I’ve been running pretty hard for a while now. Ever since letting work know I would be leaving (in July maybe). It was chaotic in San Francisco... packing up all my belongings at home and at work, trying to close out a few projects and bring a few others to a decent turnover point, preparing for the trip... then actually leaving. The first couple of weeks on the road were very prescribed, very eventful, and went by very fast: Iceland for three days, then fly to Munich. Munich for Oktoberfest then on to the wedding... with the wedding passed I was able to sit back and take stock for the first time in a long time, of leaving and of what was in store. In doing so I think my body let down a little, and there was a cold brewing inside...

·       Heavy chest (upon arriving in Durnstein)

·       A deep cough sets in (Linz)

·       The cough turns chronic... and persistent... and all night long (Cesky Krumlov)

·       Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, fever, cold sweats, aches, pains, nausea (Here and Now)

Welcome to Cesky Krumlov! And welcome to country number four, the Czech Republic (Iceland, Germany, Austria) There is no great place to have the flu (maybe while staying at your parents house where you can be mothered), but Cesky Krumlov is a particularly bad place to have it. It is a naturally fortified village protected by a big bend in the river on three sides, with a castle on a cliff across the bank. It is not a big place, but a very high character place, and one I was just not able to get out and explore to my liking. Some say you can rest when your dead, some say you only live once... I decided to go with live to fight another day... I used my three days here to get some rest and do what I could to recover. I have a long haul ahead of me, and sometimes you just need to take a little time off. It's been tough waking up in cold sweats and coughing fits throughout the night. After my first evening, I thought I would be asked to leave because I was keeping everyone up, but instead the fine folks at Hostal Skippy made me some herbal tea, put me in my own room and sent me to the pharmacy with a list of things that would help me. Hanging around also opened the door to an in-house performance by resident CK celebrity and musician, Skippy herself. Born to a Czech mother and Afro Cuban father, Skippy was raised eight years in Cuba before coming back to the Czech Republic. She has a warm spirit and an artists sole, and the place felt a lot more like staying at a good friends then living out of a hostel.

All my bitching aside, I was able to get out and walk around a see some pretty great stuff, as well as take care of some important business, like showering and doing laundry. (Sidenote: I held off on doing laundry in Austria thinking that it would be cheaper in the Czech Republic for sure. Either I was wrong or ripped off. Seven dollars for wash and five dollars for dry, and I did it myself!) Cesky Krumlov is great for strolling. Your always crossing a bridge from one side of the river to the other, finding some plaza extracted out of the grid of three story buildings, filled with tables and people eating and drinking. I really wish I was able to join them for some Pivo, the local intoxicant. But alas, I spent a few hours of my day wandering, and a lot of time sleeping.