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.