with an attack against Germany from the west.
In fact the Czech engineers were influenced by the French Maginot Line (the Maginot Line was a system of French border fortresses being built from the early thirties to the beginning of the WWII), so some first types of the Czechoslovak fortresses looked much like the French ones. There were two main types of the fortification lines - the light one and the heavy one.

Plan of Czechoslovak fortification in the september 1938:

In blue one cas see where the fortification copied the Vltava River

Vltava Line was comprising of light forts: in the short period between April 30, 1938 and September 30, 1938 there were 333 of them built (their construction had to cease with the Munich Agreement signed on September 30, 1938). After the whole country was occupied by the Nazi Germany in March 1939, these forts were destroyed since the occupying powers were concerned they could be used by the rebelling population against them.

Demolition of the forts by Vltava in 1939

A few of the forts survived the demolitions in 1939 - one of them can be seen during low water conditions in the Slapy water reservoir (of course, the dam was not yet built in 1938 therefore the surviving remnants of the Vltava line are nowadays under the water)."

JOURNAL - DAY 10

DAY 10:

Petra returned to Prague today. 

Richard is on his own again pushing for Prague and therefore once again the narrative is getting a bit more concise than when she sticks around and then lets her imagination run free writing the blog!

Richard writes:

"I left the Velky Vir campsite after a very good break and I left the car under the eyes of Tomas, the top class chef who is relaxing as the manager of one the camp restaurants. Orlik dam was full of boats and naked sailors." 

(no exaggeration...yachts of people going full-monty left Richard moderately surprised, his voice on the phone later in the evening clearly indicated that) 

"The break had done me a lot of good and I was very quickly at the dam itself. For the uninitiated it is not obvious to see where the crossing point is, however I eventually took move over after a 3 way conversation with Petra.

They use a large blue cage on a venicular on the right hand side of the dam. It appears to operate from 0800 to 1700 daily. It was a painless operation and I was very quickly on my way to the Kamyk dam (yet another water reservoir the Vltava Cascade consists of). 

Again the crossing point is on the right side of the dam but this time they use a lock system, again painless. I was heading for a campsite at Permon but this seems to be no longer in operation so I paddled on to km 126 where I am camping wild. 

A good run of 27.8 km. From 1230 to 2130. A quick supper, write the blog and sleep. It is interesting that the water here is covered in a horrible slime and it appears oily and black... Not pleasant. 

I look forward to moving further up the Slapy dam tomorrow."

JOURNAL - DAY 9

DAY 9:

Slept until 1000! Compared to the busy Friday, Saturday was to be the day of rest and sightseeing. We (Richard, Steve and Petra) had a lovely breakfast a la carte at Tomas' pub - ham and eggs (in Czech "hemenex") and freshly baked buns!

After that Steve left for Prague and the Czech Few team went to explore the lovely surrounding countryside from a different perspective unusual for us - ie. from the land. As Orlik was the closest point of interest, we decided it would be nice to explore it more (for a brief historical overview see the blog from the previous day).

As was mentioned before this castle belongs (once again since 1992) to the Schwarzenbergs. The head of the family Karel Schwarzenberg was until last month the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs (previously also a Chancellor under President Vaclav Havel). 

Schwarzenberg family crest: Nothing But Law!

In one of the first rooms of the guided tour one can see the Schwarzenberg family tree - and right there one can find a very interesting detail: the family is related to the Stauffenbergs. Does not ring the bell? Maybe a little hint: Valkyrie. 

Yes, it is the selfsame family that produced Claus Philipp Maria Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, a German army officer and aristocrat who was one of the leading members of the failed 20 July plot of 1944 to kill German dictator Adolf Hitler and remove the Nazi arty from power in WWII Germany. Along with Henning von Tresckow and Hans Oster, he was one of the central figures of the German Resistance movement within the Wehrmacht.

So there we were, paddling for the Czech Few, admiring the historical sights and suddenly we were reminded how things are unbelievably interconnected. 

Richard also discovered that after a week in the boat, his legs are more sea-worthy than land-ready. Therefore we decided to take the day in relaxed way, return to the camp, cook some gnocchi on the gas stove and get ready for the last stretch of the way to Prague.

As Richard was complaining of his drysuit not being as dry as it was supposed to be, Petra spent ages submersing it in the water to find the leak... only when she was properly wet and completely convinced there was no possibility the thing could be leaking, she discovered the whole time she was inspecting the wrong leg! There you go... university-educated person. In the end, a minuscule hole was found and patched. 

All was repacked and ready to go to push for the last 104 kilometers to Prague.

JOURNAL - DAY 8

DAY 8:

What a day! Richard topped it off with having paddled 23 kilometers. In rain AGAIN! Hopefully his days of inclement weather are over. I guess that he should have been told (I suppose that as a Scot he cannot possibly know it, this being a purely Continental thing) that the period between May 12 and May 15 is being called by many names meaning all the same: "Ice Men", "Frozen Men", "Chilly Saints"... you name it. And all these names voice one wisdom old as time itself:

The "Ice Saints" Pankratius (May 12), Servatius (May 13) and Bonifatius (May 14) as well as the "Cold Sophie" (St. Sophia on May 15) are known for a cooling trend in the weather between 12th and 15th of May. According to folklore, these days were most likely to bring a late frost and even snow. It fortunately did not come to THAT!

Our paddler may have not known a thing but he was up to face an action-filled day:

First getting up and packed and ready to meet Jerry at 0800. Drizzling (St. Sophia was definitely in a weeping mood this year). And Richard almost joined in the chorus when he saw his still wet undershirt that Jerry had offered to wash for him the night before. However, Jerry had promised it would be dry and he is a man of his word: no matter that it cost him an hour in a bathroom with a hairdryer and the abovementioned undergarment! From an undisclosed source we got to know that the paddler was not really fussed as this little "domestic" drama gave him a chance to catch 40 winks on Jerry's comfortable bed.

Strengthened and all dry and cosy he could set off to see the beauties of the Orlik water reservoir which is a lovely stretch of water dominated by the castles (Zvikov and Orlik) and one long bridge (Zdakov bridge) - all of it being very very impressive.

Zvikov

Zvikov is placed on a hard to access and steep promontory above the confluence of rivers Vltava and Otava. The hill towering over the joining of the Vltava and Otava rivers had been considered a suitable place for new settlements since the prehistoric times. Celts built a fort here around the time of Jesus' life. It was there that a castle was founded by King Wenceslas I in 1234.

Until Karlstejn was finished, it served as royal castle and depository of the crown jewels. After that, the it went through many hands until it started to fall into disrepair, so much so that part of the main building fell to the river. During the 19th century, after being "rediscovered", it was partially restored.

For those used to the splendor and opulence of some of the more famous Czech castles and palaces, the interiors of Zvíkov might seem a bit empty and spartan. The furnishing is scarce and, except for some frescoes and the impressive wood carved chapel, there are few works of art that can be seen. All this, though, give the castle a lot of atmosphere. Almost as much as the legends around it, like the one that claims that the crown jewels are still there, buried somewhere.

(source: Pivni Filosof)

Zdakov bridge

The bridge over the Vltava River near the one-time Žďákov village has belonged to the biggest and most famous steel arch bridges in the world. The main arches have a box cross section. With its span of 330 m, this bridge was, for many years, the world's biggest span steel arch bridge. The bridge was built during the years 1957-67 and was opened for two-way road traffic in 1967.
The architecture of the bridge embodies features which were rare at that time. It is 540 m long, the main arch spans 330 m. The bridge stands about 50 m above water level and 100 m above the bottom of the valley.

Orlik

Set among forests that line the Vltava where it swells from the Orlík Dam, the castle never disappoints. It was built in the 13th century but has burned down several times, only to rise like a phoenix from the ashes with new additions and extensions. Inherited by the Schwarzenberg family in 1719 upon the death of Maria Ernestina, a member of the Habsburg dynasty, the castle was set high up on a hill, overlooking a once-vibrant trade route.

Built in the 13th Century, the Early Gothic style Orlik Castle underwent major reconstruction in the 19th Century, which resulted in a strange neo-Gothic creation. Orlik was acquired by the Schwarzenberg family in the early 1700s but was confiscated by the communist in the 1940s. Following the end of the Communist Regime the castle reverted back to the Schwarzenbergs in the 1992 retaining its splendor.

Orlik sits beside the Vltava River on a lush parcel of land that juts out into the water. At one point, before the dam was built, the castle would have rested high above the surrounding water and would have surely been a much more impressive sight. The name Orlik means young eagle and it is often suggested that the castle would have resembled an eagles nest, perched high upon the rocky outcrop. But of course, that is probably a dreary fact - the legend tells a more romantic story:

It tells of a robber whose little son was seized by an eagle and carried to a high cliff. After a dangerous climb the robber freed his son, alive and well, and decided henceforth to change his way of life. He built a fortress on the cliff where the eagle nested, and named it Orlik in memory of that event.

It only stayed that way - perched high above the valley - until 1962 though: back then water trapped by the Orlík Dam downriver flooded thousands of hectares of land, bringing the water level up to the castle's lower walls.
The surrounding area has become one of the most popular lake resorts in the Czech Republic. Orlik is also one of the nicest swimming areas in the country and therefore is a very popular holiday destination for camping.

This day's ultimate paddling destination was the Velky Vir campsite where Richard decided to upgrade his living quarters for a change and rented a bungalow for the night (read: a log cabin in the wood). Paddling may have been over for the day, the action however was to continue for still quite some time!

Petra and Olga arrived at 1900 only for Richard to jump straight in the car to drive to Branna to collect Richard's Jeep that had been left there the previous Sunday. A long drive - as everybody was about to find out.

Just as we were leaving, Steve Schulz appeared to lend us his support. And he deserves full marks for that - coming on his own all the way from Prague and going through with the "camping" experience at Orlik so bravely and patiently. Since we were just about to leave to collect the car, Steve was left behind to settle in his wooden hut in the middle of the wood by the lake. Full of optimism and not really realizing how far he had managed to actually paddle during the week, Richard told him we would be back in an hour. An hour, my foot. Make it more like four! We made it back to the campsite by 2300! Steve proved to be the man undeterred by circumstances though - we found him in the local bar where he befriended the locals and (most importantly) Tomas, the pub owner. By and large, Steve managed to keep the place open just for us! And what an evening we had! Good chats interspersed with multiple beer and slivovitz made by one rock-folk music group called Fleret whose music was on the whole evening and whose CD Richard was given as a present from Tomas as we were about to retire to our beds in our log cabins. As we were told: probably the only band in the world you can drink and listen to...

An action-packed day. And a thoroughly good one.

Rest tomorrow ordered as Richard has 8 solid days of paddling in him arms.

JOURNAL - DAY 7

DAY 7:

After yesterday's stenographic performance of Petra taking the blog down over the phone, today Richard decided to try the texting method... therefore a bit less eloquent than usual. Not less poetic by any means though:

"19 kilometers today to Podolsko. The rain held off until I had packed the yak, however, it then rained for the rest of the day! 

Nevertheless I passed through some cracking countryside. The Vltava Sentinels were out in force. Namely the legions of Czech fishermen deployed in mute and concentrated duty along the river bank. Hundreds of them hidden in the bushes with restricted arcs of fishing fire, alert and studiously watching and waiting for their floats to move.

In the 181 kilometers covered so far I have seen one fish being caught. Maybe I will see more in the next 131 km! Past the half way point, tomorrow should see me nearly past the 100 km to go milestone! The campsite is closed but a rustic pub 200m away offers a warm fire, cold Staropramen, good food and hot water. A bliss in this rainy time..."

JOURNAL - DAY 6

DAY 6:

Richard says:

"What a super day! 29 Kilometres from Ceske Vrbne to Novy Dvur, just north of Tyn nad Vltavou. 

The day started at 0530 with one one of the local cockerels sounding a reveille too early. But then early bird catches the worm... At 0800 I met Jana of TNP Laminex which is a Ceske Budejovice based company established in 1992, employing 15 people and manufacturing 65 000 water-sports paddles a year and they are sold worldwide. I even got to meet its owner, Mr. Jaroslav Nemec who has so kindly supported our project (Petra cannot praise her Wolferine paddle enough!). I understand that one of Mr. Nemec's uncles was an RAF pilot during WWII. 

After a quick tour of the workshops I set off at 0900 with Jana and Martin who were going to accompany me from Ceske Vrbne to Purkarec. The weather forecasters were correct and it rained on and off the whole morning but at midday blue skies and sun appeared to the joy of everybody in our small group. 

We met another monster from the deep excavating the Vltava. Interestingly, the vehicle is controlled remotely by an operator on the bank - it makes it a tame beast on an invisible leash, I suppose. This operator very magnanimously ordered his ward not to swallow us alive - i.e. he stopped the machine to allow us to pass. 

When we reached the dam at Hluboka, we encountered more of the same and this time another operator lifted one of the gates and we effortlessly glided underneath. We then moved through some lovely countryside which was part of the old Schwarzenberg estate. Jana and Martin left me at Purkarec having very kindly escorted me out of the Ceske Budejovice area.

The chateau of Hluboka (the current look being modelled on the Windsor Castle) that one sees on the way was originally founded as a guarding castle in the mid 13th century.

Interesting fact: This castle has been used in a scene of Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson's Shanghai Knights.

I then moved north to the dam of Hnevkovice where I met a powerstation master who was very interested in the project. We had a lovely chat - lingua franca in this instance became German and I was trying my darnedest to summon all the bits and pieces of my pidgin' "Deutch". By and large, I think we did rather well and I was leaving with a bagful of information materials about the powerstation.

Then on towards Tyn nad Vltavou. 

Another weir to be circumvented and there it was in front of me - my campsite for the night at Novy Dvur. Getting to it was another adventure though - all of a sudden I found myself being chased by a male swan who was protecting his mate on the nest. In order to escape its flapping wings I was surprised to have found reserves of energy making me storm into the campsite like a rocket!

JOURNAL - DAY 5

DAY 5:

Following blog was dictated by the paddler on the phone:
"Paddled 18.1 km.
Started 0730.
Finished 1430.
After a night of continual rain delighted to say all's dry (inside the tent). On the water at 0730 for a weir-hopping trip around Ceske Budejovice. Delighted to be a subject of spectator's sport while moving the kayak on wheels around some of the weirs. Then to find a monster from the deep excavating the river in the middle of Ceske Budejovice bringing earth from one side to the other in his snorkel-breathing caterpillar tractor beast. No warnings were given of this obstacle but it was negotiated safely. Just.
The river got very dirty past CB because of the earth-moving work in town. Even more importantly, there was hardly any current at all as the river was dammed in the centre of the town to allow the monster to do his work. I hope that this changes, i.e. that the current comes back.
Staying the night at Ceske Vrbne. An excellent campsite – it is empty. But the bar is open and it also has a white-water course which is being used at the moment. However, I will resist the temptation to join in.
I've had a hot shower and cheese and chips (not together). Currently it is not raining. Long may it continue. But oh well."

… the next morning Petra received the following text message: try to find a good weather forecaster and tell me that there is going to be some sun – even if you have to make it up. This rain could turn me into a duck!

He would not be the first bigger-than-life duck on the water… this quacker is French and resides on the Loire River.

Little bit of Geography education:
Ceske Budejovice is yet another town with history going back to 13th century. What is probably more attention-catching is the fact that it is the home of the world-known Budvar a.k.a. Budweiser (THE REAL THING) beer. The town has been well known for brewing it for quite a long time, that is if you consider EIGHT CENTURIES a long time – oh yes, it has been there since the 13th century! For a time the town was even the royal brewery for the Holy Roman Emperor, and Budweiser Bier (beer from Budweis) became, along with Pilsen's Pilsener, one of the best-known lagers. Brewing remains a major industry.
The largest brewery, founded in 1895, is Pivovar Budejovicky Budvar (Budweiser Budvar Brewery), which has legal rights to market its beer under the "Budweiser" brand name in much of Europe. The same product is also sold elsewhere under the names "Budvar" and "Czechvar" due to legal squabbles with Anheuser-Busch over the Budweiser brand. The American lager was originally brewed as an imitation of the famous Czech original but over time has developed its own identity and attained remarkable commercial success. Anheuser-Busch has made offers to buy out the Czech brewing company in order to secure global rights to the name "Budweiser", but the Czech government has refused all such offers, considering keeping the Budweiser name Czech to be a matter of national pride. QUITE RIGHT, TOO!!!

JOURNAL - DAY 4

DAY 4:
Richard is braving the river on his own again. Started from Branna at 0730 and finished at 1700 having covered 40.9 km! Only one weir got the better of him – the one at Vetrni Paper Mill (288.2 km marker). I have seen this weir described as the concrete ghost. The actual weir is divided into four parts: from the left side, the water facility of the paper factory, then the slanting wide part of the weir, a gravel sluice, and completely on the right, the longest concrete water canal for boats on the Vltava river - a depressive retarder, about 90 m long, with a difference of levels of about 1,8 m. It may not seem like much but obviously it can take advantage of a minor distraction!
Oh well, thanks to well-packed kayak, dry suit and helmet this whole episode did not merit to be called even a minor nuisance. By the way, Richard has apparently no sense of entertainment and timing of this kind of events either - there was nobody to watch! Hopefully he will learn from this.
However, the pearl of the fourth day paddle was undoubtedly the town of Cesky Krumlov.

The survey of most authentic historic destinations conducted annually by the National Geographic Traveler magazine lists only one Czech town. And yes, it is not Prague.
A body of almost 300 panelists has selected top one hundred historic destinations around the world for the National Geographic Traveler magazine. Cesky Krumlov took 16th spot, beating famous destinations such as Damascus, Sydney or Verona.
According to legend, the name Krumlov is derived from the German "Krumme Aue", which may be translated as "crooked meadow". The name comes from the natural topography of the town, specifically from the tightly crooked meander of the Vltava river. The word "Český" simply means Czech, or Bohemian. In Latin documents it was called Crumlovia or Crumlovium. The town was first mentioned in documents from 1253.
The flow of the Vltava River has long been a natural transportation entrance to this region. The area's oldest settlement goes back to the Older Stone Age (70,000 - 50,000 B.C.). Mass settlement was noted in the Bronze Age (1,500 B.C.), Celtic settlements in the Younger Iron Age (approx. 400 B.C.) – THERE'S YOUR REASON WHY RICHARD FEELS AT HOME HERE… AMONG THE CELTS… and Slavonic settlement has been dated as from the 6th century A.D.

For more about the colourful and rich history of this town click here.

To top off the lovely day full of excitement and culture, Richard decided to add a bit of adventure in the end spending the night in wild campsite by the river. His timing was impeccable here – the moment he pitched his tent, cats and dogs started plummeting.
(Probably the same wave of inclement weather that broke off the tree in the courtyard, thus blocking the main door and almost preventing me from leaving the house for work in the morning… tonight I am planning a long session with my pocket saw trying to cut the three metre log branches and trunk into smaller and manageable pieces. That is my kind of adventure… in Prague, too).

JOURNAL - DAY 3

DAY 3:

The River Vltava looks once again like a river… and a breathtaking one at that!

How did the name Vltava came about anyway? It is derived from the Old Germanic Wilth-ahwa (wild, strong water). Today's German name Moldau has – funnily enough been taken from the Czech language in the 13th century (at first as Moltaua). Talk about cultural interchange!

Above you can see Richard and the Rozmberk (Rosenberg) upon Vltava Castle that we passed during today's paddle. As with the other castles and chateaux owned by the Rosenbergs, the White Lady appears in Rožmberk castle and walks around the castle every night and announces coming events by the colour of her dress. The black clothing means something tragic, on the other hand the white colour brings good news. According to the legend she was seen last at the time of World War II when with her presence, she expressed her disagreement with the Nazi flag hanging on the tower. The inspiration for the White Lady is Perchta von Rosenberg (1429 - 1476), a daughter of Ulrich II. von Rosenberg who worried herself to death during her unhappy marriage.

In the Middle Ages, the river's most important function was for navigation. During the colonisation of the country, the need for timber for the building of towns and castles grew, this was supplied by floating it down the river. This timber came from the Vltava forests in the southern and south-western parts of our country. To use the flow of the river for rafting purposes, it was necessary to arrange safe navigation of the river, which at times caused some problems and conflicts. Later on even the transport of salt became important.

Salt was transported on the river up to the middle of the 16th century, first of all in barrels on boats, from České Budějovice or Týn nad Vltavou to Praha. If the boats were empty and not used for transportation on the lower part of the Vltava river or on the Labe, it was necessary to bring them back by being towed by horses. This was quite a demanding and lengthy process, so preference was given to the transport salt on rafts.

This part of our paddle is taking us throughout the beautiful heartland full of natural, cultural and historical sights. It surely is one of the best scenic routes with river flowing novely through the bends always offering wonderful sights, including countless stone trolls, indeed whole armies of them erected along the river, guarding the safe passage of the passing paddlers. We went through tree weirs altogether on this day and all of them were huge fun and luckily no splosh!

In the end, we gently touched land again at Branna – kilometre marker 298. Once again good nature of people shone through – river station of the boat renting company Ingetour let Richard use thein garden to camp for the night and park the car for as long as necessary. Big thanks to Ingetour folk in Lenora!

At this point we unfortunately had to say good-bye to Richard who will now be on his own again – braving the river alone for some time while we headed back to Prague. Sad moment but good news for our readers (since the first thing I am doing is trying to publish all the updates to keep you "with it").

JOURNAL - DAY 2

DAY 2:

Encouraged by the loveliness of the morning, I jumped into the lake – and let me tell you, my dip lasted all of about 4 seconds. Very refreshing, indeed.

After breakfast all were ready to board the vessels – one sea-kayak (Richard), one canoe (Jerry and Mila) and one white-water kayak named Bert (Petra). As lovely as the lake is, it is hard work compared to flowing river and let me tell you that trying to cross about 17 kilometres of flat water in something that was designed for white water wilderness can be quite vexing – at times I resembled ballerina for all the pirouettes I was making with Bertie in the middle of the lake while Richard was gracefully gliding next to me, concentrated and unfazed!

However, in the end we could sound the cheer as we reached the dam of the 48 kilometre long artificial Czech sea called Lipno. This is an interesting part of the river, not described in the water guide. From the time when the Lipno Dam was built, the water from the turbines here has been led through an underground canal (the largest underground canal in the Republic at that time) to the nearby Vyssi Brod.

Straight under the concrete dike of the Lipno Dam (705 m above sea level) the natural water canal starts. During the Championships of the Republic, World championships and World Cups, dangerous water is allowed to run through the canal with great boulders, and the world's top racers put their boats on it. It is referred to as the "water of truth". One cannot train here, but a few hours before the race, here he who knows his ins and outs, he succeeds.

AND WHAT AWAITS US NEXT? Packing up the boats and driving over to Vyssi Brod (Upper Ford in English) that will be the starting point of tomorrow's adventure.

Phase One Achieved.

Vyssi Brod:

The first written mention of the town is from 1259. The settlement existed before the founding of the monastery, However it is the monastery the town is famous for. Vyssi Brod Monastery is one of the largest monastery complexes in Bohemia, 33 km from Cesky Krumlov. This Cistercian monastery was founded by Vok of Rozmberk (Rosenberg) in 1259, and today it is still the seat of the Cistercian order. The interiors contain the Gothic church, a gallery with over 100 paintings by Baroque masters, a small gallery with exhibitions about Cistercian way of life and a unique library containing 70 000 volumes and a Postal Museum exhibition.

Legend of the Devil's Wall in Vyssi Brod

The devil was severly irritated by the monastery in Vyssi Brod, so he decided to build a dam in the chasm which would hold up the water and flood the monastery. With great strength, he tore enormous rocks down into the Vltava river valley - his work, however, was to be finished before the third crow of the black cock. The black prince didn't succeed; after the third crow of the black cock, his evil power was gone. The bell in the monastery's tower rang, and the devil had to leave the rocks, on which can be seen the marks of his ugly claws even today.

The great rocks above the river are called the devil's pulpit, and the sheer cliffs full of stones below are called Devil's Wall. These cliffs, long ago, were called by the name Strasidelnik (strah-shi-dell-neek), meaning something like the place of frights. According to old legends, this was a holy place where ancient Slavs paid homage to the god Svatoroh. Christianity later used the old myths to create new legends in which the devil represented evil and the monastery in Vyssi Brod represented good.

Funnily enough, later (as I am writing the blog), I came over a website giving some advice concerning Vltava and Lipno in particular. How apt I am finding them now! You can judge for yourselves:

Perhaps some bits of advice might help :

	Do not risk the shortest way, keep close to the shore (hmm, I confess I sinned in this respect).
	A black water surface predicts rain and wind, and meter-high waves are not only pub stories (definitely not high stories at all – we saw them with our own eyes during that gale on the evening of the Day 1).
	Follow the advice and behaviour of the boat fishermen - when they leave the water, you should too (I am not sure about this one; we met only one fisherman but he was not particularly fishing as he was hunting for his boat that had got lost during the afore-mentioned gale… if you ever find a white and blue boat called Lord, please call +420-606-606 111, thank you).
	To sum up: Lipno takes people's lives as an annual tax. WE SURVIVED!

 

JOURNAL - DAY 1

DAY 1:

Richard was up and about at 0630 and by 0800 he was away conquering the first phase of the paddle - the Lipno Dam. It is almost unbelievable to recognize the river at this point – it changes so spectacularly and all of a sudden you are no longer on a river but in the MIDDLE OF A SEA!

A few historical facts: The construction of the Lipno Dam and power plant has its historical roots in attempts to prevent the river´s destructive properties and at the same time utilize its power - in transport, using the water wheel, or water turbines. The power of the Vltava River has often showed itself in catastrophic floods before the building of the dam.

The Lipno Dam is a part of the Vltava cascade (system of lakes), and is at its highest point. It is situated in mountain terrain, on the border of Sumava National Park and Nature Reserve. This gigantic water reservoir was built between 1952 and 1959 on the upper part of the river Vltava. Its water poured over a great part of the Vltava basin with several unmined peat-bogs. The area of the main reservoir is about 4650 ha, and the volume is 306 million m³, 726 metres above sea level (when the water is at its highest point).

At the time of its origin, the dam was an exceptional technical solution, situated in extraordinary natural conditions. It replaces several older power plants between Lipno and Vyssi Brod (more about Vyssi Brod later as it is to be our campsite and starting point for the Day 3).

The morning was beautiful and the water freezing! Richard had a good and steady paddle of 18 km and discovered some of the Czech peculiarities – such as that we have Taiwan Island in the middle of Lipno! At 1100 a very strong wind appeared from nowhere and that made the lake truly sea-like. Choppy conditions or not, Richard arrived at DOLNI VLTAVICE at 1200 to await the rest of the team and their equipment for the weekend.

As I mentioned earlier, I was transported to this amazing little village at the "end of the world" by my colleague Olga – it is great how people are ready to help. I didn't have to ask, yet she offered herself to pick me up and drive me with my huge bags and a paddle in her tiny red car nicknamed "Ladybug" (it is nice and red… no dots though) someplace more than 300 km far away! Very brave and I will never forget it.

Jerry organized the boats and the campsite for the night (a little way from Dolni Vltavice, camp called HRUSTICE) – we got there by car, Richard covered the last three kilometers from Dolni Vltavice by paddling across the little bay, of course.

The wind was steadily picking up and we ended up with gale on our hands worthy of the Atlantic – Jerry ended up tying his tent to the trees with the car tow rope, luckily all held fine and the next day we all woke up into a magical morning!

Journal - DAY MINUS 1

DAY -1:

It is all happening right NOW. The Czech Few was launched on Friday, May 8^th – date commemorating the 65^th anniversary of the VE Day. The final preparations had gone without any hiccups – Richard had departed on Thursday to set up the basic camp at Nova Pec leaving behind the rest of the team in Prague. The rest of us managed to get away only the next day – missing the very first strokes of the journey to honour the Czech RAF veterans.

On one hand the late departure deprived us of giving our brave paddler the proper "launching hand", on the other hand at least for myself I can say that I enjoyed seeing that we were not the only ones remembering the historical events of 65 years ago. My colleague Olga was giving me a lift to Lipno where I was to join Richard and the rest of the team and near Milin. There we met several groups in WWII Allied vehicles coming to a rendezvous at what had been the demarcation line between the Soviet and American forces liberating Czechoslovakia at the end of the WWII.  

An interesting by-line: Although the WWII officially ended on May 8^th, frantic fighting was going on in Czech lands for a few more days – reason for this was the effort of the German units to at all costs avoid falling prisoner to the Soviet Red Army. And it was right near Milin where the last large World War II battle in the area of Czech lands took place.

On May 7, 1945 all German forces were ordered to surrender staying in their positions. Field Marshal Ferdinand Schörner, the commander of the Army Group Centre deployed in Bohemia, however, ordered his units to force their way westwards and to surrender to American forces which reached the agreed demarcation line in the western Bohemia and stopped there. Since the Soviet Army was still days away from the demarcation line only the partisans had tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to stop the Germans who responded with reprisals against the local population. On several occasions Vlasov's army units (also trying to reach the Americans) skirmished with the Germans.

On May 9 1945 a large formation of German troops reached the area between villages Milín, Slivice (now administrative part of Milín) and Čimelice, near the demarcation line. Among them were parts of the Kampfgruppe Wallenstein and the infantry regiment Der Führer (SS Division Das Reich); the formation was commanded by SS-Gruppenführer and General-Lieutnant of the Waffen-SS Karl Friedrich von Pückler-Burghauss. The soldiers were accompanied by fleeing German civilians and administrators. Because the road toward the Americans was blocked by the local resistence von Pückler-Burghauss ordered to establish defensive lines here. Since May 9 the Americans closed the line and returned any surrendering soldiers to the Soviet side.

On May 11 partisan groups led by Soviet officer Yevgeniy Antonovich Olesenski attempted to storm the Germans and were decimated. In the afternoon of this day, finally, the Soviet army units arrived and attacked the Germans.

The attack started with artillery and rocket bombardment. The Soviet bombardment was supported by 4th tank division of the XII Corps (U.S. Third Army). Later, troops from 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Front attacked German positions. During the night the defense collapsed and around 3AM General von Pückler-Burghauss signed the capitulation. The American negotiators refused to take the General and his family; fearing revenge from the Russians he shot his wife, daughter and his deputy and then himself. About 6000 soldiers and large number of vehicles were captured.

(Source: Wikipedia)

 

However, back to OUR STORY:

Richard got to his ground zero at Nova Pec, made friends with locals that were prepared to let him use their garden to park his car and look after it for the time he was going to be paddling down the river. They even fed him thus acting as a substitute support team that was still Prague-bound and therefore useless for any practical helpJ!

Kayak was packed. New tent proved its merit – one can pitch it in about three minutes.

Everything was ready. Only hours to our D-DAY of May 8^th!

Detailed Route Plan

Nova Pec 363, Charles Bridge 50 = 313 KM
Contact Paddler telephone (+420 602686210) will be on at 1800 every night.
Support team:

Jerry Hermansky, +44 7785395371, jerryhermansky@compuserve.com

Petra Mohylova, +420 603254728, petra_mohylova@yahoo.com

Under a week to go before the launch of the 300 KM paddle from Nova Pec to Charles Bridge in support of the Czech ex RAF Veterans. The paddle starts on Friday 8 May and finishes at 1100 on Friday 22 May at Charles Bridge in Prague. Preparations are nearly complete, with today seeing the finalising of the maps that will be needed and lots of little bags of food being gathered together so that the trip will also be a culinary feast. If this fails to happen when they are extracted from the depths of the kayak then no doubt the facilities of the odd Czech water-side hostelry will be used!

The project is now an officially registered UK company which goes by the name of THE CZECH FEW LIMITED. We have applied for charity status from the UK Charity Commissioners but the bureaucracy drags on and we still await the registration number. The good news is that those who donate to the project will be able to claim a tax refund on the donation whether they are UK or Czech based. A UK bank account specifically for the project has been opened and a Czech account will be opened next week. Full details of the Charity registration and the account numbers will be published as soon as we get them.

For those who have forgotten why we are doing this, I should just like to remind you of the brave Czech airmen who came to Great Britain at the start of the Second World War to fight as members of the RAF. On return to the Czech Republic and during the communist regime they were persecuted and imprisoned. Although their conditions improved after 1989 they are still not adequately compensated for their sacrifice. The Czech Defence Ministry pays pensions to some but not all of the Veterans and the RAF Benevelont Fund contributes significant money every year to support the Veterans. The State clearly can not do every thing and charitable efforts like this one attempt to close the gap. In the UK we have a profusion of charities through which the public can support their veterans. This is not the case in the Czech Republic where the old mind set is understandably taking time to wither and die. A number of Czech firms and individuals have however been extremely helpful and generous. Interlink cs, TNP Laminex, HG Sports to name but three.

You may also ask how the money will be used? In essence three Trustees will control the dispersal of funds for veteran charitable purposes. This is required by the relevant Charity Laws. However a veteran in need will, as is currently the case, seek support from the UK Defence Attache in Prague. He will then decide whether the case can be answered by the RAF Benevolnet Fund or whether it is a cause for immediate support from THE CZECH FEW LIMITED. If it is, the case will be presented to the three Trustess who will authorise payment.

During the trip I will make a report every night at about 1800 which will then be put on this blog by the support team- Jerry Hermansky and Petra Mohylova. As the Vltava flows North I should not get lost however the planned daily progress might be affected by the weather and my ablitity to leave a warm sleeping bag in the morning! A route plan will be added to the blog soon for any Czech paddlers who would like to join the cavalcade traveling North. You will be very welcome.

It would be worth calling Petra on 00420603254728/email petra_mohylova@yahoo.com and she should know the state of progress.

Finally we should like to thank all our family, friends and kayak shop owners who have given their advice and listened to the endless yaking stories over the last few months. Your patience has been admirable!

Now off to IDET, the Czech Defence Equipment exhibition to seek more pledges for this hugely worthwhile project.