Castle hygiene in Spartan conditions

When we look back on how our hygiene practices at Nemilkov have developed since September 2016, we see that they actually mirror advances in hygiene since the Middle Ages.

The first wash wasn't in the castle, but in front of it, in a bucket. Soapy, but also a little frozen, because it's already cold in the Šumava Mountains after dark in September, we poured water heated in a kettle over ourselves. Of course, the hot water ran out just when we needed it most... So the first baths ended, as we say in our family, with an "ice bath."

The first outdoor bathroom.

Over time, we improved our situation. We bought a garden hose, which we ran to the same spot in front of the castle where the bucket had originally stood. Our makeshift shower offered an unlimited supply of water, which was nice, but it was cold, or rather icy. Fortunately, it was a beautiful Indian summer during the day, so it was bearable.

You can't stop progress. Functional hoses.

However, swimming in Bušek, in a picturesque pond below Velhartice Castle surrounded by forests and hills, was much better. We swam there regularly until the end of October. The disadvantage was that we couldn't use soap here so as not to pollute the pristine nature. At least that's how Bušek and its surroundings impressed us. At first, we weren't alone during our evening swims; locals and cottage owners took advantage of the last warm days to enjoy a pleasant evening dip. During one of our early evening swims, an experienced local swimmer told us, "Today is our last swim; it will end this week." As she said, so it happened. The next time we went swimming, we were alone in the pond. And no wonder, because the water was no longer pleasant, it had turned into "razor blades."

Swimming in Bušek.

Another technological advance came in November, when our plumber friend installed water on the ground floor of the castle and put the previously used sewage system back into operation. He built us a temporary shower cubicle, which we bought as part of the castle furnishings. Most importantly, he installed a boiler and we finally had running hot water. Since then, hot water has been flowing whenever we need it, not only in the shower, but even in the temporary kitchen. During the winter months, the shower was sometimes the only place where we could warm up. The downside was that our first castle bathroom had no heating. Getting out of the shower was often a heroic feat, as the thermometer in the "bathroom" sometimes approached zero.

While you can skimp on personal hygiene, you can't fool your bodily needs. During our first visits, we found one dry toilet that hadn't been used in a century, and nothing else that worked. This gave rise to the rule "go to the toilet in Prague, or at the last gas station in extreme cases." Since rules cannot always be followed, we sometimes had to look for other solutions. You won't find public toilets in the countryside, so the JZD Vesa canteen in Velhartice saved us. Fortunately, today we only go there for a good lunch. We first got a chemical toilet, but progress cannot be stopped. We solved the waste problem and with it the regular toilet. However, it is currently located on bricks, as is the case with the makeshift shower stall in an unheated room. You wouldn't believe how cold a toilet seat can be...

Chemical toilet. No more "trips" to the countryside. Dry toilet from days gone by.

We really have nothing to complain about, but no one can be surprised that we would like to improve our sanitary facilities a little. We have plans, now we just need to implement them!