Stramberk

It’s a busride that takes us through beautiful nature to the small town Stramberk which has about 3000 inhabitants. The village is beatifully located like it’s thrown against the hill. It is already late and we decide to walk away from the center via a long wide street with large houses on both sides.

Dogs bark behind high fences and people look at us strangely. At the end of the street we greet four policemen who check the traffic and turn here towards a water treatment plant. Along a field of fields and then straight on - also here is a small building and we decide to walk along the stream through a narrow green strip of road away from the road. We find two spots for putting up our tents.

Just before it gets really dark, our tents stand and we decide to eat something near the river on a large tree stump. In my tent, later on, I ponder what I have read today; close to a cave (the "Sipka") they would have found Neanderthal children's bones. Will that be far away?

It is seven o'clock when I wake up because of an orchestra of sound of birds. The sky is completely gray and it is again pretty chilly when we come out of the tent. After we have picked up all the stuff, we prepare for a breakfast in our "dugout" next to the river.

Today it is incredibly foggy and after we have picked up our stuff we walk back the same road that we walked yesterday. We look up at the Truba castle that was built on top of the hill and where the historic city should lie. At the big junction where we got out yesterday, the road goes up/slopes steeply.

We walk across the road and here begins the old narrow streets with cobbled stones where cars are not allowed to come. Here we can also see the old wooden houses from the 18th and 19th century. Bathing in sweat we come up at a kind of plateau where an information centre is situated. The girl speaks poor English, better German but in the end we understand we have to buy a city ticket. It is clear to us that we are going to make a walking-tour in the small, sweet little town and take a look at the castle that was built above the village. Fortunately, we can leave our big bags in a small room.  

We cross the first tourists and it becomes clear to us that this is a village on the tourist route. We decide first to walk to the highest point and we take the stone steps to the castle. It is too bad that it is so foggy and we see nothing of the probably beautiful view over the valley. Suddenly a whole group of sharp dressed people show up and it occurs a wedding will take place here.  We take a look at the high tower and the terrace and then decide to walk back to the rectangular square that is flanked by a beautiful cathedral.

The square is adorned on all sides by beautiful Renaissance houses that are now occupied mainly by museums, souvenir shops, hotels and restaurants.