Lost In Renovation

"In 1992, UNESCO bestowed World Heritage upon Cesky Krumlov, thus recognising the effort, skill and love with which our ancestors built this town. It is up to us to maintain and preserve their 800 years worth of work."

- what I remember from a plaque in the Old Town Square (not accurate)

I've just spent my last $150 on a Caesar salad and a Gambrinus. Actually, that's not true. I did have $1 left, but I gave it to the barkeeper as tips. You've got to share the wealth around, after all. 

I've had another look around Cesky Krumlov, in the harsh light of day. It's an exceptionally pretty town, but it's been given the Maybelene treatment - the facades are way too colourful,the streets a bit too quaint, and the paving stones are a tad too well maintained. It's kind of what you'd expect Disney would build, if they had a mind to build a fake medieval town in the middle of Anaheim. 

It's really quite interesting because the town's about 75% of the way through its makeover. The main streets are finished, and most of the town square. But if you duck through a couple of side streets, you can still catch a glimpse of what it must've been like before UNESCO. The grey concrete facades are cracked, the windows are broken and the houses actually look like they've been there for hundreds of years.

It's quite interesting to see the contrast. And it's a bit sad that it's all going to be wiped out soon. In ten years, the whole place will be dolled up and pretty and touristy. And while it's nice to stroll around narrow cobble-stoned streets and take in breathtakingly beautiful views of the river, I can't help but feel something's being lost in the renovations. 

Don't get me wrong, it's a ridiculously pretty town. Here's proof:

Bohemian tourist

I'm getting wise,

and I'm feeling so Bohemian like you,
It's you that I want so please,
just a casual, casual easy thing.

- The Dandy Warhols, just because I like the song

I'm in Bohemia at the moment, in a little town on a bend of the Vltava River called Cesky Krumlov. It's one of those places you've got to visit because everyone keeps telling you how great it is. And it's not bad. It's a tourist trap, for sure, but the buildings are very attractive and the castle is very grand. There's a nice, unhurried ambience about the place. It's the kind of town where you can spend an afternoon quite pleasantly on the river bank with a beer in one hand and a book in the other.

But you know, I probably could have lived a full life without having been here.

This morning in Prague, I had a talk with this guy who's spent his holidays building a youth shelter for under-privileged kids. Interesting stuff. When you're travelling around, you've got this kind of impenetrable cloak of self-absorption. I mean, you're on holiday in this strange place, and you start to think that everything revolves around you. And you kind of close your eyes to things that don't fit into your holiday space - like poverty, and homelessness, and racism. I remember being hounded by gypsies near the Brandenberg Gate, and thinking at the time that it was a real imposition on my part to be asked for cash at a time like that. 

It's that kind of selfishness that gives tourists a bad name, I suppose. 

And in the spirit of whiny introspection, I stink. If I stand on the wrong side of a stiff breeze, I can catch a whiff of myself, and I stink. I'm not entirely sure what it is. I suspect it's the hair - it's turned lanky and greasy under the beanie - but it's got to be something more than that. I reek of stale sweat and unwashed skin. I'm embarrassed to be within two metres of anyone. I should take a shower, but I'm down to my last pair of jocks and it costs $20AUS for laundry. 

Which means that I'm going to smell like a wet sheepdog until I get to Vienna. It's oddly appropriate - after all, when in Bohemia, stink like the bohemians do. And there's no one to please here.

And the Arsenal beat Everton 3-1. Yep, we love the Arsenal, we do. 

Maybe Cesky Krumlov?

Unfortunately we have lost some players over the 10 days – William Gallas (hamstring), Bacary Sagna (knee) and Nicklas Bendtner (ankle).... Fortunately the three of them don’t look to be out for a long, long time but they will be out for the weekend game and I think the game on Tuesday."

- Arsene Wenger, taking it rather well, all things considered

First, the good news. Prague is a very pretty city and there are great views of it from Prague Castle. It's the kind of city that turns every tourist into a slack-jawed yokel. You wouldn't believe the ornamentation on some of these buildings. If some of them were dragged off to Melbourne and plonked down on Swanston St, they'd probably nudge the trams off as the No.1 Tourist Attraction. Here, these buildings are just everyday tobacco stores, delis and liquor stores.... 

I'm debating whether or not to go to Cesky Krumlov during the weekend. On one hand, it's supposed to be a compact, cordialised form of Prague. Folks who plan to stay two days often hang around for four. On the other hand, it's potentially four days out of my Schengen budget, and I really want some time to see Spain and Italy properly. 

So I don't know. 

Another thing I don't know is what we're going to do against Everton. We've got a lot of injuries. Gallas, Sagna and Bendtner are definitely out. Cesc has a broken nose and Djourou and van Persie have injury scares. Worse comes to worse, we're looking at a centre-back pairing of Toure and Song, with Ramsey and Denilson as our centre-midfielders. 

It don't look so good. So maybe I should go to Cesky. It'll be nice to be distracted by lovely medieval buildings while our callow squad is being exposed by another set piece. I don't think I can handle the pain of dropping more points at the Emirates. And the beer here's very good. Apparently, all the "Pilsner" beers in Central Europe come from the same small town in the Czech Republic.