Another day of walking through trees and by fields of grass before reaching the historic town of Rýmařov.
Examining my left leg last night before bed I found the skin mottled red from the my use of the compression sleeve, mainly between its base and the top of my sock, a discolouration still there this morning. I also found a small blister where the lower end of the brace rubbed my leg. There was also a blister on my right heel but that often happens, I just live with it. However I was not sure how the skin damage associated with the brace would develop over the course of my walk. Consequently I decided on a rest day in two days time after the first big climb of my walk.
After breakfast I discovered I had locked myself out of my room for the second time! Using Google Translate I had to ask the lady to open it again before she left with her husband for church.
Today's walk like previous days was through woodland and by large grass fields. In the woods there were areas of very tall thin beech trees. Branches of rowan trees beside the road were bending down under the weight of all their red berries. Yellow and white flowers dotted the roadside beside swathes of cut grass.
I diverted off the track to visit Strálek Castle. Or at least I could have in the 13th and 14th century. All that remained were mounds and ditches in the forest covered with trees. I also passed a sign pointing to a place for rescuing disabled animals, like owls with broken wings judging by the pictures. Periodically there were large scale maps posted on information boards which were helpful to quickly see how much ground I had covered and what was coming it.
Only having 18 kilometres to walk I arrived at Rýmařov.around 2 pm. On the outskirts the apartment blocks had been tastefully painted in pastel colours. In the centre the town square was also an attractive area with well maintained buildings. Photographs in the town museum showed that little had changed in the square in the last hundred years except the cars and people. One picture from the Second World War period showed massed German troops in formation. Many Germans once lived in the area but were expelled after the War. A helpful member of staff showed me around the museum, explaining the exhibits in halting English (all the written descriptions were in Czech). There were the usual bits of pottery from archaeological digs, boundary stones, mineral specimens and religious vestments. It seems the town once had a textile industry and there were mines in the country around. The museum had paintings by a local artist and photographs sensitively taken of people in the nearby villages by a fellow called Jindřich Štreit. The lady showing me around also spoke about some of the local traditions. On Easter Monday one of these involved men going around with willow whips to symbolically strike ladies on the legs, in return the ladies give them painted Easter eggs or chocolates. It did not sound a very politically correct or pleasant tradition.
Leaving the museum behind I walked to the campsite 30 mins away where the town stretched into the next ones. Unfortunately it was closed (contrary to reports on the internet), a couple with a pair of white, furry samoyeds were tidying up after a wedding. So I had to walk 30 minutes back into town to a hotel which fortunately had a room for me at a reasonable price and a restaurant open for food.
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