Zámek Lednice : The Fairy Tale continues : South Eastern Czech Republic

Who knew that Europe contained so many fairy tales, but it's true. If I could... I would quit my day job, and just backpack all over Europe and blog about it all or make a travel show about it - I would - but I sadly can't because I need the $$ to be able to do these things. lol Though the cool thing is - it was my job that brought me to this area...so I can't complain.  Going on weekends is like going on a mini-vacation.  You not only see/experience something new, but one is whisked away into another time period...and who doesn't love a little time travel?  I know I do.  I still think I was born into the wrong century.  The architecture, the history, the peacefulness...always takes my breath away.  Doesn't matter if it's a small ruin or an Unesco site..it's all priceless.
So with that being said..I give you my number 70 and 71: Zámek Lednice, and Hrad Janův 
Check out the website here: http://www.zamek-lednice.com/

It's an amazing, beautiful, breathtaking ..you get my drift...Unesco site located about 2 hours away from Ostrava, Czech Republic.  Ostrava being the 3rd largest city within Czech Republic...and as a "fun fact" a twin city of Pittsburgh, PA, USA ...my hometown. =)  ok ok...back to the castle...





I would suggest getting to the castle early.  Why?  It's BIG, and BEAUTIFUL..just like me!  LOL If you want to do it all in one day.. you can, but will be a challenge.  Be ready to walk, and wear your version of comfortable shoes.  If you take the train, you will need to take a bus into the city.  It's about a 10-15 minute bus ride. No worries there.  The train station has announcements in Czech, English, and in German.  The bus station is right across the main station, and reading the bus schedules are easy, and there is an electronic sign showing arrivals, and departures.

Upon arriving at the stop, the bus leaves you off right in the front portion of the square.  You can see the tips of the castle over the walls, so you just have to walk backwards...and toda!  There it is!

Ok Ok ! So now we are here.  So you might be thinking..now what?  Ok.  Do some research before you go! They offer several different tours, and various things to do.  You will have to pay for all of it separately, so be prepared for that.  Each "attraction/tour" has different locations where you buy/pay, but don't worry - they speak English and are super friendly.

I went with a colleague of mine.  We decided to take a tour of the private rooms, and general area first to duck out of the hot sun, and temperature.  The tours will be in Czech, but don't worry - they will provide you with the tour in your language on paper - you just need to ask for it.  You can take pictures inside, but you must pay extra for that, and wear a sticker to show you have paid.

This bathtub used to take over 3 hours to fill of water!

Picture of a beautiful dining room.

This staircase is carved from one piece of wood!!

After roaming around and taking a few tours....eat some lunch at one of the nearby cafes.  After refueling - it's time to walk.  The grounds are quite extensive.  I think in total - we walked around 9km that day, but we could have kept going!  My suggestion is to walk through the inner trails leading to a Minaret in which you can pay 40, - Kč and walk 302 steps up to the top to really take in the view from all around.  My friend pointed out the fact we could see Vienna, Austria from there - being that it was only 100km from where we were.

Walking the inner trails - around the lakes...

Reaching the Minaret...

Top of the Minaret..302 steps later...on a 90F / 30C day.   It offers amazing views - that is for sure.

After walking back down - my suggestion is to take the 45 minute boat ride to the next castle...Janův hrad.  There are 2 different paths that the boats take - back to the main castle or back to the next castle. =)

Janův Hrad

This was the hunting lodge.  So the men from the main castle would come here to begin their hunting activities.  Notice that the castle looks to be in ruins.  Believe it or not - it was designed, and built this way.  Yes, Europe began to fake castle ruins at the turn of the 18th/19th centuries. 

Again you can take a tour here, so after visiting - take the green trail path back. 

It will lead you into a nice wooded area to shade you from the hot summer sun, and back to the main castle. It's about 4km, so just be aware. The last thing we explored before taking the train back was the really nice english gardens.

Overall we accomplished a lot, but there was still the greenhouse to go! But there was just not enough time.  A lot to do in one day, but I really enjoyed what I saw, and experienced.  Definitely goes into my top pick list!  This was freaking awesome to be my 70th castle!

Yes, I'm tired after a successful castle hunting day, but it was worth it.       
Top pick indeed!

~The end.~