Travelog
This diary tracks our progress along the Silk Roads, with episodes appearing in date order, most recent first. You can get to earlier entries by turning pages at the bottom of the screen.
- Details
- Written by Andy Stone
- Category: Travelog
Yesterday we visited a fab yet slightly morbid attraction in Brno - a Capuccin monastery that contains a crypt where their special trick is to achieve mummification of the bodies by passing a continuous slow stream of warm air over them. I was particularly excited to find a family of 3 in one part of the crypt, their family name being Grim. Apropriate enough I thought. The crypt thoroughly cheered me up and we celebrated in the evening by going with our hosts to the afore-mentioned laundry - cum bar - cum internet cafe and sampling the local amber nectar Litovel. I needed quite a bit to decide whether I liked it but on the whole I think it gets the thumbs up!
Today we slept in and followed up with some thorough mooching in the town. We went up a hill in the centre to a very high gothic catherdral (SS Peter and Paul. These 2 are very often found together in Czech churches as they are in the UK, and for some reason I have taken to calling them SS Pinky and Perky). We also went to the museum where they had a real catfish swimming about, thus completing a slovenly tourist day with plenty of much needed RnR. I may eat tonight in the local restaurant 'Sherwood' with dishes amusingly entitled Robin Hood, Arthur, Gawain, Lancelot and excellently Ocelot :) Somehow Athos Porthos D'Artagnan and Pathos have also managed to make an appearance. I have absolutely no idea what any of the dishes are but if they're as good as the names I'll be quids in.
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- Written by Ellen Winter
- Category: Travelog
I have really fallen for Brno. While Prague was gorgeous, cultured and buzzing, Brno feels more human and intimate. The air smells lovely from all the horse chestnut trees in bloom, the views from the cathedral are gorgeous, the market was full of fresh veg, plants and flowers, and the aquarium has a european catfish! (only a small one, about 4 feet long). In the museum there was also an exhibition by Vlasty Tře?ň?ka. I particularly liked the portrait of Pope John Paul as Marilyn Monro on the hot air vent, showing his american jeans on under his robe.
We have been completely blessed by the weather, we haven´t seen a cloud until today, when we have had a spectacular thunderstorm while we are in here.
It still feels very odd being away from home, and I am especially missing George and my garden. But, as compensation, I love trams, and Andy is getting fed up with my insistance that we take the tram everywhere. They are so much fun - all the high, nosy view of a bus and none of the bumps and squished-upness. Although you can walk across Brno centre in about 10 minutes, taking the tram is much cooler!
I am coping OK for food, and getting better at making sure that I find stuff to cook. We even tracked the elusive Veggie restaurant to its lair yesterday, having stalked it thorough Munich and Prague. It was great not to worry about it and just be able to eat from the buffet. Unfortunately veggies apparently never eat on the weekends though so it won´t be open tomorrow.
Andy wants to go home now, so off I go.
- Details
- Written by Andy Stone
- Category: Travelog
We've arrived in Brno and its a very lovely city, much smaller than Prague but still buzzing. I must say its an eccentric place - last night we went to eat at a mad Indonesian place called Restaurant Kanibal, decorated mostly in skulls, mock-Indonesian carvings and masks - superb! Didn't have a clue what anything was on the menu but somehow luckily ended up with a steak in brandy sauce. Ellen was more authentic with a very Czech interpretation of Nasi Goring, complete with peas carrots and parsnip!
This morning we took our washing to the best shop in the world - a laundry - cum bar - cum internet cafe. These people are potty, although it must be said extremely genteel, polite and laid back. Through conversation with several folk I have determined that they have a healthy disregard for politics: the view seems to be that political power is generally A Bad Thing, and so the best tactic is to get on with life regardless of who the people who think they are in charge are, or what they choose to call the place (be them Hasburgs, Prussians, Germans or Soviets. Or indeed the current ones, Americans judging by the shops and cultural direction).
Feel oddly withdrawn today but don't know why seeing as this is such a wonderful place. Ellen reckons its because I've reverted to drinking esspresso like there's no tomorrow but I reckon its also a come-down from Prague in which I became totally immersed.
Brno is intersting also because this is the home of Gregor Mendel, which the biologists amongst you will recognise as a significant contributor to genetics and could even be said to be a posthumous co-founder of neo-Darwinism. Not bad for an Augustinian, and we hope to go to the monastery while we're here.
- Details
- Written by Andy Stone
- Category: Travelog
- Details
- Written by Andy Stone
- Category: Travelog
We're at the bus station in Prague, and I'm very sad to be leaving this wonderful city. We have fully done the tourist thing as well as having met some wonderful people, not least our most recent host Dani. Amazingly we're slightly under budget, which I can't quite believe but hey, I'm not knocking it.
Last night I took myself off prowling, and came to a wonderful bar with a small low-ceilinged cellar painted crimson and black. I couldn't see much for the thick smoke but there was a really good early-style rhythm and blues band playing, somewhere between Cream and pure Chicago blues. Magnificent! We are now off to Brno which is the capital of the eastern half of Czech, Moravia, in order to explore some of its famed countryside. Hurrah!