Brno: A study in contrasts

Today we left Brno in Moravia and arrived in Praha (Prague) in Bohemia.  When I first arrived in Brno I thought I'd be "toughing" out the week after the splendors and pampering of Hungary.  In fact the first morning as Rod and I walked to mass at the Peter and Paul Cathedral, we discussed that Brno seemed more sterile and industrial (even though it is a university town) than the highly cultural Budapest.  Rod referred to it as more "Eastern Block" feeling.  By the end of the week, it was clear that we couldn't have been more wrong and again, few of us were ready to leave.

First of all we all fell in love with the Martins, or as everyone started to affectionately call them, Martin 1 and Martin 2.  Martin 1 (Glogar, on the left) met us in Budapest and traveled with the group by train to Brno.  Martin 2 (Vašek, on the right) safely delivered us to Praha today by bus.  We were supposed to take a train again, but after experiencing the luggage fiasco of 16 Americans it was thought better of to rent a minibus and trailer.  I am still amazed how quickly one becomes attached to people in these situations, as there was a real emotional tug saying good-bye this morning.


There were a few day trips outside of Brno that were enjoyed.  On Wednesday we went to southern Moravia to Břeclav to visit a gymnasium, the european equivilant of a prepartory high school.  In the afternoon we visited the summer château in Lednice, owned by the Lichtensteiners.  It was clearly stated at the ticket window that no photography was allowed.  Many places allow you to purchase a photo permit, but that was not the case at the here.  When the tour guide began her introduction she said, "No where in the château is photography permitted, but as I know tourists, if you must take a picture please make sure your flash is turned off."  Well, that opened the flood gates!  I decided to be a rule follower until we arrived at the library (which I still was not taking any pictures of) and she pointed out the spiral staircase.  This was a picture I had to take for my dad!

This oak staircase is probably 25-30 feet tall and carved out of a single tree!  It is free standing with no supports, joints or nails.  It was spectacular!

Our last day in Brno (oh yeah, that was yesterday!) we traveled about an hour north to a girl scout camp.  The Czech Republic has a strong tradition of scouting and currently have a youth membership of 50,000 (in a country of 10 million total population) and 70,000 former, alumni scouts.   We spent the morning with a troop of girls between the ages of 11-15 in their very rustic camp.  They stay for two weeks in the summer.  I had the opportunity to try out their facilities which certainly wasn't as comfortable as the outhouse at the cabin, but not as primitive as I had feared either. 

So there you have it...Brno afforded me to the chance to go from the château to the shithouse in less than 48 hours!  I wouldn't trade it for the world.