{"id":4378,"date":"2019-11-23T11:58:34","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T11:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/?post_type=story&p=4378"},"modified":"2019-12-03T13:48:32","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T13:48:32","slug":"go-with-the-flow","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/blog\/story\/go-with-the-flow\/","title":{"rendered":"GO WITH THE FLOW"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Banter, beer and beauty on a rafting trip through Bohemia.<\/span><\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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T<\/span>he campfire snaps, firing up bursts of orange into the night sky, throwing shadows across the dark outline of our teepee and the woods behind. A short distance to my right, through a curtain of trees, I can hear the white noise of the beer-brown river flowing downstream. From somewhere there is the sound of a guitar being strummed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cRafting is strange, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Says Martin, an English student from Prague as he pours himself a drink and stares into the flames. \u201cMy muscles hurt because I\u2019m not used to the movement, but on the other hand I\u2019m totally calm. I\u2019m exhausted physically, but relaxed psychologically. Do you know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I reach for another beer and nod. I know exactly what he means. We\u2019re in Kamp Branna, halfway along a journey down the Vltava river. Despite only being on the water for a day, there\u2019s already a feeling of being in a totally different gear, tuned to the river\u2019s speed. Little wonder that rafting or canoeing down this, the Czech Republic\u2019s iconic \u2018mother\u2019 river, is regarded as something far bigger than a holiday.<\/p>\n

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As I\u2019ve already been told numerous times by fellow rafters, a trip down the Vltava is more like a rite of passage, one that draws legions of paddlers every summer keen to experience its unique river culture, history and jaw-dropping natural splendour.<\/p>\n

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It hadn\u2019t taken long to see its appeal. Arriving earlier in the day at the pretty Renaissance town of \u010cesk\u00fd Krumlov, perched above a series of the river\u2019s winding bends, my co-rafter and I had been met by Honza from raft hire company \u2018Rafting Krumlov\u2019.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBeautiful, isn\u2019t it?\u201d He\u2019d said immediately, gesturing towards the South Bohemian town\u2019s chocolate box skyline, framed by a bright October sky. \u201cWhen I was young we came on a boat here every year. Twice sometimes. It was a traditional family trip. Whenever possible we all came rafting or canoeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As directed, we climbed into the back of a battered van with a large red and black inflatable raft strapped to the top. Pulling out of town, we were soon heading upstream towards our place of embarkation.<\/p>\n

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It turns out that deciding exactly which stretch of the river to raft is down to the skill of the paddlers. The Vltava is enormous; it runs, roars and meanders 430km from the \u0160umava National Park in the west of South Bohemia to the mouth of the Elbe beyond Prague, giving it a reputation as a river of many personalities. Fortunately there\u2019s one to suit any level. While more serious paddlers might frequent the higher and more challenging white water reaches found in \u0160umava, others \u2013 like us \u2013 plump for a more well-paddled path: the two-day trip from the village of Vy\u0161\u0161\u00ed Brod downstream to \u010cesk\u00fd Krumlov.<\/p>\n

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After swerving along country roads for half an hour, gaps in the thick woodland began to reveal an impressive spire and tumble of quaint orange roofs. Vy\u0161\u0161\u00ed Brod may now be a somewhat forgotten spot, but the spire forms part of what was once a large Cistercian monastery built by South Bohemia\u2019s powerful and influential Rosenberg family, and it dates back to the thirteenth-century. Following a tumultuous history that saw it requisitioned for a loot store by the Nazis and its monks being turfed out during communism, it\u2019s now a monastery again, exuding a stately feeling of serenity. With the river looking similarly gentle, Honza pulled in and released the raft from its moorings, sending up a cloud of dust.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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L<\/span>oading it with our kit \u2013 paddles, sleeping bags, sun hats, food, water, cameras packed in waterproof bags and a slab of Budweiser Budvar \u2013 Honza gave us a scratch lesson in tackling the river\u2019s many weirs. \u201cLook for the arrows pointing you to one side or the other, and do what they say. Then point the raft down the channel and go for it. Don\u2019t go over the main weirs or you will capsize.\u201d Then, with promises to call him to organise a rendezvous as we approach \u010cesk\u00fd Krumlov, he put his foot on the raft\u2019s stern, gave us a hefty shove, and we were adrift.<\/p>\n

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I say adrift. The first weir was only a few paddle strokes away meaning that we were soon being pulled into its current, approaching the surging channel of white water stern first. Being seated at the back, I took evasive action and turned us around using a paddle against the bank just as the raft\u2019s prow disappeared down the slide of water ahead. A strong drag, down, and we were pulled through to jolt back up into the river\u2019s heart, arms aloft, whooping with joy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Adrenalin subsided and we were carried off along with the river\u2019s gentle central current. The Vltava widened; the world slowed. Thick forest rose all around. The sun flickered over the water in flashes of silver and the river slipped us through a shallow gully that rang with birdsong and the occasional \u2018splosh\u2019 of feeding fish snatching flies.<\/p>\n

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We soon mastered steering \u2013 one paddle stroke at the back was worth two at the front \u2013 meaning we could soon drift elegantly around the river\u2019s wide bends and not look too amateur among the other rafters. These ranged from determined families in orange canoes sweeping past at pace to sunbathing couples spinning lazily in the current, occasionally slipping into the water to swim and cool off.<\/p>\n

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The high season for the Vltava is June and July when the river is alive with all manner of multi-coloured watercraft. From historic waterside inns and floating bars specially constructed for the bustling river life, to silent stretches of natural splendour, the river offers whatever you are searching for \u2013 as Honza had confirmed: \u201cSome come for fun and to drink beer; others because their parents did. Others come every year for the nature, like a pulse in their life. There are different reasons, I think, but all do it to relax.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u201cFrom historic inns and floating bars to silent stretches of natural splendour, the river offers whatever you are searching for.\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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O<\/span>ur first port of call was \u2018U Tri Veverek\u2019, which means \u2018The Three Squirrels\u2019 \u2013 a pull-in refreshment stop on a bend in the river with bar and caf\u00e9 hidden among the trees. An old man sat alone playing guitar. Kids ran about and sprayed passing canoes with water pistols. At a table, a big group of friends raised pints of cold beer, toasting their journey so far. We followed their lead and watched the water for a while, a cold Budvar in hand, when Jaroslav, a local from \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice, appeared. \u201cI\u2019m a true Budweiser too!\u201d He said, pointing to our beers and giving us the thumbs up.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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While his kids played in the woodland, Jaroslav explained that he and his family raft this river religiously. \u201cThis is a specific kind of tourism \u2013 tramping or river-rovering, which has a great tradition in Czech lands. We have a lot of beautiful rivers and beautiful nature here but the Vltava is something really special. Vltava is our main, patriotic river so something like the Volga for Russians or the Mississippi for Americans. It\u2019s our river number one, and there are many legends attached to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s hardly surprising when you consider how long people have been rafting these waters. Written records stretch back almost a thousand years. And I do mean\u00a0rafting<\/i>. Originally, rope-bound logs provided the most effective way to move timber down from the tree-dense \u0160umava mountains. Navigating the river then was dangerous work and took true skill, but it was essential to an industry that brought an important source of wealth to the South Bohemian region and its ruling, aristocratic families.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Another hour of drifting and the thirteenth-century town of Ro\u017emberk nad Vltavou provided a welcome spot for a late lunch. Lying on the curve of the river and watched over by its handsome castle, it again belonged to the House of Rosenberg who clearly had an impressive eye for situation and style. Mooring up and re-fueling on goulash and cold beer on a terrace overlooking the water, we stretched our legs a bit before climbing stiffly back into the raft. Passing under the town\u2019s bridge we tackled another weir \u2013 this time riding the wild water with a little more panache.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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From there it was some delightful paddling, slow and peaceful through the lush woods and hills, to reach the lights and woodsmoke of Kamp Branna. I\u2019d be lying, though, if I said I wasn\u2019t glad to see our overnight spot materialising through the trees. Twinges had definitely begun to tighten my arms and shoulders, and the glowing teepee entrances flanking the water\u2019s edge looked seriously cozy as the sun began slipping behind the trees. We could see the outlines of other rafters setting up tents, collecting wood and sparking campfires into life in communal fire pits.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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After mooring and finding our teepee, I\u2019d been unsure as to how we might join someone else\u2019s campfire, but there needn\u2019t have been any reservations. Jaroslav had been right when he\u2019d told us: \u201cYou have a freedom to stop everywhere. In the Czech Republic there is still the freedom to go anywhere on the river and in the woods. You can swim everywhere; you can drink everywhere! It\u2019s a feeling of freedom and you will meet a lot of great people. In the camps there\u2019s always a really great atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s how we ended up sitting in the flickering flame-light, sharing beers with two complete strangers.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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