Description: "Daddy, are we there yet?"
There were no kids in the vehicle -- just me giddy with the luxury of having a driver.
Jetlagged, feet beside me on the seat of the van, I enjoyed the view of rolling hills that reminded me of my own West Virginia without the mountain laurel, but with plenty of ferns and mosses. "So, this is Bohemia!," I said to myself, since everyone else was lost in his own reverie. The protected scenic area lacks the superhighways our Mountain State is famous for, and, as we made another turn and left the road to Libun, I felt the driving was in competent hands. Perhaps this was the scenic route and not the shortest one. Even as the road became one lane, I felt relaxed.
History
We paid our fees at a booth with trail mixes for sale and continued walking up the dirt road until we saw a photo-op and literature in English.
The castle was built in the 1380s by Cenek of Vartemberk, who owned the area all the way to Jicin. In the 1400s, a robber band of 200 knights seized the castle and terrorized the entire area. Even federal troops couldn’t overcome them in this position. After the estate was finally reclaimed, gentry wouldn’t live here, preferring the castle at Kost, which is a popular one to tour. Trosky, however, is more popular because of its position on these two volcanic rocks -- literature discusses the engineering marvel and geology. Like other property in the area, it was owned by Albrecht Valdstejn during the Thirty Years’ War and eventually became a protected landmark.
Biting the dust!
As I stopped to take a photo, others in my group got ahead of me and were all the way up in the high tower. So, I began the trek up the long steps that seemed to hang on the side of the cliff.
That picture is taken halfway up those steps, where my knees began to turn to rubber. I didn’t feel like fighting with my fear of heights (or whatever it is), so I came down and found another tower made just for me -- with an inside stairway!
"I did it my way!"
Back on solid ground, I pondered what this fear is about. I wasn’t uncomfortable at the top of the Hancock building in Chicago. The open-air porch on the Toronto tower was exhilarating! Of course, in those cases, I had taken the elevator up! That’s it! It must be fear of climbing -- or maybe I’m moody. (It seems to come and go!) Inside the shorter tower, steps spiraled round and round and finally came to a lookout platform you can see here.
The view
Admittedly, one could get a better photo without the bars -- but you know my secret. This is the neighborhood terrorized by 200 robber knights.
If you enjoy elevated solitude, you’ll love Trosky Hrad ruins, a taste of old Bohemia. Castle ruins aren't great tours -- but good excuses for a hike!
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