The Otava River

Last Saturday, Rosie came to Strakonice to join us on a day-long canoeing/kayaking trip on the Otava river. Rudolf's friend drove us all to Horazdovice, a neighboring town, and then we traveled on the river back to Strakonice.

Me, Rosie, Mariel, Jana, Rudolf

We started around noon and stopped at a restaurant along the river for lunch after two hours of canoeing/kayaking (about halfway thru our ride). It had a pretty nice view.

We also met the most adorable puppy. Don't worry, she got lots of attention from us!

Then we continued our journey, and had a small photo shoot near white water. Unfortunately, Rudolf and Jana did not get a chance to participate, as their canoe had the waterproof bin holding all of our personal items, including my camera. Upside: Rudolf was a great photographer!

Me

Rose and Mariel

Rosie and Mariel

Some parts of the river were slower than others, so at times we had to really row a lot. Sometimes we needed short breaks, and sometimes we got stuck on the rocks and had to wait for each other. The summer was exceptionally hot this year in the Czech Republic, so the river became very shallow.

Me, Rosie, Mariel

Overall, it was a gorgeous day to be on the river! It took us about five hours, with approximately an hour lunch break, to go 12km, or 7.5 miles. At the end, we were exhausted and our arms and shoulders were sore. After cleaning up, we all met up for a beer at a pub along the river. It was a chilly night, but probably one of the last nice nights of summer.