It had been cool yesterday when we weren't in the sun but today was really cold. At 4°C when we woke up at 07:15, we decide to have breakfast inside and were wearing shirts, jumpers and coats when we set off for the 09:06 bus into Tabor. We didn't take any layers off all day – it was really cold and, unlike yesterday, there was very little sunshine.
We started by following part of the town tour detailed on a leaflet from the tourist office and stopped off at the Dvorak Hotel at 10:00. Dvorak, a large construction company, bought the old brewery and have renovated it, converting part of it into a luxury hotel. They have given other parts over to the community to be used as a museum and concert venue. The buildings are very significant as they are on the site of the old castle. Most of the castle was demolished over the years as the brewery expanded, so much harm was done but the renovation has left a very attractive complex. We sat in the courtyard, selecting seats in the sun (if only briefly) but it was very cold and the two jazz guitarists looked very cold. As Jane noted, it was strange to be listening to gentle jazz at 10 am, it was really more suited to 10 pm but it really was very good and I would like to have heard some more, preferably in a warm jazz bar with a pint of Czech beer in front of me.
We then moved on to the only to visit the only part of the castle that is still extant – the Kotnov Lookout Tower. Today was a special 'Open Sight Day', which meant that many of the tourist sites, museums etc. were open without charge. The Tower was one such site and, although the accompanying museum was not very satisfying due to the lack of English texts, the view from the tower was very good. We could see how the Old Town was well protected by the river valley and fortifications – it was easy to understand why the Hussites had chosen the site for their stronghold. We went on to learn more about the Hussites in the excellent Hussite Museum where the English text told the story of the Hussites and their connection to Tabor. The Hussites believed in sharing all of their worldly goods and when new followers arrived in Tabor they put all of their possessions into casks and these were then shared out amongst all of the people. This, together with revolutionary ideas such as the congregation receiving communion bread and wine during mass, upset the Roman Catholic church. Within the museum is the entrance to 10-12km of tunnels that interlink the cellars of the buildings around two thirds of the square. These were originally separate cellars but were linked in order to provide shelter for the inhabitants in time of attack or fire. They were used during three very serious fires that destroyed a large part of the town. The cellars, sometimes going down two levels were also used for maturing beer but we only saw empty casks on our tour.
Back in the main square we witnessed the arrival of the bikers' parade. They were all wearing crash helmets or, more accurately, helmets that matched the rest of their Mediaeval outfits. They were quite an impressive sight, smoking large cigars on their huge gleaming motorbikes, flying Tabor pennants. As Jane pointed out, she wouldn't want to meet them on a dark night!
We had lunch from stalls in the square – Jane had a spicy sausage wrapped in a pancake and I had a chunk of hot smoked ham with a thick potato pancake that tasted just like bubble and squeak.
At 3 pm we went to a mill just below the town walls to see a mock battle between the Hussites and the Catholic forces. We were treated to a display of impressive Italian-style flag twirling and throwing with one performer being particularly talented, juggling and throwing two, three and then four large flags at the same time. Then it was time for the battle and a large number of children volunteered, having the option to join one of the two forces. Needless to say the Hussites were by far the most popular but this problem was solved by getting them all to attack the bikers. Everyone was issued with large foam weapons and the children took great delight in hitting the bikers around the head, or any other part they they could reach. Soon the bikers were forced back to the pile of coffins and were severely defeated – perhaps the bikers weren't as nasty as they first appeared!
We returned to the main square to see a band on the main stage only to discover that it was Country and Western – definitely not our scene.
It was time to return to Henrietta and put the fan heater on. Shortly after we got back it started to rain and we were glad that we had not decided to stay on into the evening.
Photos: The Brewery chimney in the Dvorak Hotel; View of Tabor old town from the Kotnov Lookout Tower; The bikers pose for photographs – I took this just before the biker on the right was beheaded!; Dust flies as the children battle against the bikers.
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