Karstein CZ to Tlumačov
Previous day || Back to trip summary page || Next day
Karstein CZ to Tlumačov CZ
Motorhome Journey Karstein CZ to Tlumačov CZ
Up early, shower, breakfast and service Hymer… emptying and filling tanks. The campsite is very quiet, all obviously recovering from their late night. We have decided to return to the aire at Tlumačov for another quiet interlude.
We leave Karlštejn Kemping around 10.15 taking R11615 to Liteň, then R11524 to E50. Taking a route around Beroun, past Zdice, Zebrak and Rokycany; around Pilsen (yes the same as the Lager where it is made), Nyrany to Kladruby. Here we turn south on R193 through Horšovský Týn to Domazliče. While R193 is a major road, it is very bendy and barely wide enough for vehicles to pass in places. The roads in Czechia are not wide, driving on these roads is tiring for the driver but the rural landscape of yellow canola fields, green cereals and small villages makes it endlessly interesting. At Domazliče, with its two round church spires, we stop at the Penny Market for a grocery shop. We buy essential supplies of fruit, salad ingredients and buy some Czechan wine (white a bottle of pink fizz). We have a late lunch on the car park then make our way up the mountain road to Vyhlidková vĕž Tlumačov and the observation deck above the alpine plateau.
We stop and listen to the total silence, except for the occasional bird singing… bliss after the campsite. We walk in the fresh air, although it is a warm day, at this height (about 600m) there is a cool fresh breeze, in fact it is quite windy and the million dandelion seed heads are beginning to disperse. We catch up journals and writing then open the Czechen pink fizz, it is pretty disgusting! Mr C. finishes his, I chuck mine out! At £3.60 (converted from Kc) it was worth buying to know had bad it is! When we translated the ingredients it was obvious that it was not really wine but a concoction, we’ll be more careful in future. I cook chicken stir-fry and we sit inside and eat it, a very welcome hearty meal. I feel the need to open windows, the air is very close. To bed early as we are both tired.
It is about 9.45pm, Mr C. is in the land-of-nod and I am reading in bed when I hear the distant rumble of thunder, it is a long way off so I ignore it. There it is again and nearer… and again and nearer. I hear (and feel) the wind rock Hymer and large fat spattering drops of rain begin to fall on the roof, very noisily and heavier and faster. The thunder is louder and getting nearer by the second, then the lightning begins to flash. The storm arrives instantaneously, I turn off the light and watch the light show coming through the window in the roof and from behind us.
It is spectacular, excessively noisy as blinding white flashes illuminate the bed and are followed by deafening bangs of thunder. I cover my eyes to protect them from the brilliant white flashes and listen in terrifying awe as the pelting rain, so noisy on the metal roof that it drowns out the thunder. On and on it comes, harder and faster and noisier, more and more and more. Is this how Noah felt when he built the ark? Would we wake in the morning to find we had floated away down the valley. Then it stops… the lightning diminishes, the thunder rumbles away in the distance and just the gentle patter of heavy rain falling. And I must have fallen asleep.
Click any image to enlarge
