Well much to my amazement i found a train that went directly into the Czech Republic which would save me the hassle of getting a bus to the border, walking across the border and catching another bus (last time they treated me like a car by putting the car barrier up to allow me to walk through - like i couldn't walk around the thing!). What i didn't find was a cash machine or an exchange office at where i had to change trains - a little village in the middle of nowhere... and i had no Czech money.
What do you do?
You find the youngest (adult like) person you can (so they hopefully speak English) and convey to them a need to get money. Strangely this worked and after a long hike with Bob and what felt like Rita and Sue too (remember Rita, Bob and Sue too?) i got my money and still caught my connection...to the wrong station. It turns out there are 3 stations with identical names. Apparently it's obvious which one is which when your Czech. A guy at the wrong station found it very funny that i didn't know where i was or where i needed to be. As he spoke no English, I'm assuming most of this by the way he kept laughing. Another long hike with what felt like Rita and Sue's sisters too and i found my way to the little place of Teplice Nad Metuji Skaly and the pension Skaly.
So why did i come to this tiny little place on the border of Poland near the Sudety mountains...
...Rocks
There are nine million rocks in Teplice
That's a fact
And someone named every bloody one of them after animals or objects, so i had to stop and try to see how they had named them. The rocks are fairly unique in that they are sandstone pinnacles left over from softer rock wearing away in time, and many of them have supposedly become shapes we recognise.
These were my mutterings (out loud of course - i had no one to talk to!)
so this ones called old grandmothers chair - 2 lumpy rock things and another rock thing
right
giants toothpick - jagged rock thing
I'm going to stop looking now
OK just one more
the two lovers - two fat rocky lump things
this is like modern art, i just don't get it
what shall i have for tea tonight
However it was a GREAT days walking, most of it was in pine forests. There were walkways to climb to look over all the trees and rocks, narrow gorges between rocks which were dark and damp, caves which were scary, waterfalls, pristine lakes and lots of birds and animals - i was even following dear tracks at one point. I was like a little kid - i couldn't get enough of it. It totally made up for the bad weather in the high Tatras.
Towards the Adršpach end of the park it got very touristy, but as I'd spent most of the day completely alone it was fine. It was a strange experience to be on a well defined tourist trail and yet be having lunch in the middle of a forest, not seeing anyone else for a couple of hours. It's just a pity there aren't more trails so i could have spent longer there.
