14. Up and Down the Hill: Day Trip to Kokořín

We decided to hike to a castle one Sunday and I was highly excited about this. The Czech Republic has some wonderful castles but we had only visited Prague Castle and Vyšehrad so far. This time we were going to a castle to the north of Prague called Kokořín.

I was stoked for the Kokořín castle, but also for a nice walk in the woods. When I looked up photographs of the castle and its surrounding area, immediately with the landscape. Since it was surrounded by a natural preserve, the photos showed rolling hills and charming forests. It was a perfect location for a nice stroll in the woods to a castle.

When I was young there was nothing I enjoyed more than having a nice stroll. Sometimes on a Sunday afternoon in the spring or autumn my family and I would drive to a lake in the country and have a nice easy walk around it. There usually wasn’t a castle there, but we looked at birds, skipped the lake, and took in the fresh air.

We arrived in a nearby village called also Kokořín in the morning and began our walk towards the castle. At first the walk was moderately easy, but after an hour or so we were trudging up a very steep hill. of course, because castles are usually on high ground. My son didn’t mind the tough walk, but my daughter and I did. I am a relatively fit man, but I wasn’t prepared to do this manner of strenuous training on a Sunday afternoon.

This was not like the easy strolls I am used to. By the time we reached the top I was exhausted and had to sit on a bench to catch my breath. I recovered for a few moments and then enjoyed the castle as well as the view of the forests and hills. We strolled around the castle grounds and the fresh air me The walk down the hill back to town to get dinner was much more agreeable.

I wonder if this is why the Czechs seem so fit and they have been walking up hills to their historical monuments all of their lives.