Chronic town, poster torn, reaping wheel, Stranger, stranger to these parts.

I'm glad I spent the night in Cesky Krumlov. It was, as expected, a picturesque town with a river running through it, small wooden bridges, castle walls built into the rock, a quiet central square full of mostly Japanese and Korean tourists snapping pictures.

I didn't find so much to do, but after the busy-ness of Prague I was happy for a little break. I walked down the river, climbed the 167 stairs to the top of the castle tower for a "stunning view", got lost in the streets, bought Hunter S. Thompson's "Rum Diaries" from a bookstore run by a San Franciscan and ate some more delicious Czech food.

I also took some pictures.

I somewhat regret not renting a bike, as the San Franciscan bookseller informed me that the cycling around Cesky Krumlov is fantastic, but I also would have felt bad not seeing the main sights.

My favorite place that I visited was the Egon Schiele Art Centre. While I am only moderately familiar with Egon Schiele from high school Art History and Eban Lehrer, I have grown to enjoy his work. Unfortunately, his Art Centre only had one room devoted to him (had some good stuff in it though), and the rest was filled with exhibits by other artists. Fortunately, most of these artists were great. Faces made of California kelp, viewed through submarine window like lenses, grotesque female forms by Estonian artists, cars carved from wood, a dark room with jellyfish looking lights hanging from the ceiling, a video piece depicting what appeared to be a flood in Cesky Krumlov, and a set of guitar sculptures formed from ordinary items like cigarette lighters, uncarved wood and a bar of soap.

One thing this trip has taught me is how many great artists there are (or were) of whom I am completely unaware. In the Hungarian, and Czech museums I've checked out, I've been surprisingly pleased by artists who are well beneath the radar of most high school or college art history classes. Not that I think these relatively unknown artists need to be taught. But rather, I'm pleased to know how much there is to discover outside of the main canon.

I caught a 4:30 bus back to Prague, and despite not planning properly, the trip went smoothly. One of the first trips I've made where I reached my destination when expected.