Day 251 Sat 23 Jun 2007 Attersee, Austria to Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic

Setting a course to the north we head for the Czech border, detouring to visit the world heritage listed Hallstadt–Dachstein ‘cultural landscape’ with impossibly green lakes and misty valleys. We can’t find anywhere to park in Hallstadt which clings to the edge of the lake so we press on through Bad Aussee and Windpassing (we spared you our visit to Buggerup in Sardinia) to St Florian where there’s another ornate baroque abbey and monastery. After attending a wedding in the cathedral and visiting Brukner’s organ (and grave)we drive into Czech Republic to world heritage Cesky Krumlov where we arrive to find it in the middle of its summer festival weekend. Sort of Glastonbury without the mud and in medieval costume. There’s not only nowhere to park but there are no hotel rooms and even the campsite is overflowing so after a quick walk around in the early evening sunshine we drive on to Ceske Budejovice, 25km north where we find the Bohemian Hotel and quantities of the local product, real Budweiser beer which sells for $1.50 a litre and which goes down very well with roast duck with dumplings. Apparently the US version simply used the german version of the town's name.